# YouTube "forbidding" ad blockers. Concerns, if any? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 13, 2023, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493 "2023-10-13T04:54:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 31
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2025, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493/601 "2025-12-08T13:12:17Z")
thanks for bumping this thread, since it made me realize I haven’t been seeing any ads lately. I don’t even remember what ad blocker I am using now (still on a Chromebook) but originally it allowed some ads and at some point it started working perfectly. So, that’s nice! Does anyone know of an Ad Blocker that will work on my new android tablet? I don’t have to watch YouTube on it, but it would be nice to have another option. and once you’ve experienced ad free, it’s hard to go back! ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2025, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493/602 "2025-12-08T16:36:59Z")
> [@JackieLikesVariety](#): > > Does anyone know of an Ad Blocker that will work on my new android tablet? I don’t have to watch YouTube on it, but it would be nice to have another option. If you primarily use it at home, look into a PiHole. It blocks ads at the network level. I’m always surprised at how much more junk I get when I’m using my phone while away from home or work (I also set one up at work). They’re not difficult to set up, but it’s a bit more involved than just downloading an extension. Get a Raspberry Pi, follow the directions to install PiHole on it, tell your router that it’s your DNS server and that’s about it other than updating it from time to time. And, other than the cost of the Raspberry Pi itself, the software, PiHole, is free. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2025, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493/603 "2025-12-08T18:27:53Z")
Look into Revanced. PiHole doesn’t always work great with Youtube type ads. But it’s not a bad idea, and will run on a Pi Zero 2 W ($15) ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2025, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493/604 "2025-12-08T18:43:30Z")
If you mean blocking ads in your browser (rather than blocking all ads, including those in apps), then either of these options should work on your android tablet: Brave browser (Chromium based, with built-in adblocking) Firefox with uBlock origin They each have pluses and minuses. I was using Firefox on my phone, but switched to Brave because Chromium browsers tend to be more generally compatible with websites. Regarding pihole, the problem I found was that phone games that wanted to show ads before moving on would just hang. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2025, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493/605 "2025-12-08T20:38:14Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > Regarding pihole, the problem I found was that phone games that wanted to show ads before moving on would just hang. You can, if you want, go in an whitelist the ads that are preventing you from playing. They also make it really easy to just disable the entire thing for a set period of time. And like thelurkinghorror, it doesn’t seem to do much for youtube. Luckily I very rarely use youtube on anything other than my laptop, so that’s not a big concern for me. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2025, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493/606 "2025-12-08T20:41:29Z")
It was more trouble than it was worth for me, so I turned it on, saw that it didn’t work for YouTube or Hulu on my streaming TV, saw that it messed up my family’s gaming, and just turned it off. Regarding YouTube on the Android tablet (or phone) – just watch those videos in the browser (Brave or Firefox) rather than the YouTube app to avoid interruptions. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2025, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493/607 "2025-12-08T20:45:59Z")
> [@JackieLikesVariety](#): > > Does anyone know of an Ad Blocker that will work on my new android tablet? I’ve been using [Adguard](https://adguard.com/en/welcome.html) for many years, and it generally works well. However: - It won’t block ads in the YouTube app directly, but you can “Share” videos from YouTube to Adguard’s own ad-blocking video player to view them that way. Kinda a hassle though. - It has an optional SSL interception, meaning it installs its own certificate and acts as a man in the middle. If you turn that on, you can block ads even in encrypted traffic, but you have to be willing to trust the Adguard company with all your sensitive data. You can exclude certain apps (like banking) on a per-app basis, if you so choose. It works much better than PiHole, though, and applies to all apps and not just your browser. ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493/608 "2025-12-09T00:12:22Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > it’s pretty easy to turn on Linux support and then download the Linux version of Brave. whatever ad blocker I ended up replacing UBlockorigin with is now working well for me. YAY! > [@RitterSport](#): > > Brave browser (Chromium based, with built-in adblocking) > Firefox with uBlock origin OK, I will keep that in mind. > [@Joey\_P](#): > > If you primarily use it at home, look into a PiHole well…honestly looks too complicated for me, at least if there are easier options. > [@RitterSport](#): > > Regarding YouTube on the Android tablet (or phone) – just watch those videos in the browser (Brave or Firefox) rather than the YouTube app to avoid interruptions. OK, that sounds easier > [@Reply](#): > > It won’t block ads in the YouTube app directly, but you can “Share” videos from YouTube to Adguard’s own ad-blocking video player to view them that way. Kinda a hassle though. well… I don’t think I’m even using the YouTube app, I just tried YouTube in Chrome which I started using on the Tablet more out of habit than anything else. I appreciate everyone’s suggestions! ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2025, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493/609 "2025-12-10T00:09:20Z")
I’m still using Ublock Origin Lite for Chrome, and it works pretty well at blocking Youtube ads (for the moment), though there’s _sometimes_ a moments delay or pause at the start or where I presume an ad tried to play. But it’s rare for the beginning, and far more so for in-video play. As for android tablets, I’ve had some success with the [AVG Secure Browser](https://www.avg.com/en-us/secure-browser#android) as _an_ option, when I want to read text based articles or other information and don’t want a billion pop-ups, but I haven’t used it for any video. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2025, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493/610 "2025-12-10T06:59:40Z")
