Youtube video uploads rejected before API quota limit reached

Question

The API quota for my project was successfully increased to 4M through the application process. This is confirmed in the details for the quota via the Google Developer console quota page for the enabled API.

Videos are, however, being rejected with this message after just the standard 50 uploads with this message:

Task 310: Upload failed. Exception: HttpError 400 "The user has exceeded the number of videos they may upload."

Here is an example of a successfully published video.

Thousands of videos are waiting in the queue from an event that finished days ago. Several people from Google have been trying to help but this morning I was asked to post on Stack Overflow.

Bulldoze

Please don't ask for urgency here. I appreciate it is urgent to you, but nevertheless, nearly everyone is a volunteer here, and they will help at their leisure. This sounds like it is a support issue anyway. – Pessa

Frankly I'm sad to have to be here for what is obviously a support request and SO should not be used like this but our Google rep directed me here with the note that their Engineers monitor these keywords. I don't want to bother the volunteer community full stop thanks, especially given our client's ad spend – Bulldoze

Your client's ad spend is not relevant here, since Stack Overflow is not commercially connected to Google or YouTube, and neither are the volunteers here. Questions that volunteers can answer are very welcome, and are not a bother at all, but again, we do not do urgency. Google has misdirected you, as far as I can tell (this sort of thing is discussed a lot here, such as this question - I expect there'd be one for Google/YouTube as well). – Pessa

I've asked Stack Overflow if a member of staff would talk to Google to reduce the amount of wild-goose chases that YT send people on. It probably won't help with your immediate need, but if we can reduce companies trying to use volunteers as a first-line tech support, that may aid struggling customers! – Pessa

(Ah, I think you mentioned ad spend because Google should be helping you, rather than because readers here should. I think I misunderstood you, I agree, and apologies). – Pessa

Hi Richard. A user here has a YouTube quota issue, which may be the same as yours; are you able to comment over there? – Pessa

This is a relatively new behavior, I was bitten by it as well. It seems YouTube/Google has no intention to change it: issuetracker.google.com/issues/35919708#comment10 – Poikilothermic

@RichRoss One year now, Do you have any solution for this? – Beamer

As of today I received this error after uploading 100 videos. – Handyman

Answer 1

badRequest (400) uploadLimitExceeded The user has exceeded the number of videos they may upload.

This isn't a project based quota which would have been upgraded. This is a user based quota which can not be upgraded. It means that the user in question has exceed their upload limit for the day. The YouTube API has a slightly different quota system than other Google APIs. The ones listed in developer console are just the general ones. You should check calculating quota usage

• 200,000 read operations that each retrieve two resource parts.
• 10,000 write operations and 90,000 additional read operations that each retrieve two resource parts.
• 400 video uploads, 1500 write operations, and 50,000 read operations that each retrieve two resource parts.

This quota should reset at midnight West Coast USA time. It sounds strange to me that you are seeing this after only 50 videos. I am not all that sure what denotes a user; it could be IP address or the authenticated user.

Videos: insert
Quota impact: A call to this method has a quota cost of 1600 units in addition to the costs of the specified resource parts.

Apprise

Thanks DalmTo, appreciate the quick response. I fail to see the point of a lengthy application for quota extension that can't be used... – Bulldoze

The extension you are getting is request based it has nothing to do with the quota you are given. "Projects that enable the YouTube Data API have a default quota allocation of 1 million units per day, an amount sufficient for the overwhelming majority of our API users." That doesn't change that a single user can only upload so many videos in one day. Again to my knowledge the YouTube API is the only Google API currently to have this cost based quota system. – Apprise

There is a new 50 upload limit then 1 every 15 minutes from there until the day resets – Bulldoze

Sadly if you are intending to upload all these videos to the same channel there is no way to "hack" it and trick it that its a different user. – Apprise

No worries, thanks for the efforts! I've passed the query about the 'user' quota back to our Google rep... Will see where I get directed next :) – Bulldoze

I would Love to hear what they have to say :) – Apprise

@RichardRoss Have you got a link to confirm that? The documentation hasn't been updated which is unlike Google. – Gazpacho

I have an email out to Google looking for conformation. – Apprise

@DaImTo did you hear back from Google regarding this issue? – Triphthong

Their opinion was nothing has changed which means it's either always been like this or it's a stealth change – Apprise

Answer 2

So Google support got back with a note saying that we'll just have to wait for the quota refresh... I can't even see any difference from the 'increased upload' capacity and the limit does seem to be 50 (roughly at least). I've asked them how long the anti-spam upload freeze actually is but I'll carry on breathing whilst I wait for that puppy.

Special thanks for help from DalmTo and halfer though.

Message from Google Support:

I have enabled "Increased upload" capacity for your channel. Please re-login to your account and check if all works fine.

We don't have any 50 videos per day limit anymore tell the truth, but we have antispam algorithms which may temporary suspend your Upload function.

This algorithm is confidential, so I can not discuss this feature in details. If you can not upload videos you should just wait I am afraid. But I hope "Increased upload" will help.

Bulldoze

May I ask how did you contact Google support? I have a similar problem but I cannot find a way to reach them for help. – Bowl

Randomly the email is: [email protected]. The Ford team at my company have just succeeded in having the limit lifted and I am in touch with their Google contact to have the same applied to our channel and I will let you know the process. Please hold caller – Bulldoze

@RichRoss Sorry for the old ping, but can you provide any more details on the process? We're hitting this limit for an enterprise customer as well. – Perforated