What's New in SBlock 2.0.1 and SBlock YouTube 0.2.3

The two updates at a glance

• SBlock 2.0.1: a redesigned main popup, clearer website and page controls, Basic and Super Block modes, Today and Lifetime statistics, timed protection pauses, improved Element Remover guidance, and direct coordination with SBlock YouTube.
• SBlock YouTube 0.2.3: a refined YouTube-focused popup, continuously refreshed watch-limit information, a redesigned Daily Limit warning, more predictable settings updates, and fixes for daily-limit counting, slow network requests, and channel detection.

Both releases began reaching Chrome profiles on September 29, 2026. Chrome can roll out extension updates at different times, so two devices may briefly show different versions.

What is new in the SBlock 2.0.1 interface

SBlock 2.0.1 replaces the previous popup layout with a more structured control center. The most important information appears first: whether protection is active, which website is open, what is enabled for that website and page, and how much SBlock has blocked.

The redesigned popup includes:

• Clear website and page controls. The popup separates the setting for the whole domain from a page-specific override, making the scope of each change easier to understand.
• Basic and Super Block modes. The mode switch is now presented as a prominent two-option control instead of being buried among smaller settings.
• Today and Lifetime statistics. Users can switch between current-day and lifetime ad counts and see the active website beside the result.
• Time, data, and loading estimates. The statistics area presents time saved, data saved, and estimated loading improvement in separate cards.
• Timed pause controls. Protection can be paused for one hour, 24 hours, seven days, or until it is turned back on. A countdown shows when a timed pause will end.
• Light and dark themes. The refreshed visual system supports both appearances using the same layout and controls.
• Better status screens. Loading, startup failure, unsupported browser pages, and paused protection now have dedicated messages and recovery actions.

The result is not just a visual reskin. The new layout is intended to make the current state visible before a user changes anything, reducing uncertainty about whether a choice applies to one page, one website, or the whole extension.

Element Remover and protection controls are easier to follow

The Element Remover has been rebuilt around a clearer pick, preview, and save flow. It now explains that the selected element is hidden during preview, shows how many saved selectors exist for the website, and provides a direct reset action when those saved choices are no longer needed.

Separate switches remain available for supported local-language ad rules, tracker filtering, cookie consent popups, and social widgets. Their labels have also been rewritten for consistency, including clearer wording for tracker and cookie-popup controls.

If you already use manual removal, the update does not turn every saved choice into a universal rule. Element choices remain tied to the relevant website. Our Element Remover guide explains how to select, preview, save, and reset those choices.

SBlock now hands YouTube protection to the correct product

The recent SBlock releases improved how the two extensions recognize each other. When SBlock YouTube is installed, regular SBlock can detect it, avoid loading its own YouTube script for the same tab, and show that YouTube is being managed by SBlock YouTube.

This reduces duplicate work and makes the product boundary visible inside the interface. On YouTube and YouTube Music, use SBlock YouTube. On other supported websites, continue using regular SBlock.

SBlock 1.7.20 laid the groundwork for this handoff. That release also moved SBlock links to sblock.ch, refreshed blocking rules, added handling for ads in YouTube search results, improved detection of the separate extension, and removed an invalid script argument. Version 2.0.1 brings those changes into the redesigned interface and updated rules package.

What is new in SBlock YouTube 0.2.3

SBlock YouTube 0.2.3 is the current dedicated build for YouTube and YouTube Music. Its interface is organized around Home, Focus, Statistics, and Settings rather than copying the regular SBlock popup.

The current YouTube interface brings together:

• Global and channel controls. Protection can stay enabled across YouTube while being changed for an individual detected channel.
• Focus Mode. Controls can hide Shorts, homepage recommendations, irrelevant search results, comments, live chat, recommended videos, end-screen suggestions, and Playables.
• Daily Limit. Users can choose a watch-time limit, warnings, blocking behavior, and the optional Force Block setting.
• Statistics. The popup separates ads blocked, time saved, estimated money saved, and the selected reporting period.
• YouTube Music support. Protection and supported controls apply to both YouTube and YouTube Music.
• Settings and reporting. Language, statistics reset, preference reset, changelog, privacy, and issue reporting are available from the dedicated settings area.

