YouTube defends ad changes: Skip button remains, new progress bar introduced

YouTube has been the go-to video-sharing platform for most users globally in recent times and has a fondness for advertising on its platform with sponsored video recommendations and proper ad segments preceding and interrupting videos of users without a Premium subscription.

However, the Google-owned video-sharing platform now seems to be making it harder for users to skip ads, with many users receiving unskippable advertisement segments and more recent initiatives like displaying ads while you pause content. Many Reddit users also suggested that they were seeing a black or grey rectangle on top of the Skip button with no countdown timer suggesting when you can enable it.

Thankfully, YouTube has responded to these accusations, and according to a new statement by The Verge, YouTube spokesperson Oluwa Falodun has denied the allegations, confirming that the company is not removing the skip button. According to Falodun, YouTube is adjusting how some elements are presented in the video player experience so that users “can engage more deeply with the ad through a cleaner experience.”

The video platform is also introducing a new progress bar to show users when they can tap on the skip button. The company is actively cracking down on ad blockers and has brought ads to the video pause screen to advocate free users to shift to their premium subscription.