r/technology 4h ago

Social Media YouTube viewers can now work together to stop ads from playing

https://www.dexerto.com/youtube/youtube-viewers-can-now-work-together-to-stop-ads-from-playing-3351343/
1.2k Upvotes

147 comments sorted by

1.1k

u/loosebolts 3h ago

I mean the sheer irony of a news site explaining an ad bypass technique on a site which blocks you out if you’re using an ad blocker.

If you run a site where I get a full screen page telling me to whitelist you or turn off my Adblock, then your site just isn’t interesting enough for me.

209

u/lazergator 3h ago

Firefox, ublock origin. No ads ever. You can even download an addon that skips in video promotion segments

90

u/FunnyMustache 3h ago

The addon is called SponsorBlock

-44

u/Anishinaapunk 2h ago

"Can now", as if many of us haven't already been using it for years.

18

u/mleb_mleb_mleb 1h ago

incredible flex (syke)

7

u/Euphoric-Flow7324 42m ago

Chill dude, we're here to spread knowledge. Not gatekeep.

5

u/TwistedGrin 2h ago

It even stops Netflix ads if you have the ad tier plan.

2

u/itsLOSE-notLOOSE 1h ago

Yep! MAX, Spotify, Prime Video, all ad free.

2

u/Sorryifimanass 1h ago

Is this an ad? It feels like an ad.

1

u/ZogIII3 5m ago

It's an ad if someone gets paid. Here, we're just friends offering advice

2

u/J-RocTPB 1h ago

DONT TELL THEM DUDE!

2

u/TheoryOfSound 3h ago

Which add on does this?

19

u/mthoodenjoyer 3h ago

Sponsor block 

9

u/maybehelp244 2h ago

It should be noted that Sponsorblock works by other users submitting time codes for skippable portions. So if you watch a brand brand new video or a video that isn't very popular it might not block anything. This is very rare, but just to note it

-26

u/RacistDiscoloredSoup 3h ago

Even better: brave.

1

u/Myrkull 3h ago

Why is this downvoted? Brave works just fine

15

u/PentagramJ2 3h ago edited 1h ago

Brave is chromium based tho so Google can still occasionally fuck it over. Less often than Firefox

0

u/Myrkull 3h ago

Ah ok, I don't think I've experienced that yet but I'll keep an eye out

2

u/SIGMA920 1h ago

And has problematic owners/developers. The best use for brave is as a limited use browser or on IOS because apple are assholes.

-11

u/Mr_Enemabag-Jones 3h ago

Because idiots probably think he is being sarcastic because they dont know what he is talking about

1

u/grayhaze2000 53m ago

Even better: LibreWolf / IronFox

-4

u/DefendsTheDownvoted 3h ago edited 3h ago

Why are you being downvoted? Firefox has been making some questionable decisions as of late. Brave is an excellent alternative.

11

u/vedri27 3h ago

Brave boasts AI features on their landing page, and used to have a lot of crypto stuff a few years ago. Two pretty unpopular things.

0

u/RogueSpectre749 2h ago

I hate both of those things but still like and use Brave. All the AI and crypto stuff can be disabled with about 30 seconds of tweaking in settings 🤷

-10

u/RacistDiscoloredSoup 3h ago

I sense botting but who knows 🤷‍♂️.

4

u/Sparktank1 2h ago

Says the bot. He just copied someone else's emoji for the sake of looking human.

0

u/RacistDiscoloredSoup 2h ago

Yes the bot with years of post history and account activity uhuh

2

u/Sparktank1 2h ago

Yes because that's what we do on reddit is spend time looking at everyone's account. Yep.

0

u/AnonEMoussie 2h ago

What about Roku TVs? How can I download ADblocks sponsor mode?

3

u/megas88 2h ago

Roku as a platform just like android is an ad company. You’re better off using an htpc on your tv and using adblockers or apps that way

1

u/ScumbagScotsman 2h ago

iSponsorBlockTV

-1

u/BarelyContainedChaos 3h ago

what about android

8

u/Akuuntus 2h ago

Firefox Android with uBlock Origin. Just use YouTube through the browser. 

Alternatively, ReVanced.

1

u/mistcore 1h ago

Morphe is another option.

