After initial testing in 2023, Google has decided to show YouTube users ads when they pause videos in the app, marking a new space for advertisers to consider when planning their campaigns on the Google-owned social media app.

“As we've seen both strong advertiser and strong viewer response, we've since widely rolled out Pause ads to all advertisers,” YouTube comms manager Oluwa Falodun told The Verge on Wednesday.

YouTube began experimenting with Pause ads last year, testing them with select advertisers for viewers pausing videos on a connected TV. The test ads appeared as a banner around the video and were removable by selecting a “dismiss” button.

YouTube's Pause ads can be compared to the transparent banner ad unit Hulu introduced in 2019, or Amazon's lock screen ads on Fire tablets.

Following initial testing, Google's Chief Business Officer Phillip Schindler announced in April that advertisers loved Pause ads, as they were driving strong results and “commanding premium pricing from advertisers.”

Pause ads are now showing up on YouTube's website as well as its mobile app, according to disgruntled users posting on Reddit, some of whom are calling the ad unit the worst YouTube update in history, and saying the company is “slowly digging its own grave.”

YouTube says that Pause ads, which have rolled out to all advertisers, are designed to offer users a “less interruptive” experience, but it is uncertain whether the company will serve less video ads as a result.