This special YouTube Adblocker skips ads instead of blocking them
Google is cracking down on the use of content blockers on YouTube. More and more users see prompts that "ad blockers are not allowed on YouTube". Currently, Google appears to test various designs and restrictions. YouTube users may bypass YouTube's anti-adblocker prompts for now, but there is no telling for how long these will work.
Even major content blockers such as uBlock Origin run into issues from time to time. These do get addressed quickly though, but it is still annoying when it happens.
There are alternatives to blocking ads on YouTube. One of them is to redirect videos to privacy friendly third-party sites.
Update: The developer has turned the extension into a paid extension after our review. There is a free trial period, but payment is required afterwards to continue using it.
Skip and fast-forward YouTube ads
Fadblock, Friendly Adblock for YouTube, is an open source extension for Firefox and Google Chrome that uses a different technique to avoid the massive number of ads that YouTube throws at you. Instead of trying to block advertisement, it is loading ads and then skipping or fast-forwarding them automatically.
The developer explains that video ads do get loaded, but that they get either skipped, if the option is available, or fast-forwarded instead. The effect is the same: this process happens in less than 50ms usually, which means that these ads can't annoy you as they blaze by quickly.
Tests in Firefox and Google Chrome on YouTube confirmed this. You may get a glimpse of an ad when you load a video on YouTube, but it is skipped quickly so that the actual video is loaded. Note that the Chrome version of the extension will run in other Chromium-based browsers as well. You can install it in Microsoft Edge, Vivaldi, Brave, Opera and all other Chromium-based web browsers.
Another interesting aspect of the extension is that it can't be classified as an ad-blocker, as it does not block advertisement.
The extension works on YouTube and also on third-party sites that embed YouTube videos, according to the description. It skips pre-roll video ads, banner ads and other display ad formats on YouTube.
The developer lists all the different ad categories on YouTube that the extension skips. It includes the 10-second video ads that play without option to skip on YouTube, the 5-second video ads that can be skipped after 5 seconds, and even multiple ads shown in a row before the video starts to play.
Firefox users may download and install the extension from Mozilla's Add-ons repository.
Chrome and Chromium-based browser users may install it from the Chrome Web Store.
Closing Words
Fadblock is an interesting extension that uses a different technique to make YouTube more enjoyable. While there is certainly the chance that it may be detected by YouTube's anti-adblocking measures or thrown out of the Google Chrome Web Store, it does work perfectly for now.
Now You: what is your take on this new option to deal with ads on YouTube?
I dont mind ads and im happy to watch them if it gives me free diverse content. But in recent months youtube has gotten egregiously offensive with its ads.
I now see two ads at the start of every video, every 60 seconds during play, every time i skip ahead or back, and after a video plays. And they are the dumbest ads with some idiot tapping spoons on his face, or some garbage that i will never buy no matter how many times. i see the ad.
So now i am on a mission to skip ads. And if google codes around the skips in ways that cant be defeated, ill stop using youtube.
If google would stop being so scummy and just show a 1 skippable ad every 5 min, that would be acceptable.
Just boycott Youtube!!
The developer threatening to stop updating the extension look at the comments in the Firefox store do not give him your money as he could take it and run!
From this add-on’s FF repository: ” This new version uses extensionpay.com as a payment processor integrated with Stripe for obtaining a one-time lifetime license after an initial free trial period. ”
No thanks.
I am using FF with uBO, NoScript (minimizing the number of scripts required to make a YT vid run, which usually means allowing just youtube.com), and Enhacer for YouTube with “block ads” enabled, and have not seen a YT ad in many months.
Not sure which add-on is doing the job, but this is working well for me.
The developer lists all the different ad categories on YouTube that the extension skips. It includes the 10-second video ads that play without option to skip on YouTube, the 5-second video ads that can be skipped after 5 seconds, and even multiple ads shown in a row before the video starts to play. gg
Google developers will obtain this blocker, analyze it and code to make it fail. gg
> Another interesting aspect of the extension is that it can’t be classified as an ad-blocker, as it does not block advertisement
Superficial meaningless point. It’s still using intervention to bypass an ad — whether that be skipping to the end of an ad segment in this case or using CSS to hide ad elements — it meets the criteria of an ad-blocker.
rubbish. There are many instances when facebook forwarded such extensions to google webstore who made legal orders for ad blocker to decease activities, and the courts fined google for making order. Your arguement is the exact reason that the courts use in court ruling, an in favor of the defendent, ad blocking extension. I would give example, however, they arent hard to find.
Seriously stop promoting how to block ads on youtube now that they are determined to block ads. You are not doing any favor to anybody, you just make it more popular, they will notice it and it will be blocked by youtube.
