Google’s video streaming service YouTube has been trying for some time to prevent third parties from blocking access to its ads. In August 2023, it created pop-up messages when web browsers with ad blockers were used to play YouTube videos, warning users that their video playback would not work unless those ad blockers were disabled.

now a New YouTube support page published on Monday suggests that third-party YouTube apps that also try to block ads will get similar treatment.

The new support notice says people using third-party apps that block YouTube ads may see buffering when they try to stream videos. They may also see the error message “The following content is not available in this app” when trying to watch videos.

YouTube stated the reasons for this new crackdown on third-party ad-blocking apps:

We’d like to emphasize that our terms don’t allow third-party apps to turn off ads because that prevents the creator from getting rewarded for a view, and ads on YouTube help support creators and enable billions of people around the world to use the streaming service.

The announcement added that if a third-party YouTube violates its API terms of service, “we will take appropriate action to protect our platform, creators and viewers.”

The only official way to get rid of YouTube ads is to purchase a YouTube Premium subscription. It currently costs $13.99 per month, or $139.99 for an annual subscription. Students do get a big discount of $7.99 per month, and there is also a family plan that costs $22.99 per month. This allows you to share its benefits with up to five people living at the same residential address.

It seems clear that Google is trying its best to maintain its revenue streams with YouTube, either by showing ads or with premium subscriptions.