Videos not reliably loading for UK YouTube users

[EvilBadger]

Type

Error at runtime

Bug description

When trying to watch YouTube videos in the UK ~1/4 of the videos I try and play get stuck "loading" / "buffering" indefinitely and will never start playing on their own.
You can work around this buy skipping to the end of the video then using replay to restart playback which will start immediately. You can also use a VPN to load videos while connected to US server.

Steps to reproduce

1. Live in the UK / connect to UK VPN server
2. Try playing multiple videos
3. Video will get stuck loading

Relevant log output

N/A

Screenshots or videos

No response

Solution

You can work around this buy skipping to the end of the video then using replay to restart playback which will start immediately. You can also use a VPN to load videos while connected to US server.

Additional context

This issue seems to have started to occur when YouTube UK started to block my old vanced app telling me I needed to upgrade the app to play videos.

ReVanced/revanced-patches-template#2078 - Related bug that has been closed but issue remains.

Acknowledgements

• I have searched the existing issues and this is a new and no duplicate or related to another open issue.
• I have written a short but informative title.
• I filled out all of the requested information in this issue properly.

[MrMikeJJ]

I get this on all videos, not just a 1/4 of them. Also in the UK. I also use the work around, where i skip the video to the end and press repeat.

[BeefSteaker]

Closer to 75% of vids

[EvilBadger]

I wonder if this is related to which isp and then what YouTube server you hit as they are rolling out these changes?

swapping region using the VPN instantly fixes is but I'm going to imagine that will only work until YT do a full rollout of changes?

[MrMikeJJ]

Tried to narrow down the issue.
Software versions:
Android: 8
Youtube: 17.36.37
Vanced MicroG: 0.2.24.220220
Revanced Manager: 0.36
Revanced Patches: v2.85.2

Since i am non-root, i have to use the MicroG patch.
Using only that patch i had the issue.

Some maybe relevant observations:
If an Ad played at the start of the video, the rest of the video always played fine.
If an Ad didn't play at the start of the video, the problem seems to be a bit random. But you can tell it is going to happen if it stops loading the video. It will only play the first 10 seconds then start the infinite spinning. If you see another chunk of the video get loaded, it will be fine.
If you can see that it isn't loading any more video after the first 10 seconds and pause it at the 9 second mark, you can leave it a long time, and it still won't load any more of the video.

[oSumAtrIX]

The ad has nothing to do with the device. It is a regional A/B issue.

[TheMaskedAvengers]

I'm posting with data sincerely trying to help and it's being marked as spam - inaccurate and hurtful.

UK based. Same issue as stated in erroneously flagged messages. 90% videos affected. Fixed by VPN. Work around is close and restart videos.

Android 11. Nonroot with MicroG. Works with any non UK VPN endpoint.

Please don't flag this message as spam. It isnt. Trying to help the devs narrow this down and confirming there's an issue.

Can prob be reproduced by connecting via a UK VPN endpoint and trying the app I'd imagine.

[oSumAtrIX]

Your information is already posted on this issue and flagged as spam numerous times.

[oSumAtrIX]

Temporal fix with commit 7aa3bce.