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Google's fight against ad blockers on YouTube enters another round

Ding, ding, ding. Google has done it again. YouTube users from all over the world are starting to see new anti-ad-blocking prompts, when they try to watch YouTube videos with enabled content blocker. This looks like an exact copy of the March 2025 attempt to get ad blocking users to disable their content blockers or subscribe to YouTube Premium.

The message reads "Ad blockers violate YouTube's Terms of Service", followed by three reasons why video playback may not be working and why ads are great. Also, why YouTube Premium is an option for users who want to go ad-free (not YouTube Premium Lite, which requires payment but still shows you ads, and soon even more ads).

The prompt, displayed on top of the video page itself, offers several options. The two core buttons -- allow YouTube ads and Try YouTube Premium -- are the solutions that Google suggests. The first has users disable their content blocker on YouTube. Means, ads will play, but so will the videos. The second is a monthly subscription option to get rid of advertisement on YouTube without using an ad blocker.

There is also an option to "report an issue", which may be useful if you get the message without using an ad blocker. Some users may also get an option to close the prompt using an x-button displayed in the top right corner. It is possible that this option is limited and going away after some time.

I received the prompt (in German) when I used Brave Browser to watch a video on YouTube. Notice the x-icon in the top right corner.

Ad blockers violate YouTube's terms of service

I did not get the warning prompt in Edge or Firefox with uBlock Origin installed. Google is likely showing the prompt to a low percentage of YouTube users who use ad blockers.

When I turned on a VPN and opened YouTube in Incognito Mode, I got the same prompt in English.

What you can do about it immediately

Here are a few suggestions that may help you deal with the issue without subscribing to YouTube Premium or turning off your ad blocker on YouTube.

  • Try the browser's private browsing mode. Sometimes, this is enough to get the ball rolling again. Downside is that you are not signed in to your account in that mode by default.
  • Try a different browser. I did not get the prompt in any of the other browsers that I tried.
  • Update the content blocker or filter list of the content blocker.
  • Some content blockers are better than others, try uBlock Origin.

Good content blockers may receive updates quickly that deal with the modified anti-ad-blocking prompt when you open YouTube. It is a cat and mouse game that seemingly never ends.

Now You: do you use YouTube? If so, have you encountered such a prompt before? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

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