YouTube Needs To Chill With Its Annoying Premium Spam (theverge.com) 117
Tom Warren, writing for The Verge: YouTube has been pissing me off for weeks. I'm starting to feel like I should pay $11.99 a month to subscribe to YouTube Premium just to get rid of the annoying pop-ups Google sends me almost daily. Google has decided to place pop-up ads in its own YouTube app for Premium subscriptions. This feels slightly acceptable at first, but Google has also decided these should spam you to death, sometimes full-screen, with no option to permanently dismiss them so you see them all the damn time. It's a classic growth hack designed to get more people to use YouTube Music or YouTube Premium because, honestly, who cares about either of those services? I already subscribe to Spotify, which is far superior to YouTube Music, and I'd never pay $11.99 just to have fewer YouTube ads and background playback of videos on my phone. It's a pointless subscription that Google is trying to lazily ram down my throat instead of improving its offering, competing fairly with others, and, most importantly, focusing on its customer experience. Google's efforts here have made sure I, and I bet many others, will never touch YouTube Music or YouTube Premium. I absolutely loathe both of these services to the point where I'm left swearing at my phone like an idiot, simply because these stubborn ads keep appearing on top of the YouTube videos I'm trying to watch.
Working as intended (Score:5, Informative)
Sounds like it's working as intended
Re:Working as intended (Score:5, Insightful)
It's had the opposite effect for me. I now avoid YouTube at all costs.
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I feel like my ad blocker is failing me when I see one of these "Try XYZ" pop-ups from YouTube. Ad blocker devs need to get on it!
OK, OK, I can't be upset since the ad blocker is free, but it would be nice if it would kill these ads too.
No effect at all (Score:3)
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Google defensive (Score:2)
Which also probably the reason why:
- Google hasn't enabled extensions on Chrome for Android (it's the default browser for most smartphone users, better make it hard for them to block ads). So you need to install Mozilla Firefox instead (has extensions) or some fork with ad blocking like Bromium.
- Youtube seem to favour channels popular on *TV screens* for their P-Score. These are channels less likely to get their ads blocked (most smart tv can't filter ads). So you need to setup a PiHole to partially alevia
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smartphones: switch to firefox (Score:4, Informative)
Google is the only company castrating the extensions inside their Chrome on smartphone.
Meanwhile, Mozilla Firefox still supports extensions even on Android - that includes uBlock Origin, Privacy Badger, Decentraleyes, etc.
There are also open-source forks of Chrome/Chromium that incorporate back some adblocking - look for Bromium on the F-Droid store.
There are also hostlist based solution that work somewhat halfway:
VPN-like plugins on smartphone that also block ads on apps,
and PiHole that blocks ads for all devices on the network (smart tvs, etc.)
They aren't as goot as uBlock at stoping adds, but they still work a bit and help aleviate some parts.
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Preach brother!
Re: Working as intended (Score:2)
Do you take your boots plain or with ketchup?
And yet you're still watching it. (Score:1)
The reality is someone has to pay for this service and Google isn't really "free". If it really bothers you consider another service that's better?
Re:And yet you're still watching it. (Score:5, Insightful)
Google pay for YouTube with the ever increasing amount of ads before, during and after videos. Last time I looked, Google weren't really struggling for revenue.
That they then feel the need to spam you with pop-ups to get you to pay money for the service is very annoying - clearly this is what they intend so that you pay up to remove the annoyance.
Re:And yet you're still watching it. (Score:4, Insightful)
Then the Defenders show up claiming that Google/YouTube is having a money problem that cannot be solved any other way than with annoying popups.
How about the Defenders go fuck themselves... nobody is shocked when they learn that the Defenders mostly have the same political ideologies as is rampant inside Google/YouTube.
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> First Google/YouTube demonetizes much of the most popular content based on the rampant political ideologies inside Google/YouTube.
What's the popular phrase kids are using today?
"Get woke, go choke" :)
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Get woke, go Baroque.
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Just remember. If you aren't Baroque, you may be able to afford it.
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Last time I looked, Google weren't really struggling for revenue.
It depends on how you look at it. Google is earning bazillions of dollars. However, Google decision makers need the stock share price to appreciate to get their big bonuses. Otherwise, they would have to rely solely on their near top of class base salaries.
Unfortunately, for public companies, decisions are made based mainly on stock price, so earning a steady $30 billion each year is considered failure.
