Did YouTube finally kill adblocking apps like SmartTube? - Tons of unusual 403 / forbidden errors

[trash cat]

YouTube appears to have fired the opening shot in the final battle against adblocking applications.

Over the past 24 hours, hundreds of users on multiple sub OSs (Google TV, Fire TV) are complaining of HTTP 403 Forbidden errors with the YouTube adblocking app SmartTube while trying to play videos.

This sudden problem appears to extend to other independent YouTube adblocking apps including NewPipe, NewPipeX, and FreeTubeApp.

https://github.com/yuliskov/SmartTube/issues/3606#issuecomment-2218721148

There is an open GitHub issue with over a hundred comments since last night, as well as dozens of other duplicate issues.

https://github.com/yuliskov/SmartTube/issues/3606

This looks suspiciously like an attempt by YouTube to kill adblocking applications through its API.

Is this the beginning of the end of adblocking on YouTube?

If YouTube finally kills the third-party adblocking applications, will you stop watching or will you be a fucking scab and pay for YouTube premium?

 

[Monolith]

I would wait 10 minutes until some autist (affectionate) figures out how to get rid of them again.

 

[trash cat]

I would wait 10 minutes until some autist (affectionate) figures out how to get rid of them again.

There was already a commit to fix the problem (SmartTube) that was successfully rolled out about 12 hours ago in version 1427, followed by another API change on YouTube's side which broke it again.

https://github.com/yuliskov/SmartTube/commit/2f3bfee911b5f6898471e7021d4e9913b49a4476

Also similar problems in all the third-party adblocking apps



I hope it's just a mistake, but I'm not so sure.

As the great philosopher Auric Goldfinger once said, "Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times is enemy action."

 

[Markass the Worst]

If I can't watch without ads, I will just stop using YouTube for any of my own entertainment. Sadly, I still have to touch it to process/archive lolcow content. Is yt-dlp affected by this?

 

[DOORSTUCK]

Damn so this is why NewPipe had been broken the past day? I shrugged it off as a NewPipe usual hiccup but this is now worrying.

 

[Catboy Ranch]

INVIDIOUS is unaffected

 

[The Backwards Man]

RVX still works, hopefully not just a "for now" situation.

 

[Jeff Q. Anime]

If I can't watch without ads, I will just stop using YouTube for any of my own entertainment. Sadly, I still have to touch it to process/archive lolcow content. Is yt-dlp affected by this?

I've been ripping shit from youtube for weeks, ever since the ad-injection shit broke - yt-dlp is still working for me as I type this. But I guess we'll see.

 

[PhoBingas]

The android app I use to block adds seems to still work, as does whatever adblocking thing I use for jewtube on PC Adblock for Youtube still works.

 

[Hiphopopotamus]

I've experienced no issues with ublock on firefox.
Brave also seemingly uneffected.
My phone just has revanced and that's working fine too.

Is it just "smart" TVs and their apps effected?

 

[Lokenstien]

No matter what happens I will continue to inform every potential microphone I come across that I hate advertisers and their sordid industry makes me horde money away from their inhuman claws.

 

[REGENDarySumanai]

YouTube is fighting a losing war against ad blockers. The amount of extra money they would make is not worth the effort. Ad block users are a minority on YouTube.

 

[YarrBlueballs]

No matter what happens I will continue to inform every potential microphone I come across that I hate advertisers and their sordid industry makes me horde money away from their inhuman claws.

There is one thing all races and creeds can come together on, it's that advertisers are the worst sort of jewery.

 

[McMitch]

There is one thing all races and creeds can come together on, it's that advertisers are the worst sort of jewery.

If advertisers as they exist now were extant at the time of Jesus, He would have to explicitly tell the Pharisees that they (that is, the advertisers) too are more welcome in God's kingdom by the mere act of seeking forgiveness, alongside the prostitutes and tax collectors.

 

[Fuzzy Sweetheart]

Damn so this is why NewPipe had been broken the past day? I shrugged it off as a NewPipe usual hiccup but this is now worrying.

I was just trying to grab a bossman song with newpipe and couldn't figure out what the problem was. Fml bro this is so wrong

 

[Raisincrest]

Revanced is still working.

 

[Mr. Racewar1488]

YouTube is fighting a losing war against ad blockers. The amount of extra money they would make is not worth the effort. Ad block users are a minority on YouTube.

It's not about the money, it's about the message. Silicon Valley wants to control every thought you have because they view themselves as superior humans. Every FAGMAN employee belongs in a gas chamber.

 

[NOT Satoshi Nakamoto]

Brave has been working this whole time.

 

[byron]

I would wait 10 minutes until some autist (affectionate) figures out how to get rid of them again.

That’s what amuses me the most about this. Google is bloated with DEI hires that can’t code. But their opponent in this war are legions of autistic nerds. They cannot win through tech. They might as well get more lawyers and buy more politicians

 

[S.C.U.D.]

I've been getting errors in Freetube but it still loads the video fine, it just takes a few seconds. I was also getting those errors preventing me from downloading videos in yt-dlp until I updated it to the latest version and again no problems.