In an effort to combat ad blockers, YouTube has introduced a new timer

YouTube is adopting a similar strategy to Netflix’s password-sharing crackdown. As per recent pieces of information, the company is going to utilize a timer as soon as it detects that a user is using an ad blocker. This is, of course, an effort to attract more consumers to premium subscriptions.

The prime reason behind premium subscriptions on YouTube is advertising. Besides this, users can also opt to utilize ad blockers on their browsers instead of paying for subscriptions. Well, this is definitely not in the company’s favor since it provides users with a paid service for free. For this reason, the company is going to take action against ad blockers.

The new timer on YouTube will detect ad blockers

The company would detect your use of an ad blocker and display a popup asking you to subscribe to their premium service. Users found it to be annoying, but it appears that the corporation is moving things along.

The upper right corner of a popup with a short timer now appears in the app, according to a Reddit user. The Redditor claims that the timer lasts between 30 and 60 seconds, however, there are no details about its exact duration. Although the news was confirmed by other Redditors, it appears that only a small number of individuals are receiving this feature. As a result, YouTube may only be testing the feature now, with a planned formal release at a later time.

The appearance of a timer indicates that a user will have limited access to the platform afterward, and their account could be banned. Well, this is quite a direct approach adopted by YouTube against ad blockers. It is different from the three-strike policy that blocked the account once a user was caught using the ad-blocker three times. It was introduced in June 2023. The account ban could be temporary or permanent.