YouTube is experiencing a strange error.

The image quality issue has left many users feeling like YouTube is returning to the early digital age of the 2000s. Photo: TechSpot .

In recent days, numerous users have reported that the video playback quality on YouTube is no longer as good as before. Many videos, especially YouTube Shorts, are displaying as blurry, pixelated images. The company has acknowledged the issue and is working to fix it, but the exact cause of the problem has not yet been determined.

The image quality issues have left many users feeling like YouTube is returning to the early digital age of the 2000s, according to TechSpot . Even with a strong internet connection, they are still watching videos in low quality. Some are struggling with 360p resolution, and even worse, 144p.

Those who try to increase video quality to 1080p can sometimes improve the situation. But many others experience persistently slow video loading. Some users report that YouTube is almost incapable of playing high-quality videos, no matter what they do.

On the Reddit forum, a user named FaisalFawzy asked: "What's going on with YouTube video quality?". He said that every time he opens a video or YouTube Shorts, the video always starts at an extremely poor resolution, only 144p, and the image is so pixelated that individual pixels are clearly visible.

Although he could manually adjust the resolution, he still felt this was an unusual bug he had never encountered before. However, after editing the post on March 23rd, he confirmed that the issue appeared to have been fixed by YouTube.

Another user named Strawberriowww shared a similar experience. "Am I the only one having quality issues?", he asked. He said that after the app automatically updated about an hour ago, all the videos and shorts he watched were downscaled to 144p or 240p.

Even when manually adjusting to 1080p, the video automatically reverts to a lower resolution after one minute. The user stated that his device and connection are perfectly capable of handling high-quality video, but YouTube forces it to display at a lower quality.

More concerning is that this issue isn't limited to a single platform. Users on Windows, iOS, iPadOS, and even Smart TVs have reported experiencing video quality issues. However, strangely, YouTube seems to work normally on Android devices.

Even Google doesn't really know what's happening with YouTube. On March 19th, the company confirmed the issue. They acknowledged that some users were experiencing reduced video resolution compared to normal. However, they didn't provide any further details beyond what users had already reported. Google stated they are working to fix the problem but didn't give a specific timeframe for when the platform would be stable again.

While Google is still struggling to find a solution, avid video viewers can consider several alternatives. As mentioned, YouTube still works normally on Android devices. So if you have a smartphone or tablet running Google's operating system, you can continue watching videos without any problems.

Additionally, while not quite on par with YouTube, other video platforms like Vimeo or Dailymotion can offer similar content. If you're really desperate, Facebook can also be an option, although nobody might be particularly enthusiastic about it. Twitch is also a decent alternative, especially for those who enjoy gaming content.

This video quality issue is just the latest in a series of frustrations YouTube users have faced recently. The platform has recently cracked down on ad blockers, forcing users to watch more ads. At the same time, YouTube has increased the price of its Premium plan, while offering a cheaper, virtually ad-free option.

It seems Google is gradually replicating the strategy of cable TV providers in the 1970s and 1980s. Initially, they attracted users with ad-free content, then gradually crammed ads into their paid service.