Re:And yet you're still watching it. (Score:4, Insightful)
Simple workaround (Score:5, Insightful)
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Judging by your ID, you must be new here :)
Was anonymous coward before. (Score:2)
He only registered an ID recently, during his second coming to the website.
Re: Simple workaround (Score:4, Funny)
Jesus H. Christ, that joke was bad. Oh, wait, different Jesus. Carry on.
Carpenters (Score:2)
lol, I'm an old data-scientist turned carpenter.
the adblock plus mobile browser based on chromium is great too; blocks ads and lets you play youtube videos with the screen off.
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Solution for iPhone and Android ?
Re: Simple workaround (Score:1)
Use Youtube from within the Mozilla browser. If you're not on a closed platform, that is...
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On android i just use NewPipe https://f-droid.org/en/package... [f-droid.org]
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3. Live in a country which is not covered by Youtube Premium.
I never receive those ads. I guess its one of the very few positive things stemming from geolocation isolation.
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3) Use mpv/youtube-dl and play it directly.
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Huh? (Score:2)
It's a classic growth hack designed to get more people to use YouTube Music or YouTube Premium because, honestly, who cares about either of those services?
What? I can accept that you might not be interested, but can you not fathom that many others might be willing to pay to get rid of Youtube advertisements? Youtube is my primary video consumption venue. Probably about 85% of my internet viewing is Youtube, 10% Netflix, and 5% CuriosityStream. ~$12 per month to skip all the ads reduces wasted time TREMENDOUSLY.
As an aside, while Spotify might be better, since I'm already paying for Youtube Premium I consider Youtube Music/Google Music to be a "free" perk
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But you can skip all of the ads for free. It's not even illegal like piracy. Why the fuck would you pay them to do it at all?
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Re:Huh? (Score:5, Insightful)
Breach of contract isn't illegal? Sign me the fuck up!
I'm pretty damn sure that you've never entered into a contract to watch ads on Youtube.
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They've got a TOS which basically claims that (but doesn't specifically forbid blocking commercials.) Regardless, the idea that you can create a binding contract by sticking fine print on your website and claiming that people that visit that website are bound by it is laughable. In reality, those only exist so that they can do things like block your IP if you're doing something that they don't like.
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What? I can accept that you might not be interested, but can you not fathom that many others might be willing to pay to get rid of Youtube advertisements? Youtube is my primary video consumption venue.
What annoys me is that there isn't a cheap Youtube Premium video service without the $9.99 music service. I already use another, and there are are least two more I'd rather use than Google's music service of the day.
What ads? (Score:1)
Take your business elsewhere (Score:1)
And by business I mean the service you have been using for free.
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Like they used to say about Hotmail, "If the service is free you're not the customer, you're the product."
I've never seen these ads before... (Score:2)
I guess that my ad blocker is working as designed. Yay!
Don't bother subscribing to Premium (Score:1)
I just want to point out... (Score:2)
Background play was a FREE feature of Youtube. On the ORIGINAL iPhone.
Now, it's expected you should pay for something that used to be free. (mostly so they can ensure to advertisers that they have captive attention)
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Frustrating isn't it... try this extension. (Score:1)
There it is. (Score:4, Informative)
There's your problem.
You're using their app. You have conceded all control to them. Stop using the app, use a browser, install an ad-blocker.
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Use NewPipe
It's an open source Youtube player for Android
Far superior in every way.
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This. Newpipe is my go-to player on mobile, but I also keep skytube handy. Each has features that the other doesn't. Neither has ads. both have background play and the ability to download videos.
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> Far superior in every way.
yeah, I wish. Still not possible to set a default playback speed. I listen to almost everything at 1.5x.
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https://github.com/TeamNewPipe/NewPipe/issues/2808
https://github.com/TeamNewPipe/NewPipe/issues/2662
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>"You're using their app. You have conceded all control to them. Stop using the app, use a browser, install an ad-blocker."
Except they are most likely talking about Android (presumably) so you can't just install a block in "the browser". So the correct procedure is: Stop using the app, install Firefox for Android, then install a blocker.... then enjoy. IOS? Have no idea.
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> So the correct procedure is: Stop using the app, install Firefox for Android, then install a blocker.... then enjoy. IOS? Have no idea.
Just install Brave. There's almost no reason to run Chrome or Firefox on Amdroid today. Brave and Tor Browser cover most use cases.
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>"Just install Brave. There's almost no reason to run Chrome or Firefox on Amdroid today."