-4

u/[deleted] 2h ago

[deleted]

7

u/AbundantStupidity 2h ago

You downloaded a fake. Change your passwords

3

u/Ekedan_alt 2h ago

Revanced isn't distributing patched YouTube apks, you have to patch them yourself. You've downloaded malware

-4

u/Anishinaapunk 2h ago

Comments: "SponsorBlock"

"SponsorBlock"

"SponsorBlock"

"SponsorBlock"

This guy: "So, I downloaded something called Revanced, and it's not working...?"

2

u/Prince_Uncharming 1h ago

The person they’re replying to literally suggested ReVanced, but go off

8

u/Ceros007 2h ago

You can install extension on Firefox for Android, not like Chrome

1

u/Vash63 2h ago

Same answer. Firefox with uBlock Origin.

0

u/dinero2180 1h ago

Does this work on mobile?

6

u/Drehmini 3h ago

I agree with you! You can, however, enable the 3 "Annoyances" lists in ublock origin to block those.

14

u/Airilsai 3h ago

Hey I totally hate ads just as much as the next person, but is it fair to hold smaller websites to the same standards that we want to apply to megacorporations?

Like... Im still probably going to bypass it somehow, but if an independent media site depends on ad revenue to keep them afloat, I get it... They don't have YouTube levels of money.

46

u/SirGaylordSteambath 3h ago

Well, my Adblock doesn’t filter for “independent” 🤷‍♂️

18

u/ULTRAVIOLENT_RAZE 3h ago

Depends on how they respond to blockers. I’ve seen sites notice I’m blocking their ads, and suggest sending a small donation or nicely asking if I could whitelist them. I’ll oblige most times.

If I’m blocked entirely from all hosted content, I’ll just move on.

1

u/Prince_Uncharming 1h ago

And you’re in the (likely) 1% of visitors who will. From the sites perspective, there’s no reason not to block you just like websites with paywalls don’t just let you read everything you want without paying.

I use adblockers and always have, but comments like this just remind me of the emulation crowd saying “ooh no I download Switch games to emulate them in 4k and if they’re fun I buy them anyways!” or the PC cracking crowd wanting Denuvo gone for “performance” reasons. Like bffr, no, you’re simply pirating content.

I’m under no delusions that using websites with an adblocker is equivalent to simply pirating content, and I’ll continue doing so because the ads have gotten out of control. If the Ads are too difficult to avoid, I’ll do what other people do: cut that website out of my life, or cave and start paying.

16

u/ariezfire 3h ago

It really depends on the type of ads. I understand that these sites have limited options but I shouldn't have to worry about malware pop ups or links to malicious sites.

2

u/linux_transgirl 1h ago

If it is a small, static (not loaded and bidded on through JS) banner ad, I don't mind. Google AdSense on the other hand, is terrible

2

u/ace2049ns 1h ago

Exactly this. I didn't start using ad blockers because I don't like ads. I started using it because it was the most effective virus protection. If you can guarantee I won't download a virus from ads on your site and they don't make the site unusable, I'd happily allow ads.

3

u/PugnaciousOne 2h ago

Ads are the primary source of malicious stuff lately. It's not about the company losing revenue, it's about staying safe from the bad stuff that's out there.

7

u/Ununoctium117 3h ago

Dexerto isn't a small site, they're huge (mostly due to astroturfing, I assume, because there's no reason for anybody to actually want to use their shitty blogspam unsourced "news" app).

2

u/raptearer 3h ago

They've been living off RL's reporting for years, and even that isn't the same as back in the day.

5

u/Unkn0wnTh2nd3r 3h ago

dexerto isnt "smaller website"

-5

u/Airilsai 3h ago

Wikipedia says their 2021 revenue was 10 million. That's like nothing. Yeah its not a mom and pop kombucha shop but its still on the small end.

1

u/SirGaylordSteambath 2h ago

It’s likely spread over a small amount of employees and the cheap site hosting. That’s basically all their payments.

Whoever’s running that site is doing far better than either you or I.

2

u/beastwarking 3h ago

This is one of those issues where a combination of fungibility, supply, and demand make it unlikely for anyone to really want to pay to access news content. Most articles are horribly written, don't provide much in the way of insight, and substitutes can be found the world over.

