New updates are being added at the bottom of this story…….

Original story (published on January 10, 2022) follows:

A few months ago, YouTube decided to hide the number of dislikes on a video. The Google-owned online video sharing service was apparently testing the removal of dislike count since May last year.

And following the removal of the dislike count in November of 2021, many YouTube users started leaving a 1-star Play Store rating, which Google allegedly removed.

YouTube-dislike-extensions-stopped-working

Unsurprisingly, users resorted to third-party extensions like Return YouTube Dislike that enabled them to see the number of dislikes using YouTube’s API.

But Google shut the door on that workaround a couple of weeks later by updating their API allowing only content creators to access those stats.

And now, it looks like one of these third-party add-ons has been disabled. According to recent user reports, a recent Chrome update automatically disabled the Return YouTube Dislike extension.

Users are now wondering if there is a way to enable it again.

Chrome-update-disabled-Return-YouTube-Dislike-extension

I received a notification from Chrome that the RYD extension now needs my permission to allow it to “read and change” my data on all RYD websites. Is this dangerous? What should I do?
(Source)

The new Chrome update disabled the returnyoutubedislike extension, is there any way to fix this ?
(Source)

As it turns out, this is because of the extension now asking browsers to give access to Return YouTube Dislike’s own website. The issue seems to be reportedly affecting Firefox users as well.

This is due to the recent update. The extension now asks the browser to give it access to RYD’s own website. This is required for the new debug helper to work, the permissions were added to access https://returnyoutubedislike.com/debug ONLY. You can allow that permission, it’s recommended and safe to do so.
Also, Version 2.1.0.0 was asking for localhost permissions – and that was an error, it was immediatelly removed in 2.1.0.2, (can be seen here, https://github.com/Anarios/return-youtube-dislike/pull/415/files)
(Source)

Users can safely grant the permissions asked by the extension and use it once again.

We hope Google listens to its userbase and enables the dislike counter sometime in the near future. Or at least let them use the API that allows them to do so.

If and when they do, we will be updating this space to let you know so make sure you stay tuned. In the meantime, make sure to check out our dedicated YouTube bug tracker to see which issues are currently affecting users.

Update 1 (May 17, 2022)

05:03 pm (IST): Interested users can still check dislike counts using YouTube Redux extension. It is available on Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and Edge. Moreover, any other Chromium-based browser may also support this extension.

Update 2 (May 9, 2023)

08:36 am (IST): It seems that the latest Chrome update totally disabled the ‘Return YouTube Dislike’ extension. So, it’s not working anymore even after granting access to its website (1, 2).

Update 3 (May 10, 2023)

11:30 am (IST): A new extension update is available for the Chrome browser which addresses the issue. However, you need to uninstall the old version and install a new copy of the extension to make it work.

Update 4 (October 13, 2023)

09:40 am (IST): Users are reporting that the YouTube Dislike extension randomly stopped working again or has been disabled after the recent update. Support has replied saying that the dislikes on a video is now only available to creators in order to reduce targeted dislike attacks and its impact on creators.

Youtube Dislike Extension
u/Boukrarez/Reddit

Note: We have more such stories in our dedicated YouTube Section so be sure to follow them as well.

PiunikaWeb started as purely an investigative tech journalism website with main focus on ‘breaking’ or ‘exclusive’ news. In no time, our stories got picked up by the likes of Forbes, Foxnews, Gizmodo, TechCrunch, Engadget, The Verge, Macrumors, and many others. Want to know more about us? Head here.

Anurag Chawake
1373 Posts

My fascination with technology and computers goes back to the days of Windows XP. Since then, I have been tinkering with OS, mobile phones, and other things. When I am not working on anything, you will find me enjoying video games on some Discord server.

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