Google is finally listening to the countless complaints of its users regarding intrusive ads. The search giant now has a new and improved ad-muting feature to make those unwanted ads go away.
The “Mute This Ad” feature is not exactly new and has been around for quite a while now. Introduced in 2012, the feature allows users to remove ads from specific overly enthusiastic advertisers from YouTube, Gmail, Maps and Search as long as you are signed into your Google account. However, the search giant is about to make the feature more responsive to your wishes.
The “Mute This Ad” tool will now work with any device that is logged on to a Google account. For instance, if you decided to mute a particular ad via your laptop, it will stay muted even when you log onto your Google account using a different device such as a smartphone.
Furthermore, you’ll start to notice the “Mute This Ad” feature pop up in more places than before. The company announced that the option will appear in more apps and websites outside of Google.
Of course, Google knows that we’ve been blocking or ignoring ads since ads were invented. In fact, a 2017 adblock report by PageFair revealed a not-so-surprising trend—people have been blocking ads more and more. In 2016, 11 percent of global internet users blocked ads, a 30 percent rise from the previous year. At the moment, there are 615 million devices worldwide that have installed various adblocking software.
Ads work if people care enough to watch them. Otherwise, it’s all pointless. And Google users have been particularly helpful in weaning out which ads work and which do not. In fact, the company received feedback from more than five billion users on why they decided to block specific ads.
[Featured image via Google]