Google has announced that they are adding access to YouTube TV through the standard YouTube app. This allows them to, essentially, get around Roku’s removal of the YouTube TV app since the YouTube app is still accessible on Roku devices. At the bottom of the YouTube app’s left-side navigation menu will soon be a button “Go to YouTube TV” button. Read more ›
Roku has dropped YouTube TV from its channel store, making it impossible to install the service on any Roku device. This is due to a dispute between Roku and Google regarding the terms of their contract renewal which the two companies have not been able to agree on. Roku has chosen not to remove the YouTube TV app from devices that already have it installed, but they warn customers that there is no way to reinstall the app, should they choose to uninstall it or reset their Roku device. Read more ›
Roku and Google are currently in a dispute which may result in the YouTube TV app being removed from Roku devices. At the core of this dispute are features that Google wants Roku devices to support. Neither company is being overtly specific about the features in question but Roku says they “harm users” and are “anticompetitive,” while Google says the features “ensure a high-quality and consistent experience for our viewers.” The more we learn about these requested features, the more it seems like Amazon’s Fire TV devices already support them, and rightfully so. Read more ›
Another month, another dispute between streaming services and streaming hardware manufacturers. This time it’s between Roku and Google over the presence of YouTube TV and YouTube app on Roku devices. It looks like the agreement between the two companies is up for renewal shortly and negotiations “have broken down,” according to an email Roku sent to its customers in hopes of garnering support that they can leverage against Google. Read more ›
Many Fire TV owners are reporting that the “Subscription” and “Library” tabs in the navigation menu of the YouTube app have suddenly gone missing. The same thing is happening on Rokus, LG and Samsung smart TVs, Xbox and Playstation gaming consoles, and other TV platforms, so the issue is widespread and not restricted to Fire TVs and Fire TV Sticks. Some have had success in restoring the missing tabs by logging out or switching accounts, but there doesn’t seem to be a definitive fix for the issue. Read more ›
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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
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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