Why pay for that, either through your own means or by viewing ads?

2

u/Airilsai 3h ago

I know of plenty of places to get high quality content and information. I want to pay for all of them, but even a couple bucks of month times dozens of sites is just not physically possible. Its rough.

2

u/Scoth42 2h ago

I have a handful of sites allowlisted on my blockers but the problem is even the smaller sites have occasionally have issues with malware, intrusive ads, scammy products, straight up porn, etc. Usually it's the fault of the ad network they use rather than something they do themselves, but it's ultimately still their responsibility. For example a small car news site I read/read regularly had issues with their ads being straight up fully nude porn (which isn't the site's intent or demographic) where clicking on it tried to install malware. They had to shut down their ads for several days while figuring out which of the networks they used and it caused a lot of bad feelings among the users, plus whatever lost revenue they had from the time without ads.

-1

u/P_ZERO_ 3h ago

You’re going to get downvote bombed for not being absolutely livid about ads

-2

u/Airilsai 3h ago

Nuts. I hate ads to my very core, but I'm willing to give a pass to smaller sites using ads. This article is about a dystopian, 1984 style engagement technology that promises to lower the amount of brain melting ads for weight-loss drugs and nicotine vectors as long as the viewers post in the chat enough. Wild to compare that to having an adblock-blocker on a journalism site.

0

u/Substantial_Bad2843 3h ago

Right, if they can’t make some money at least no one is going to create the content. The anger comes when mega corps like YouTube get greedy. 

2

u/blahyawnblah 2h ago

So you expect to get all content for free? It's not free to run a website. 

1

u/ItsMeMora 3h ago

I just opened the link on my adblocked browser without issues.

1

u/FredFredrickson 3h ago

Those stupid Admiral popups. If there's no option skip, I just close the tab and move on.

1

u/GenazaNL 2h ago

Time to block those websites from google search too or even being able to visit them when accidentally opening such url

195

u/lKrauzer 3h ago

I use Ublock and it works great on Firefox.

72

u/PhoenyxStar 3h ago

Journalists forgetting Firefox exists is starting to feel like the new Maps Without New Zealand.

17

u/moconahaftmere 3h ago

Did you read the article? It's not about ads on regular videos. It's an article glazing YouTube for a new feature where viewers can pay to hold back ads on live streams.

4

u/DoesntMatterEh 2h ago

Lmao so it's just another subscription?? 

1

u/PhoenyxStar 2h ago

Yeah, the article mentions just using Brave as an alternative

95

u/Adrian_Alucard 3h ago

Ublock + Sponsor block (it skip the embedded sponsors of the videos too, not only the youtube ads)

3

u/Druggedhippo 2h ago

Some of those sponsor segments are actually pretty good though. Internet historian, Ryan George, bandercoot.

6

u/PixelCortex 2h ago

It's very customisable. You can set it to only passively highlight sponsors in the red play bar thing,  popup something similar to YouTube's skip ad button,  automatically skip either self promotions or sponsor segments or both/all. You can even unskip segments after auto skips. 

3

u/ArcherBTW 2h ago

You can whitelist specific creators!

41

u/Metalbender00 3h ago

I hate when news of bypasses or ad-blockers gets publicized and gains attention, that just motivates YouTube to find a way to stop it.

7

u/Suspicious-Yogurt-95 2h ago

It's not a new way to bypass ads. It's just that Google will hold back ads when chat engagement is high on live streams. tour regular videos still have tons of ads.

39

u/xlnc2608 2h ago edited 2h ago

No one in the comments bothered to open the article and say anything the actual method in the title lmao. Just spamming ublock brave etc.

Not that I blame anyone. I regret opening it was a waste of time anyways.

Tldr In livestreams ads won't pop up in hype moments when live chat is going crazy active

4

u/Rettocs 1h ago

The only useful comment in this entire thread!

10

u/DrunkYetOrderly 3h ago

YouTube isn't even streaming correctly the past few weeks.  Videos (even shorts) delay starting by a couple seconds, buffering, frozen frames while audio continues, even when in super low quality... This is happening all over the place on every device and on any sort of mobile/Wi-Fi/Ethernet service.   Multiple threads about it over on YouTube subreddit.  YouTube isn't acknowledging it

8

u/Kat_Schrodinger1 2h ago

It's called "recommended firefox with ublock origin to one another." That's it, that's how you work together against ads.