Yes there is. Like all other multi-platform, non-Firefox browsers, Brave is Chrom*, thus one would STILL be supporting Google's control over the web.
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Or you could install Blokada or any of a hundred other android adblockers and keep using whatever browser you prefer. It might even manage to block the ads in the youtube app.
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> Stop using the app
Or root your phone and use the community version that is less annoying.
So what? (Score:2)
Moe-nop-o-ly (Score:2)
Google it. Simple as that.
Remember when (Score:1)
Youtube didn't have ads. Life was good then.
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Far Superior? (Score:2)
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Most songs don't have videos, unless you're only watching hit singles, in which case you have poor taste in music.
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Watch out! (Score:2)
Hot takes about how its a free service incoming!
Once a day isn't bad (Score:2)
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The ads are a LOT more than once a day
Re: Once a day isn't bad (Score:3)
The ads are upwards of twice a video, more on long videos, usually cutting into the middle of a song if it's music.
What they're doing is wrong.
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"If you use their free service that much that a once-a-day ad is bothering you maybe you should pay to help support it.""
My eyes are sufficient support. I see premium balloons pimping a free trial in excess, with ublock origin installed.
I bet there's significant income made from erroneous acceptance clicks. Maybe I'll accept the trial and cancel without usage and see if that's a fix.
A pox on all of it (Score:2)
Much as I would like to be a 'cord cutter', I'm faced with:
- A movie service, HBO would do. Or Starz.
- NFL Sunday Ticket. Only because I want to watch an out -of-market team.
- Something with variety, Amazon Prime, Netflix, whatever.
- An extensive music subscription without ads.
And with that I've exceeded my current satellite cost.
YouTube has so little to offer me. I listen to music, I do not watch it. I have access to multiple video sources, and adding another subscription is more money thrown on the fire.
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I torrent everything and don't feel bad about it. Yeah I'm totally putting a dent into Disney's profits.
When will it stop? (Score:4, Insightful)
Yeah (Score:2)
Getting harder and harder to tolerate YouTube on my SmartTV. At least on my computer with ad-blocking I see none of the ads. On my iPhone or SmartTV, tons of ads, even in the middle of videos.
Kinda hoping this COPPA garbage kills YouTube at this point and something else less evil replaces it, but not holding my breath...
can somebody add CircleCI to the list, please? (Score:1)
I quit using Play Music (Score:2)
And installed Power Amp years ago for the same reason.
When Play Music first came out it was a blessing, finally a good music player for Android and it even made intelligent radio stations out of my own music.
Then their subscription music service came out. It got a bit spammy but you could say no.
Then they rewrote the app to where it would practically ignore the music you had installed and tried to stream, even when you were attempting to play music already on the fucking phone.
That's when I installed Power
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Yeah, I just buy CDs from all the shows I go to and rip them into *gasp* mp3s and toss them on my phone. I use vlc for my music player and I can use bluetooth to connect to my car which lets me use my car's media center to manipulate the phone.
Super easy and zero data costs. I also am buying the music directly from the musicians so I know they are making some money.
P.S. And then my wife goes and uses spotify to listen to the same music instead. Oh well, it makes her happy so it is worth it.
Solution: (Score:1)
1. Competition.
2. More competition.
Already using YouTube Red (Premium) (Score:2)
It's called uBlock Origin, dumbass (Score:1)
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uninstall YouTube (Score:2)
I uninstalled YouTube when they started that shit. I just use the browser. It works fine. Better than fine, actually. The whole experience is much better.
I only want one thing. (Score:2)
If premium ever offers higher bitrate, I'm sold. Video game footage is terrible at low bitrate, regardless of the resolution or frame rate. Just about everyone who uploads or watches video game content would jump on this.
Ad blocker (Score:1)
Use Firefox with Adblock Plus (Score:2)
I only subscribe to get money to content providers (Score:2)
ThemTube (Score:1)
They deliberately ruined the platform with their heavy handed censorship [wsws.org].
They want to play games with search and the recommended algorithm, and with notification and subscriptions, and treat the content producers and the users as if they are too stupid to notice. Well, people are noticing.
The leaker is the CIA spook Eric Ciaramella that was outed by Politico, you newspeak enforcing would-be tyrants. Also Epstein didn't kill himself.
Or ad block that crap... (Score:1)
No idea if it works, but I'd hope some easy tool like uBlock Origin would help (JavaScript blocker). I've never seen this stuff, but I'm a Google Music subscriber at $8 from the initial discount so think they give me YouTube Red with that. Or it might be the bit of storage I'd bought before.