Depending on the nature of your Android device, you may be able to use YouTube ad-free by sideloading an entirely different app. I use SmartTube. It requires a _little_ bit of technical facility to set up, and it’s got occasional stability issues, but on an overall basis, it’s a _vastly_ better experience than the native YouTube app. Here’s the link. > **[GitHub - yuliskov/SmartTube: Browse media content with your own rules on...](https://github.com/yuliskov/smarttube)** > > Browse media content with your own rules on Android TV ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2025, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493/611 "2025-12-10T14:09:45Z")
At the risk of repeating myself, Brave on Android blocks YouTube ads just fine, and it’s just fine as your default browser as well, no fiddling or sideloading or other apps required. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2025, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493/612 "2025-12-10T16:45:32Z")
> [@ParallelLines](#): > > I’m still using Ublock Origin Lite for Chrome, and it works pretty well at blocking Youtube ads (for the moment), though there’s _sometimes_ a moments delay or pause at the start or where I presume an ad tried to play. I notice other YouTube dysfunctions with my Ublock Origin Lite for Chrome. While ads are still blocked, YouTube no longer remembers what videos I’ve watched longer than a couple of weeks, and the descriptions of the short clips tend to disappear after watching a few of them. No big deal, but I suspect it’s their way of trying to subtly discourage ad blockers, in addition to their more blatant approaches. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2025, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493/613 "2025-12-10T18:25:42Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > No big deal, but I suspect it’s their way of trying to subtly discourage ad blockers, in addition to their more blatant approaches. I suspect, rather, that it’s an unintended interaction between uBlock and YouTube on Chrome, and may just go away unannounced at some point if uBlock addresses it. My reason for so suspecting is that YouTube is never subtle about avoiding ad blocking, and if they could purposely do this much, they would just keep you from operating YouTube with uBlock (as they do with more direct ad blockers). Call me cynical and bitter. I get those same effects, by the way, on Opera and Windows 10 using uBlock Origin. ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2025, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493/614 "2025-12-10T23:58:25Z")
> [@ParallelLines](#): > > I’m still using Ublock Origin Lite for Chrome what now? when Chrome absolutely wouldn’t let me use Ublock Origin any more I was a sad little crab for sure, and have not heard of this Lite version. > [@Cervaise](#): > > I use SmartTube. It requires a _little_ bit of technical facility to set up, and it’s got occasional stability issues, but on an overall basis, it’s a _vastly_ better experience than the native YouTube app. I haven’t used the YouTube app and don’t know how it would differ - I am using Chrome on my Android Tablet (but so far I mostly use it to read books, not surf the net) and just open that and go to YouTube. and “technical facility” I don’t have and sometimes people get tired of me asking for their help so… > [@RitterSport](#): > > At the risk of repeating myself, Brave on Android blocks YouTube ads just fine, and it’s just fine as your default browser as well, no fiddling or sideloading or other apps required. no, please repeat yourself! I am trying to limit my time on sites like this generally (just trying to get other things done) and don’t remember if I’m not opening a thread like this even daily. so, I could download Brave on my tablet and then I’m good to watch YT? > [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > YouTube is never subtle about avoiding ad blocking, and if they could purposely do this much, they would just keep you from operating YouTube with uBlock which they have, at least me. now I hear there is a Lite version! life is so complicated! Luckily, I have both soup and pie ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2025, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493/615 "2025-12-11T00:20:12Z")
Yes, install Brave and YT should be fine. That’s how it is on my Android phone, anyway, and my Linux Chromebook. Failing that, Firefox with uBlock. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2025, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493/616 "2025-12-11T00:38:48Z")
Ublock Origin Lite is a nerfed version of Ublock Origin that works within the new Chrome guidelines. It’s less effective that Origin, but it mostly gets the job done. I run it and Privacy Badger and between the two have few problems. I could always switch to something else, but this combo works for my specific needs, YMMV of course. Here’s the link to the Chrome Web Store if you want to add it to your PC/Laptop. > **[uBlock Origin Lite - Chrome Web Store](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/ublock-origin-lite/ddkjiahejlhfcafbddmgiahcphecmpfh)** > > An efficient content blocker. Blocks ads, trackers, miners, and more immediately upon installation. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2025, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493/617 "2025-12-11T14:18:22Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > I suspect, rather, that it’s an unintended interaction between uBlock and YouTube on Chrome, and may just go away unannounced at some point if uBlock addresses it. Interesting, thanks for that! ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2025, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493/618 "2025-12-11T19:26:27Z")
uBlock was inadvertently blocking some analytics, and also causing view count dips for YouTube creators: [Digging deeper into YouTube's view count discrepancy | Jeff Geerling](https://www.jeffgeerling.com/blog/2025/digging-deeper-youtubes-view-count-discrepancy) Maybe related…? ---
**Author:** ![dougrb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@dougrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougrb)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2026, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493/619 "2026-02-02T00:57:36Z")
Anyone else notice a reduction in ads in the last couple days? I have ublock which I haven’t updated in forever and I thought it had been nuetered with Manifest v3. Last couple days nothing. win10/chrome ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2026, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493/620 "2026-02-21T23:27:59Z")
One new glitch I’ve been having lately, with uBlock that I’ve had installed for a while, aside from the delays while videos are loading, is videos that don’t load all the way. That is, the video appears with preview screen, but instead of starting up, it sits there with the Play arrow in the middle, and when you click on that nothing happens, it just sits there. So I re-load the page, and then so far it’s been fine the second time. I’m wondering if this has anything to do with YouTube trying new things to get around uBlock, or just ratcheting up the annoyance factor for anyone who isn’t a paying customer. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493.md?page=30) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493.md?page=32)