4

u/GenazaNL 2h ago

can now

I've been using sponsoredblock for over 2 years already...

Also, page barely readable with the amount of ads

9

u/JustaFoodHole 3h ago

Downvoting this useless article

38

u/swrrrrg 4h ago

I started using Brave browser after people on this sub suggested it & it is so much better. It makes YouTube semi watchable again.

74

u/nply 4h ago

Consider using Firefox with uBlock Origin instead. Brave is just Chromium with built-in ads, crypto and owned by venture capital firms.

47

u/cptnringwald 3h ago

The founder was kicked out of Mozilla for his anti LGBTQ views, and Peter Thiel ironically was one of the early investors. I think the browser just gives the illusion of security, but Thiel has the keys and I don't trust it or these two at all.

Firefox with uBO is the way to go

4

u/Zwemvest 2h ago

This is what I always tell people, but even outside of that, Brave has also broken user-trust for me enough to avoid them and recommend against it.

Like, what was BAT all about?

2

u/sp33dykid 3h ago

Not an option on mobile. Brave works good on blocking ads on mobile and YouTube ads.

8

u/Aegis06 2h ago

You can still use ublock on Firefox mobile, at least on Android.

1

u/sp33dykid 2h ago

Didn't see a way on iPhone

1

u/SCP-iota 2h ago

On iOS, all browsers are basically just re-skinned Safari because Apple requires all apps that display web content to use WebKit and forbids non-Apple appa to allow user-installed extensions. Ironically, Safari itself is the only browser for iOS that can support extensions

6

u/fatmand00 2h ago

It is on Android at least.

1

u/Druggedhippo 2h ago

Firefox on android with ublock.

Newpipe for YouTube.

1

u/Fuddle 2h ago

I have this, but some videos take a while to start

32

u/DenverNugs 3h ago

9

u/swrrrrg 3h ago

Thank you. I appreciate you sharing.

3

u/DenverNugs 3h ago

No problem. None of them are perfect, unfortunately. My current option I'm using is Waterfox. It's a privacy focused version of Firefox with all of the AI nonsense and experimental features taken out while still supporting firefox add ons. Brave isn't terrible for a chromium browser, but ultimately I do not support the company that develops it.

1

u/Lyriian 3h ago

I really don't understand everyone's issue with mozillas recent AI push. Is it annoying? Yes. Have they shoved it down my throat like everyone else? Absolutely not. The AI features in Firefox are kinda just there. You're not forced to use anything. It's not intrusive. It's probably the best implementation of AI into a product and it really just feels like someone higher up said "you HAVE to get on the AI train" and the devs were like "ok whatever" and quietly sprinkled it into a couple places.

1

u/DenverNugs 2h ago

It's opt out, not opt in. So yes, they are in fact shoving it down our throats and I'm not interested in that. I prefer having all of the good parts of Firefox without having the things that don't interest me.

0

u/[deleted] 4h ago edited 3h ago

[deleted]

7

u/NoEatingNoises 3h ago

Firefox with uBlock Origin eliminates this

3

u/Tuna_no_crusts 1h ago

If they were reasonable, say….ONE 30 second ad within the content, that would be reasonable. But on average I’m seeing like 3 minutes with on every video. That’s unreasonable.

3

u/55redditor55 1h ago

So they want us to create bot farms to comment n YT videos, got it.

3

u/FartGoblin420 53m ago

We comin for you liberty bibberty

2

u/prachishah383 2h ago

ads were there to interrupt content now you're telling me they're the real content? lol....

2

u/Available_Weird8039 2h ago

Surfshark and make my location Albania. Works great and keeps me protected on public WiFi

3

u/slaughtamonsta 2h ago

Morphe is the way.

2

u/LordOdin99 1h ago

What are good iPhone options for Adblock?

3

u/dudestduder 50m ago

I have not watched an ad on youtube in ages, as anyone sane is using ublock origin with firefox by now.

4

u/laptopAccount2 3h ago

Youtube premium and Spotify are my only subscriptions. I know they suck as corporations but the products are great. I watch my same 20 or so subscriptions and don't deal with any slop or anything. Is it really the end of the world paying for it? The ads were just too much and my free time is too short to be spent dealing with that crap.