You just get different YouTube ads, then. (Score:2)
So, if you pay for YouTube premium, then you get ads for "Did you know you get YouTube music, and haven't installed it?" "Do you want YouTube TV?", etc. I mean, it's nice to not have non-Google ads, but at first I honestly thought I hadn't logged in right, or something, because I was getting so many annoying ads for other YouTube products.
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And you still get all the NordVPN, Squarespace, etc., shilling baked into the videos by the content creators themselves.
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And you still get all the NordVPN, Squarespace, etc., shilling baked into the videos by the content creators themselves.
That's going to be hard to remove without pretty advanced AI.
My personal solution is to just accept that I wasn't watching the video to be productive in the first place, so as long as the creator isn't egregious, I can live with it. For instance, I find the "Corridor Crew" shilling to be fine - I'm there somewhat for info, somewhat for personalities, and the ads still have the personality, so they just need to be short enough that I don't browse away or can the channel...
Radical Solution (Score:2)
Even better, stop watching the damn YouTube entirely. Your mental health will improve and you might get more done.
READ A BOOK. That would scare the media cartels even more. Hint: there are even places where they will lend you a book for free.
I like the ads (Score:1)
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UBLOCK ORIGIN (Score:1)
Ad block them. Was that so hard? You're welcome.
Just disable the Google Youtube app (Score:2)
You know there are alternative Youtube apps for Android.
All that plus the frequency of ads as you watch (Score:1)
has made me quit using Youtube. When the 22min video your watching is interrupted 8 times by the SAME FREAKING AD (the last one 8 seconds before the video ended, followed by ANOTHER ad right before the next video started).
There is nothing on youtube worth dealing with that crap.
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What the fuck? Just use adblock. (Score:3)
So rather than take control of your own device and network by setting up one of the most basic and widespread features out there (an adblocker), you'd rather just pay money directly to Google, further incentivizing aggressive and annoying ad practices? That's the dumbest fucking thing I've heard all month. Block the hell out of any site that doesn't have consumer-friendly, privacy-friendly, and noscript-friendly ads.
On any browser that supports it, uBlock Origin with the default filters gets rid of all ads on YouTube, including the ones that are part of the videos themselves. uBlock Origin is supported on Chrome and Firefox. There's an unofficial but maintained port to old Edge. It also likely works on most forks of Chrome and Firefox that support their addon structures, e.g. new Edge. Old versions (which can still pull in newer filters) work on Firefox forks like Pale Moon that use the old addon framework. On Android, I use Kiwi Browser, which is a fork of Chrome that has a built-in adblocker that does an OK job, but more importantly has support for Chrome desktop addons including, you guessed it, uBlock Origin. There's also Brave, which has built-in adblocking and since it's another Chromium fork, probably supports Chrome addons to some extent. It also has that tipping system that's kind of a neat idea.
Even if you're in a situation where an addon-based adblocking solution isn't possible, there are alternatives. PiHole can run on an RPi or similar device and implements DNS-based adblocking for your whole network. DNS-based adblocking isn't perfect but I believe it still blocks most of the shit you'll see on YouTube and most other sites.
If you can't afford that (it's not expensive), you start to get into really suboptimal solutions. There are a lot of options in rooted Android, there are a couple different ways to do it but you'd have to do your own research, I haven't bothered. If you're stuck using IE, I think I remember seeing a proprietary adblocking addon for it that actually worked, if not very well. I'm not sure I'd trust something like that.
Anyway, while I understand news publications like The Verge don't really want to encourage adblock use, it just sounds fucking dumb when your response to extremely annoying ads is "oh man I guess I'll just pay them!" It's like paying the danegeld, that's not how you get rid of the Dane. If they see people value that feature, they're just going to keep making ads more aggressive and annoying. It's ironic, because Google's trying to push the "acceptable ads" approach wherein they push for ads that aren't horrible unusable messes, but Google's becoming increasingly balkanized and I suspect the division that runs YouTube didn't get the memo. I'd actually be fine with ads if they were just static unscripted text blocks or lightweight image banners (lightweight meaning significantly less than 1MB), the problem is most ads these days aren't that, they're heavily scripted privacy invading nightmare machines that get in your way and sometimes serve up malware. No thanks, not going to reward them for that by fucking subscribing to them. Fuck off.