All articles tagged with #ad blocking
Samsung’s Device Care app update to version 13.8.80.7 adds Intelligent Blocking to analyze push notifications and mute apps that flood users with ads; blocked apps can be unblocked in Device Care settings. The feature targets One UI 8.5 devices like the Galaxy S26 series, with older app versions available via sideloading and a gradual official rollout expected over the coming weeks.
AdGuard's Family Plan is on sale for a lifetime subscription at $15.97 (regularly $169.99), letting you block ads, limit trackers, and protect multiple devices with parental controls—plus ongoing updates with no recurring fees.
AdGuard is offering a lifetime Family Plan for a one-time $15.97 (regularly $169.99) that covers up to nine devices, delivering ad blocking, privacy protection, parental controls, and malware/phishing protection with cross-device syncing, available through Feb. 22.
Using VPNs like NordVPN and Surfshark to connect to Albanian servers can effectively block YouTube ads without a Premium subscription, offering an affordable alternative for ad-free viewing and additional benefits like geo-unblocking and enhanced privacy.
YouTube is intentionally causing playback issues for users of third-party apps that block its ads, citing its terms of service that prohibit ad-blocking. This crackdown is happening at the API level, affecting apps that use the interface to access YouTube videos. The move has sparked criticism from privacy advocates and raised concerns about user privacy and security.
YouTube will start cracking down on third-party apps that block ads while using its platform, stating that such apps violate its Terms of Service. Google warns that any apps using YouTube APIs to block advertisements may soon be blocked from its developer APIs, and users of these apps may experience extended buffering or errors when trying to load videos. The move is aimed at protecting creators' revenue, and YouTube suggests subscribing to Premium for an ad-free experience. This crackdown follows YouTube's previous efforts to combat ad blocking, including prompting users to disable their ad blockers and restricting ad blocker users to just three videos.
YouTube is cracking down on third-party mobile apps that enable ad-free viewing, citing violations of its Terms of Service. Users of these apps may experience buffering issues or see error messages when trying to access videos. The platform insists that ad blocking prevents creators from being rewarded for viewership and encourages users to sign up for YouTube Premium at $14 a month for an ad-free experience. This move is part of YouTube's ongoing efforts to combat ad blockers, which have included pop-ups urging viewers to disable ad blockers or sign up for Premium, as well as limiting video playback for users with ad blockers installed.
Google claims that popular ad-blocking extensions like Adblock Plus and AdBlock are causing slow video streaming speeds on YouTube, not the platform itself. YouTube's decision to make its policy against ad blocking more visible may have contributed to the recent drama. Reports of loading delays on YouTube were attributed to a bug in Adblock Plus and AdBlock, which has since been fixed. The creator of uBlock Origin confirmed the performance issues and recommended using their ad blocking extension instead. Eyeo, the company behind Adblock Plus, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
YouTube users are uninstalling popular ad-blocking apps like Ghostery and AdGuard due to YouTube's rules against ad-blockers. Instead of paying for YouTube Premium, users are searching for free alternatives, with uBlock Origin being a popular choice. However, YouTube is likely to crack down on these alternatives over time, making adaptability necessary for users.
A free and open-source browser extension called SponsorBlock for YouTube allows users to block sponsored ads on the platform. The extension relies on crowdsourced "skip segments" submitted by volunteers to automatically skip ad reads in videos. With over 15 million skip segments submitted so far, the extension covers a wide range of YouTube channels. Users can also whitelist channels they want to see sponsorship videos for and have the option to disable automatic skipping. The extension is available for popular browsers and can even be integrated into third-party ad-free apps and smart TVs.
A recent poll conducted by Android Authority revealed that 54.9% of respondents would opt for other workarounds to avoid YouTube ads, while 35.3% would switch to other platforms. Only 3.4% said they would purchase YouTube Premium, and 6.3% were willing to sit through the ads. The results indicate that the majority of users prefer alternative platforms or ad-blocking methods rather than paying for the premium service.
YouTube is reportedly testing a three-strikes policy for users who block ads on the platform. The policy would potentially restrict users from watching videos if they continue to use ad blockers. YouTube currently offers an ad-free experience through its paid subscription service, YouTube Premium. The platform is taking steps to combat users bypassing ads through third-party apps or ad blockers, as seen in a recent popup menu discovered by a Redditor. It remains unclear if this feature is a test or how it will be implemented, but it indicates Google's efforts to crack down on ad circumvention.
DuckDuckGo has launched its privacy-focused browser in beta for Windows, which includes features such as Duck Player to prevent YouTube from serving targeted ads and user-tracked recommendations, superior ad-blocking experience, password management, automatic cookie pop-up handling, and email protection. DuckDuckGo is the default search engine and is also available on Google Chrome, Safari, Edge, and Firefox, as well as an app for iOS and Android.
Zippyshare, a file-hosting website that has been online for almost 17 years and receives 45 million visits per month, will shut down at the end of the month due to the high cost of running the platform and the widespread use of ad-blocking. The operators of Zippyshare believe that the platform is now a dinosaur that cannot compete with other file storage services that offer better performance and more features.
Zippyshare, a file-hosting service that has been online for almost 17 years, will shut down at the end of the month due to rising energy costs and ad-blocking. Despite receiving around 45 million visits per month, the platform's operators say it is now a dinosaur that costs too much to run in a world where competition is increasing and ad-blocking is widespread. Zippyshare survived the shutdown of Megaupload but became a magnet for rightsholder complaints, regular referrals to the US government, and millions of DMCA notices.