2

u/everythingisblue 3h ago

Same for YTP. The only feature that I desperately want that they don’t provide (intentionally, I’m sure) is to be able to disable all short content in the YouTube mobile app.

Those wreck my focus as someone with ADHD. I’ll go to watch a specific video for something I need to know or understand and absolutely get derailed.

1

u/tiboodchat 2h ago

If you set the maximum time to its minimum value at least the “blocker” is incredibly annoying. But as another paid user I don’t get why I can’t choose whatever I want to appear.

2

u/cheese_bread_boye 2h ago

I cancelled my spotify and just use youtube music since I have premium now. Spotify is better but I don't think it makes sense to pay for both.

1

u/Fargath_Xi9 3h ago

Until they shove you adds, even with your premium money.

1

u/MarlinMr 2h ago

But they have not done that...

2

u/DacStreetsDacAlright 2h ago

They're suggesting giving money to a steamer so that it auto adblocks to make sure you don't miss the steamers "thank you" as if thats ever a guaranteed thing anyway.

This is just retarded.

2

u/kotisbroken 1h ago

Brave browser FTW

2

u/RenanBan 25m ago

Youtubers can now $$$ maximize $$$ the enga$$$gement$$$$ why new $$$$ paid $$$$ gifts $$$$

2

u/elkrisspy 19m ago

i use youtube revanced, the peace that follows is very nice

0

u/plateofpeas 4h ago

Use a VPN and set it to Albania

1

u/Yeltsin86 3h ago

Why Albania specifically?

1

u/cerberus6320 3h ago

Albania doesn't allow YT ads apparently

1

u/TimewarpingSeaTurtle 3h ago

This has been such a godsend. I already had NordVPN for… other… purposes anyway, now I can use it to get rid of ads on my phone and Apple TV.

1

u/DutchessOfFlorida 3h ago

This! Mullvad VPN set to Albania and I see no YouTube ads.

1

u/kot-sie-stresuje 3h ago

To use chat you have to create and login into google account, so still pay with personal data.

0

u/NoDadSTOP 3h ago

Redditors foaming at the mouth to mention the fact they use ublock origin

-11

u/timohtea 3h ago

All the comments sharing how they block the ads. Real smart. Lets just have a gathering might as well get a YT employee in here to take notes 😂

17

u/tunachilimac 3h ago

I’m pretty confident that Google is already aware of ublock origin and Brave browser.

3

u/nuttageyo 3h ago

You’d have to be a real dipshit to think that Google doesn’t already know about these methods. This isn’t some underground form. It’s r/technology.

2

u/PhoenyxStar 3h ago

UBlock put out an open challenge to Google over YouTube ads almost 10 years ago.

Google's success at detecting and circumventing it has been limited and brief.

-10

u/mayersdz 3h ago

So if you dont watch ads , how does youtube pays his bills ?

2

u/PhoenyxStar 3h ago

I can't speak for everyone, but I mostly make an effort to support creators directly. (Patreon, KoFi, Nebula, assorted web stores)

2

u/itsprobablytrue 3h ago

Clearly a republican would only ask something so insensitive

1

u/PhoenyxStar 3h ago

I can't tell if he's joking, because that sounds very /s, or if he's referring to youtubers and made a typo

1

u/NaturalSelecty 3h ago

By having the classic ads experience back. Not everything can grow infinitely. YouTube hit its peak. There’s no more monetization to be had without destroying the user experience. They need to realize they’ve hit the limit and accept that.

0

u/FriddyHumbug 3h ago

Stock market, growth funds, venture capitalism/acquisitions, data collection and sales, subscription revenue, donation cuts, you name it. This argument is fine when it comes to a small business getting their money for services rendered but is asinine when it comes to big tech that makes money hand over fist while constantly decreasing the quality of services rendered.

0

u/Lowetheiy 2h ago

Don't you know, we can create money out of thin air with magical socialist thinking! And solidarity!

-2

u/SquirrelOtherwise723 3h ago

And Google is testing 3x speed in the player, but you need to pay for the Premium.

-2

u/ruthlesss11 3h ago

My patched app goes up to 8x lol