Users have observed that YouTube is now loading slower in browsers with ad blockers. The issue was initially reported by Firefox users, who noticed a five second delay in loading YouTube videos compared to Chrome. Afterward, users of Edge, Brave, and Chrome also experienced similar problems.
The cause of the slowdown was identified as code added to the JavaScript file, resulting in a five-second delay in page loading. However, users have discovered that changing the user agent in Firefox to Chrome can eliminate the delay in video loading. This can be achieved using an extension like User-Agent Switcher. Additionally, for the uBlock extension, there is now a filter created to bypass the restriction.
www.youtube.com##+js(nano-stb, resolve(1), *, 0.001)
As an alternative workaround, one can try loading YouTube in a private tab, watching videos on mobile devices, or utilizing third-party interfaces to view YouTube content.
YouTube explained the reason for the slower loading of the site in browsers with ad blockers, particularly Firefox. Company representatives stated that this action is aimed at combating ad blockers, not specific browsers, as reported by Android Authority.
In a statement, Google acknowledged that users with ad blockers might have a "suboptimal viewing experience" when watching YouTube videos. They emphasized that this issue is not related to a specific browser and that YouTube seeks to encourage viewers to either allow advertising or explore YouTube Premium.
Earlier, an finding revealed that anti-ad blocker on YouTube can be bypassed by providing the Windows Phone user agent value.
In October, YouTube intensified its fight against ad blockers. Users have massively reported problems with video playback with AdBlock and similar add-ons enabled. The platform displays a warning asking you to disable the blocker, add YouTube to its whitelist, or get YouTube Premium.
And one more interesting thing. At the time of this writing, the post of user vk6, who first noticed the 5 second delay issue, has been deleted by the moderators of the YouTube subreddit.
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I think it’s bad! :/
I use adblock for security and privacy. Adblock is almost a must-have these days unfortunately. Everyone wants your data and earn a buck or two for it. When they stop tracking and have just the right amount of advertising, I turn it off.
I don’t think Google will win this fight! The bigger they are, the harder they fall!