YouTube is age-restricting Kodi videos as being inappropriate for young viewers

Posted by Elias Saba on — 13 Comments

It appears that YouTube has it out for videos about Kodi, the streaming media player software. Earlier this week, I randomly received a notice from YouTube that they’ve just now determined my 5-year-old video about sideloading Kodi on a Fire TV is against their community guidelines and must be age-restricted for viewers that are under 18 years old. I assumed it was a mistake and appealed the decision, but the appeal was denied. Overnight, my 4-year-old video about a custom Kodi boot animation on a Fire TV was also age-restricted. Given that this second video shows nothing more than a Fire TV restarting and displaying an animated Kodi logo, it seems that YouTube is on the attack against videos that are even remotely related to Kodi. Read more ›

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Amazon Echo Shows are appearing as Casting Receivers for YouTube on mobile phones

Posted by Elias Saba on — 1 Comment

Amazon Echo Show devices are appearing as casting receivers in the YouTube app for Android, as pointed out to me by an AFTVnews reader. Sure enough, when tapping the cast icon on my phone, both my 1st-gen and 2nd-gen Echo Shows are listed as cast points, alongside my Fire TV devices. Apart from a bit of a loophole, that has since been closed, YouTube apps and Echo Shows have not had any casting interaction in the past. Unfortunately, even though Echo Shows are listed as valid casting receivers, selecting one does not actually work. Read more ›

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YouTube Kids app by Google is now available on Amazon Fire TV devices

Posted by Elias Saba on — 4 Comments

Back when Amazon and Google announced that an official YouTube app would finally come to Fire TV devices, they also said a YouTube Kids app would arrive as well. That day has come because a YouTube Kids app has just arrived for Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Edition devices. The app appears to be compatible with all Fire TV models, all the way back to the first 2014 Fire TV and Fire TV Stick. Google says YouTube Kids is “a safer online experience for kids.” The app limits access to YouTUbe videos to those that “a mix of automated filters built by our engineering teams, human review, and feedback from parents” have deemed to be family-friendly. Read more ›

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Official YouTube and YouTube TV apps from Google are coming to Amazon Fire TV devices

Posted by Elias Saba on — 34 Comments

Amazon and Google have just jointly announced that an official YouTube and YouTube TV app will be coming to Amazon Fire TV devices and Fire TV Edition televisions later this year. Additionally, Amazon Prime Video will be coming to Android TV devices and Chromecasts. The long disagreement between the two companies that has kept their services apart seems to finally be coming to an end. Read more ›

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You can now switch which default browser you use for YouTube directly from the Fire TV settings menu

Posted by Elias Saba on — 16 Comments

A new option to select your default browser has been added to the Fire TV’s settings menu with the new 5.2.6.9 and 6.2.6.0 software updates that are rolling out to all models. The new option, located at the bottom of the Preferences menu, allows you to change which browser is used when launching the YouTube shortcut app, without needing to clear the app’s data. Read more ›

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How to cast YouTube to the Amazon Echo Show from an iPhone or Android phone

Posted by Elias Saba on — 9 Comments

Now that the Amazon Echo Show has gained both Amazon Silk and Firefox browsers, it’s once again possible to watch YouTube videos on the device. Unfortunately, the mobile interface of YouTube that loads in these browsers isn’t exactly ideal for a device like the Echo Show. Thankfully, with just a little bit of initial setup, it’s possible to cast YouTube videos from mobile devices, like iPhones and Android phones, to the Echo Show. If you don’t mind using a phone to start and control videos, casting is a much better way to watch YouTube videos on the Echo Show. Here’s how to get it working. Read more ›

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Firefox and Silk Browser now let you control media playback by voice on Fire TVs — Works with YouTube

Posted by Elias Saba on — 3 Comments

In the most recent updates to Firefox and the Silk Browser, both apps have added support for media playback control by voice. This allows customers to use voice commands to play videos, pause videos, and more while watching something, like YouTube, in a web browser on a Fire TV device. Read more ›

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YouTube app for Fire TV now immediately loads YouTube — Just like before Google’s ban

Posted by Elias Saba on — 28 Comments

Amazon has updated the YouTube app for Fire TV devices to now remember whether you prefer to use the Silk or Firefox web browser. With the updated app, once you’ve selected one of the two browser choices, all subsequent launches of the YouTube app will automatically load YouTube in your prefered browser without you needing to select a browser each time. This makes the YouTube experience on Fire TV devices exactly how it used to be before Google threatened to block YouTube. Read more ›

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Silk Browser for Fire TV updated with support for 4K YouTube

Posted by Elias Saba on — 10 Comments

Amazon has updated the Silk Browser for Fire TV devices to support 4K video playback on YouTube. The new update, carrying version number 68.2.6.3440.85.30, is starting to roll, but the new version appears to only be rolling out to select devices, as it’s not yet available to all Fire TV models. Read more ›

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YouTube Red is becoming YouTube Premium and increasing in price by $2 per month

Posted by Elias Saba on — 25 Comments

Google has announced that YouTube Red, their $9.99 per month subscription service for YouTube which also comes with access to Google Play Music, is breaking up into two new services: YouTube Music and YouTube Premium. YouTube Music is a music streaming service that will be available for free with ads or for $9.99 per month without ads. YouTube Premium will be $11.99 and includes YouTube Music plus the same perks of YouTube Red. Read more ›

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