What do you want to know
- Several Firefox users have taken to social media to express their frustration over YouTube’s slow loading time on the browser.
- Google confirmed that the issue is closely related to its recent efforts to crack down on YouTube ad blockers that were preventing users from monetizing their content through ads.
- According to some Redditors, the video streaming platform spotted faster loading times by spoofing Firefox as Google Chrome.
- Google added that any user with an ad blocker installed may be affected by this issue, regardless of the browser they are using.
Several Firefox users have taken to Reddit to voice their concerns, pointing out YouTube’s less than pleasant user experience. According to users, when they try to stream videos on the platform, the webpage adds a five-second delay.
Youtube has started artificially slowing down video loading times if you’re using Firefox. Chrome Impersonation makes this problem magically disappear. from r/youtube
Oddly enough, the problem seems to be resolved when switching to another browser like clockwork. Alternatively, changing the user agent using developer tweaks also does the trick, according to a Foss News article.
YouTube has started artificially slowing down video load times for Firefox users using the following piece of code: setTimeout(function() { c(); a.resolve(1) }, 5E3);5E3 being 5000 ms , or simply put 5 seconds.https://t.co/QHaTSaRYbd pic.twitter.com/K6kZVCoFqQNovember 20, 2023
Google’s crackdown on YouTube ad blockers could be the poisoned fruit
While it’s easy to assume that the problem is related to a poor internet connection, that’s not the case (at least according to the sentiments expressed by several users). The situation seems much more complex. According to a Reddit user, there is code buried in YouTube’s web page that has a “timeout” function in the script. The user further pointed out that the code is responsible for the five-second delay.
On the other hand, some users have indicated that the problem may be closely related to Google’s recent crackdown on YouTube ad blockers. Over the past few months, users have been complaining about the platform’s user experience, particularly after Google announced it would start buckling the seatbelt on ad blockers.
Google said ad blockers violate YouTube’s terms of service and prevent creators from monetizing their content. The company has indeed confirmed that the five-second delay issue is related to the ad blocker issue, further emphasizing that users with ad blockers may experience “sub-optimal viewing.” Interestingly, the company pointed out that the issue could affect any user with an ad blocker, regardless of the browser they use.
To support a diverse ecosystem of creators globally and enable billions of people to access their favorite content on YouTube, we launched an effort to encourage viewers with ad blockers enabled to allow ads on YouTube or try YouTube Premium for an ad-free experience. Users with ad blockers installed may experience suboptimal viewing regardless of which browser they use.
Google’s statement only explains why users with ad blockers installed experience a degraded user experience. However, this doesn’t clarify why users spoofing Firefox as Google Chrome were able to experience faster loading times.
I attempted to replicate the exact same results users posted on social media, but the YouTube page loaded in a considerable amount of time (similar to what I’m used to when using Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge). Admittedly, I don’t use Firefox. Additional testing may reveal potential issues that could cause slow loading times.
Have you encountered this problem using Firefox? Share your experience with us in the comments.
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