That’s how _righteous_ war (maybe sadly?) works. (The clinch is at the end. AND I might be wrong, but then argue… as long as I did. Or not, of course…) 1• You save as many people as you can, by immediate counter-measures. Then, sure, these get countered. But that these counter-measures sooner get countered is no argument for trying to save people. Because 2• the counter-counter-measure will get countered in its turn. Again to save people. THE THING IS: respond faster with counter-measures to stay ahead of the curve, for many. OR: sacrifice many, by being hush-hush, to save the few who are “in the know”. (And I just like putting extreme pressure on the baddies, which might be my bias.)
I despise advertising in it’s every form. One of the vagaries of human nature is denial, it is existential.
By denying that we are affected we remain subjected. Human Beings deny that they are susceptible declaring that they are self determining, a myth that perpetuates personal bias and prejudice necessary to human nature to thrive.
Advertising, films, movies, mass entertainment of all kinds deeply affects human beings, it is all effecting our societies and it’s many cultures. It has compounded itself to the extent that we are now faced with mercenary capitalism, which in the end may create laws to force the point, meaning you could be prosecuted, fined and or incarcerated for creating script that blocks advertising.
I am sure that this could happen in complete agreement from many.
We as Human Beings need to acknowledge and address human nature, it got us this far but it is a detriment, it will be the defining factor in our progress even in the near future, climatology and warfare make that obvious.
The question is, does our consciousness envelop our ability to survive or is it subjugated by our nature so that it can survive?
This is an awesome comment. Thanks for your insights! Many crossover connections. Reminds me of Ernest Becker’s Denial of Death… In that we also avoid confronting it therefore it directs all our actions. Such as with advertising (any perhaps hypnosis?), the act of avoiding it directs us where they want us to go. Profound stuff. Thanks again.
BTW, THIS is what the internet used to be like. Great ideas. Thoughtful insights. Sharing feedback. Challenging perspectives. Damn I miss that.
MV3 will be a sure kill for adblockers, Google planned ahead long time ago, nothing you can do.
@upp
That only affects extensions, not built-in adblockers. Many browsers based on Chromium like Brave, Vivaldi, Opera have built-in adblockers which don’t use any extension API. Web Environment Integrity (WEI) is a far greater issue than MV3 yet everyone somehow refuses to recognize it as such.
Iron Heart does not care about users of other browsers, as usual.
Just wait till Manifest V3 will become standard & V2 totally removed from Chromium. Adblockers will be heavily gutted in functionality.
There’s nothing to stop Chromium browsers having a built-in content blocker that uses uBlock Origin default filter lists. This is what Brave already does and it works really well.
Obviously, Chrome or Edge would never do this and Google and Microsoft (Microsoft Advertising/Bing/MSN) are advertising companies.
I usually have some yt vid running in the background on 10-firefox/ublock/nano or brave on android current. On pc I am not logged in.
I have not seen any prompts or ads yet.
Famous last words.
One of acquaintances of mine got Youtube videos blocked today because of AdblockPlus. Had to disable AdblockPlus on Youtube for her. She is Ok with it for now. She has really slow computer so I did not want to experiment with alternate solutions. But if I get this problem on my computer, I will definitely through everything on this problem including kitchen sink. Fadblock, definitely could be one of the options. I just do not expect it to stay in extension stores. Google will definitely try to ban it. Loading it as the script could be a better option, but may reduce functionality.
Comments I leave are tossed. My guess is either something is broken or I am being filtered out for some reason.
Google employees will get this, analyze it, code around it and the game continues.
They may even (eventually) code Chrome browser to not allow the use of this app or just block users.
Thanks a lot for the recommendation!
Testing it right now
>”Now You: what is your take on this new option to deal with ads on YouTube?”
I get my videos on Odysee and the LBRY app. No ads.
Port it to the Tizen OS Samsung smart TV’s use.
Just stay away from Samshit, and you will be better. Get another TV, and use Chromecast with Smartube.
Speaking of YouTube, Chrome (and possibly Edge too) will allow you to easily save frames from videos, Google will add an option in the context menu for that purpose, the frame will be saved as PNG and with the same resolution as the video player:
https://twitter.com/Leopeva64/status/1717627848238764357
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stop shilling your ego every article
It works! (For now) Another battle won (but not the war)..
Thanks martin. this is why I visit this website.
I have not yet encountered the aggressive approach that youtube has been utilizing but it’s great to some other options.
I would not put it past Google to code Chrome to prevent this add-on from working.
Google developers will obtain this blocker, analyze it and code to make it fail.