wants to make it impossible to play videos without skipping ads
YouTube is warning of a new attack on all those apps that violate its API terms of service. While there are no specific names listed here, it’s inevitable to think of alternatives like reVanced or NewPipe, two of the best-known clients for an ad-free YouTube experience.
These apps are not hosted on the Play Store, so they have no fear of Google blocking their official store. However, YouTube has already managed to displace some of its (illegal, according to Google) competitors, so current alternatives are under threat.
YouTube warns that its API can only be used under certain conditions
APK files with modified versions of YouTube have been popular on Android for many years. Nobody likes watching ads (especially in the new age of YouTube Premium where we either pay or the ad load is overwhelming) and opting for these alternatives has become a solution for some users. Problem? It’s more than likely that these apps are violating YouTube’s terms of service regarding their API.
A prime example is the vanished YouTube Vanced, a development that Xataka Móvil reports ended up being shut down due to pressure from Google. This application allowed you to download videos from YouTube and play the content without ads. Essentially, this is a kind of YouTubePremium.APK.
In an article posted on the support forum, the YouTube team made it clear: they are starting to crack down on apps that violate YouTube’s terms of service, particularly those related to ad blocking.
Viewers using these third-party apps may experience buffering issues or see a “The following content is not available in this app” error when trying to watch a video. We want to emphasize that our terms do not allow third-party apps to disable ads, as this prevents the creator from receiving compensation from the audience, and advertising on YouTube helps support creators and allows billions of people around the world to use the streaming service. We also understand that some people prefer no ads at all, which is why we offer YouTube Premium.
YouTube warns that there may be playback issues in apps that try to avoid ads. Therefore, he warns that users using these types of solutions may begin to experience problems when playing videos.
Despite this, there is no certainty about how they intend to implement this blocking, since some applications, such as NewPipe, do not use the YouTube API directly: they fetch videos from the Internet and block ads.
Image | YouTube
In Hatak | YouTube is stepping up its crackdown on ad blockers and making it clear that “they violate their terms of service.”