YouTube is warning of a new attack against any apps that violate its API’s terms of service. Although he does not point out specific names, it is inevitable to consider alternatives such as reVanced or NewPipe, two of the most well-known clients for using YouTube ad-free.

Since these apps are not hosted on the Play Store, they are not afraid of Google blocking their official store. But YouTube has already managed to beat some of its competitors (illegally, according to Google), so existing alternatives are in danger.

YouTube warns: Its API can only be used under certain conditions

APKs with modified versions of YouTube have been popular on Android for years. Nobody likes to see ads (this is even more so in the new era of YouTube Premium, where we either pay or the ad load is too high), and choosing these alternatives has been the solution for some users. Problem? These apps are likely to violate YouTube’s terms of service with their APIs.

A clear example of this is the now-extinct YouTube Vanced, a development that was shut down due to pressure from Google, as reported on Xataka Móvil. This app allowed you to download YouTube videos and play ad-free content, basically a type of YouTubePremium.APK.

In an article posted on the support forum, the YouTube team gave a clear message: They’re starting to monitor apps that violate YouTube’s terms of service, especially those related to ad blocking.

Viewers using these third-party apps may experience buffering issues or see a “The following content is not available in this app” error when trying to watch a video. We want to emphasize that our terms do not allow third-party apps to disable ads because this prevents the creator from being rewarded by viewers, and that ads on YouTube help support creators and enable billions of people around the world to use the streaming service. We also recognize that some people prefer a completely ad-free experience, which is why we offer YouTube Premium.

YouTube warns that apps that try to avoid ads may have playback issues. Therefore, it warns that users who use such solutions may start to experience problems when playing videos.

However, since some apps like NewPipe don’t use the YouTube API directly, it’s unclear how they plan to accomplish this blocking: they pull videos from the web and block ads.

Image | YouTube

in Xataka | YouTube expands its attack on ad blockers, making clear they’re “violating its terms of service”