YouTube has been making users wait a little longer to watch videos if they continue using ad blockers. This was happening on browsers besides Chrome like Firefox and Edge, but some people said Chrome was slow too. Google, which owns YouTube, explained what’s going on.
They said the delay has nothing to do with the browser you use. It is because YouTube wants viewers to either watch ads or pay for YouTube Premium without ads. Ad blockers stop ads from playing, so YouTube is making those users wait a little before videos start.
This is YouTube’s way to get more people to see ads or pay a monthly fee. YouTube needs ads and subscriptions to make money since it lets creators upload videos for free. If not enough people see ads or pay, it will be hard for YouTube and video makers to stay in business.
Google also said the delay has nothing to do with the browser. However, some reported the wait going away when switching to Chrome. It’s possible YouTube is testing this on accounts known to use ad blockers first on non-Chrome browsers. Eventually, all browsers may have to wait if using an ad blocker.
Most people said they see the delay when blocking ads. A few said videos still took long even with no browser extensions. Have you noticed YouTube videos taking longer to start up lately? Let me know in the comments if you’ve had this experience and what browser you use.
