Google has officially stated that the recent slowdowns experienced by YouTube users are not connected to the company’s efforts against ad blockers. Complaints regarding major lags on the platform, particularly when using ad blockers, surfaced on Reddit, leading to speculation about a potential link between the slowdowns and Google’s battle against ad-blocking software.
Users with YouTube Premium subscriptions, who also use ad blockers for other purposes, reported experiencing slowdowns. Despite this, Google has clarified that the ongoing performance issues are unrelated to its ad blocker detection initiatives. In a statement to Android Central, Google affirmed, “Recent reports of users experiencing loading delays on YouTube are unrelated to our ad blocker detection efforts. Our help center offers troubleshooting tips for users experiencing issues.”
While Google advises users to follow troubleshooting steps outlined in its help center, it is emphasized that the performance of YouTube may be impacted when using ad blockers. Notably, the reported issues appear to be connected to the latest versions of AdBlock and AdBlock Plus.
Raymond Hill, the developer of uBlock Origin, shed light on the situation, noting that the regression seems more pronounced for users employing both AdBlock and AdBlock Plus simultaneously. According to Hill, the root of the problem lies with the ad blockers themselves, rather than Google introducing new code to deliberately slow down YouTube. Users grappling with these slowdowns are encouraged to consider their ad blocker configurations and potentially seek alternatives or updates to address the issue.