I’m sure many of you are already aware that YouTube has been rolling out anti-adblock detection for Chrome users for a few weeks now.
Today, as a long time Firefox user with the fantastic uBlock Origin extension installed, I got my first anti-adblock popup on the platform. Note that this may not happen to you personally for a while, but it is inevitably coming for everyone.
Thankfully, the fine folks at uBlock Origin have already advised a simple workaround (on Reddit, yuck!) which I will duplicate in a simplified form below for your convenience. I have tested it on Firefox and it is working fine for me (so far).
PLEASE READ AND FOLLOW ALL OF THE INSTRUCTIONS IN THIS POST.
Update uBO to the latest version (1.52.0+) . <== The extension itself, for technical improvements. You do this in your browser.
Remove your custom config / reset to defaults. <== This means removing your custom filters (or disabling My filters) and disabling ALL additional lists you’ve enabled. It might be quicker to make a backup of your config and restore to defaults instead.
Force an update of your Filter Lists. <== This is within the extension. Lists are what determine what’s blocked or not. How to update Filter lists: Click 🛡️ uBO’s icon > the ⚙ Dashboard button > the Filter lists pane > the 🕘 Purge all caches button > the 🔃 Update now button.
Disable all other extensions AND your browser’s built-in blockers. <== No need to uninstall, just disable them. They might interfere with our solutions.
Make sure you follow all 4 points above. If you’re seeing the message, it’s likely due to your custom config (either additional lists or separate filters in My filters).
Restarting your browser afterwards may help too.
Once you’ve gotten rid of the issue on default settings, you can slowly start restoring your config (if you really need it). Do it gradually, to easier find out what was causing the issue in the first place. Once you find the culprit, simply skip it in your config.
If you want to use Enhancer for YouTube*, you have to* disable its adblocking*.*
May the force uBlock Origin be with you!
Update
Just wanted to mention a few things that have been pointed out in the comments:
- There are quite a few projects that provide an alternative ad-free front end to YouTube. These include Invidious, FreeTube, LibreTube, Newpipe, Revanced, and I’m sure there are several more options I’ve missed. I don’t have any particular preference really but I routinely use NewPipe on my cellphone just because I tried it once and couldn’t be bothered trying all the others.
- In step 4 listed above, to clarify, afaik you only need to remove adblocker extensions (if you have more than one installed) that might conflict with the uBlock Origin rules and trigger the anti-adblock, not all extensions.
- If you hate non-stop ads but want to support your favorite content creators then be sure to give them some love on Patreon or whatever alternative options they provide. Creators typically make only a tiny, tiny fraction of what YouTube makes in ad revenue, assuming YouTube doesn’t just outright steal the lot, and it’s a shitty business model that’s ruining the internet. Even if you watch the ads, you’re only supporting YouTube most of the time, not the creators.
Alternatively, some folks can also try Freetube for an ad free youtube experience as a desktop app
didn’t know libredirect could redirect to Freetube, I’ve just been having mine go to an Invidious Instance… I’ll have to look into this.
As much as I’d love to use it, I can’t until each profile has its own “watch later” playlist. Afaik it puts everything into one playlist. And why do I need a profile with all subscriptions, that’s why profiles exist, to not have all in one. I appreciate the work, but it’s not there yet for me
Not sure what site that is you’ve linked, but the official site seems to be this one: https://freetubeapp.io/
It works perfectly with Libredirect. Thank you!
That’s the link to the official FreeTube Flatpak. More generally, the linked site, Flathub, is the largest source of Flatpak applications. If you click through the .io site, you’ll land on the Flathub page if you look for the Flatpak.
I actually switched from the .deb to the Flatpak just this afternoon so I can do updates with my package manager. The .deb version “phones home” (you have to enable it I think) every time it starts up to check for updates, but Discover (my package manager) fetches updates for Flatpak apps along with everything else. It’s basically been the same experience as the .deb so far.
Thanks, I have no idea what you’re talking about though as I’m on Windows :)
And for those of you on Android, there’s always SmartTubeNext and NewPipe.
If you’re on Android I’m actually going to recommend a new app from Futo called GrayJay. It’s cross-platform so you can watch videos from YouTube, Twitch, PeerTube, Rumble, Kick, etc. all from a single app.
Thank you! I didn’t know they also made an app that does this. For anyone looking for the link it’s the following: https://grayjay.app/
I’d also recommend looking into their other projects such as their Android voice input app: https://voiceinput.futo.org/
Or other projects: https://futo.org/projects/
