• by Laurie Sullivan , 3 hours ago

Reddit users have begun to complain that YouTube Android and iOS apps show persistent overlay ads in the bottom left-hand corner -- just as Google launches the general availability of “Video Reach Campaign (VRC) Non-Skip Ads” globally in Google Ads and Display & Video 360.

The ads remain visible in YouTube even after the user repeatedly taps “Dismiss” in the three-dot menu.

Some users have said they do not see an “X” on the banner to dismiss these ads, which are usually for third-party apps or websites.

“Some users say the ad eventually vanishes on its own after about 30 seconds,” Dwayne Cubbins, research editor at media outlet PiunikaWeb based in India, wrote in a blog post. “Others resort to force-closing the app and reopening the same video, though the ad tends to come right back when switching to a new one.”

He explained that one iOS user managed to open YouTube in a mobile browser to sidestep the issue.

One Reddit user watching YouTube videos to fall asleep attempted repeatedly to click "dismiss," but the ads never closed. Another wrote about seeing them for the past two months. An Australian user also noted the same problem, so the problem is widespread.

One statistic reports that YouTube has 2.70 billion users as of February 2026. Although Google has not cited an official number, YouTube revenue topped $60 billion for the year of 2025, the company stated in its last earnings report.

YouTube ads are attracting brands and companies. Revenue for YouTube ads rose nearly 9% to $11.38 billion for the final quarter in 2025, driven by direct response. The majority of revenue came from subscriptions.

Many users view non-skippable ads as a disruption that blocks their flow of enjoying what they watch, especially on mobile devices.

Anna Peck, content marketing manager at Clutch, noted in a study published in mid-February that ads are failing. 

Clutch surveyed 453 consumers to better understand how people perceive and respond to advertising in today's media landscape. By gathering insights directly from consumers, the study revealed key trends that plague ad fatigue, she wrote.

For example, 93% of those participating in the survey say they skip or block ads regularly, which means they have either skipped ads when given the opportunity or that the ads do not catch their interest.

Still, only 15% of consumers pay for ad-free versions of services, although 55% will skip ads whenever possible and 37% ignore ads, regardless of the platform.

Similar complaints about YouTube date back to 2024, when a new ad format appeared to place an ad each time a viewer paused a video. It is not clear whether the two ad formats are related, a glitch in YouTube’s ad system, or future of advertising, but MediaPost has reached out to Google for comment.

This week, soon after complaints began to surface again in Reddit, Google introduced the general availability of VRC Non-Skip ads serving up across YouTube. Google says the ads are built for big screens in the living room and optimized for connected TV (CTV).

Google AI dynamically optimizes the ads between 6-second bumper ads, 15-second standard and 30-second CTV-only non-skippable ad formats.