The Daily Limit screen also has a refreshed visual state for warnings and blocks. Watched-time information refreshes while the popup is open, so the remaining-time display does not depend on reopening the extension.

SBlock YouTube fixes included in the recent versions

The 0.2.x updates include several fixes aimed at making the interface and time controls more predictable:

• Daily Limit usage now refreshes in the popup on a regular interval.
• Watch-time counting stops once the configured limit has been reached instead of continuing to advance behind the blocked state.
• Network requests now use a timeout so a slow or unavailable service cannot wait indefinitely.
• Channel detection failures are handled without breaking the rest of the popup.
• Settings updates use a centralized refresh path so the visible controls stay aligned with stored settings.
• The Daily Limit warning and blocked states have clearer visual feedback and separate messages.
• Icons, localized messages, and interface spacing were refreshed across supported languages.

The earlier 0.1.1 release also added Playables to Focus Mode, expanded search-ad and DoubleClick coverage, rebuilt statistics tracking, made settings updates more reliable, restricted external extension messaging to regular SBlock, removed an unused permission, corrected the order of Focus Mode controls, and fixed the expiration time used by Today statistics.

What the first SBlock YouTube releases established

Version 0.1.0 introduced the foundation that the 0.2.x line continues to refine: live service status, blocking statistics, a dedicated Settings page, channel allowlisting, Focus Mode, YouTube Music support, maintenance and network messages, conflict detection for other blockers, localized translations, and automatic detection of YouTube and YouTube Music pages.

That release also fixed several early interface issues, including language-menu colors and closing behavior, lifetime money-saved calculations, conflicting-blocker controls, and missing information on some channels with multiple owners. Version 0.1.1 then focused on statistics, settings reliability, search protection, and layout consistency.

Together, these releases explain why 0.2.3 is more than a visual update. The current build combines the new interface with fixes accumulated across the first public versions.

AI Segmenter is still coming soon

The AI Segmenter is not part of the released feature set yet. Sponsor, intro, outro, self-promotion, subscribe-reminder, and recap detection remain planned features. The interface may show an AI Segmenter preview or “Coming soon” state, but this article does not present automatic AI segment detection as currently available.

Available features such as Focus Mode, Daily Limit, channel controls, statistics, and supported ad protection do not depend on the future AI Segmenter release.

How to check which version you have

1. Open Chrome's Extensions menu and choose Manage extensions.
2. Open Details for SBlock or SBlock YouTube.
3. Confirm the product name and version. The target builds in this roundup are SBlock 2.0.1 and SBlock YouTube 0.2.3.
4. If Chrome has not updated yet, keep the extension enabled, close and reopen Chrome, and check again later. Rollouts can reach profiles at different times.

Use only the official listings. Install regular SBlock for other supported websites and SBlock YouTube for YouTube and YouTube Music. Google's extension-management guide explains how to review installed extensions and their site access.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need both SBlock extensions?

Install regular SBlock for other supported websites. Add SBlock YouTube if you also want the dedicated YouTube and YouTube Music interface and controls. The products coordinate, but they are not the same extension.

Why does another Chrome profile show an older version?

Chrome may deliver an extension rollout to profiles at different times. Check the exact product in Manage extensions and allow time for the official Web Store update to reach that profile.

Will my existing settings remain after the update?

The extensions are designed to update in place. After a large interface change, review your website, page, channel, Focus Mode, and Daily Limit choices so you know which controls are active. If something looks wrong, change one setting at a time and report the exact version.

Does SBlock YouTube 0.2.3 include AI Segmenter?

No. AI Segmenter is still coming soon. Current features include supported ad protection, Focus Mode, Daily Limit, channel controls, statistics, and YouTube Music support.