Spotify Will Start Suspending Ad-Blocking Users Without Warning

Spotify has made a change to its Terms of Service that hint at a big crackdown on users who take measures to avoid advertisements. The free version of the service is ad-supported, meaning users occasionally hear an advertisement or are prompted to watch a video. Some users have found ways around these ads, though, such as modified applications and ad-blocking tech.

Spotify has been targeting free users who evade advertisements for a while using measures that detect suspicious activity or technical issues. In instances where it has found a free user skipping ads, the company has historically sent out warnings to users and, if they continued to use ad-blockers, deactivated accounts until the blockers were removed.

In its updated Terms of Service, Spotify indicates it won't be so lenient with these users going forward. The new language states that users caught either providing ways to get around advertisements or using these technologies will have their accounts suspended or will be immediately terminated as customers.

The big change here — which will take place on March 1 — is that the company will no longer be giving warnings and the opportunity to enable ads. Rather, cheating free users who get caught will simply immediately lose their account with no way to get it back.

The Terms of Service change comes around one year after Spotify revealed that around 2 million of its free users were accessing music while blocking advertisements, putting a dent in its potential revenue. Of course, users who want to utilize Spotify but hate advertisements can simply pay for a monthly Premium subscription.