New Delhi: YouTube has begun to crack down on third-party apps that block ads. According to an official note from Google-owned video streaming platform, some users who watch YouTube videos on a third-party app will soon see an error message stating, ‘The following content is not available on this app,’ while trying to watch a video.

YouTube states, “We want to emphasise that our terms don’t allow third-party apps to turn off ads because that prevents the creator from being rewarded for viewership, and Ads on YouTube help support creators and let billions of people around the world use the streaming service.” The company is recommending users subscribe to YouTube Premium to get an entirely ad-free experience.

YouTube will begin to blacklist apps that use API and block ads, as YouTube’s terms of service do not allow this. The company has also emphasized that “when we find an app that violates these terms, we will take appropriate action to protect our platform, creators, and viewers.”

This means popular third-party apps that offer an ad-free YouTube viewing experience might soon stop working. YouTube has been cracking down on such apps for a while, and in some cases, the company has also blocked users’ Google accounts. If you are someone who uses a third-party app to watch YouTube videos, maybe it’s the right time to switch back to the official platform.

YouTube Premium costs Rs 129 a month for individual users. Students and family plan to bring down the cost of subscriptions to an extent, and there is also an annual subscription plan, which costs Rs 1,200. YouTube Premium subscribers can also experience ad-free music streaming on YouTube Music.

Agencies

Agencies