Amazon & Google mend fences, bring YouTube back to Fire TV streamers

Amazon and Google on Thursday announced plans to bury a long-standing feud, the main consequence being the return of YouTube to Amazon's Fire TV platform.

An updated YouTube app, coming soon, will enable 4K and/or 60fps video on compatible Fire TV streamers along with Alexa voice search. Arriving later in 2019 will be separate apps for YouTube TV and YouTube Kids.

On its end, Amazon is promising to finally support Chromecast and Google Cast devices in the Prime Video app. Though the app already works with AirPlay and the Apple TV, Chromecasts are far cheaper than an Apple TV, and many televisions now have built-in Cast compatibility. Native AirPlay is only beginning to roll out through brands like LG and Vizio.

Google originally pulled its YouTube client from Fire TV devices in early 2018, after it couldn't persuade Amazon to carry competing products like the Chromecast or Google Home. This forced Fire TV owners to take a detour to YouTube via the Web.

Amazon finally resumed selling Chromecasts towards the end of 2018. It still doesn't sell any Google Home speakers, presumably because it feels these would be a threat to the Echo lineup.

Indeed something unresolved is the absence of YouTube on the Echo Show and Spot. The service was pulled from the Show even before the same happened on Fire TV devices, allegedly because the Show offered a "broken user experience."

Separately, Apple Music is now available on a wide variety of Echo and Fire products, if only in a few countries.

8 Comments

gatorguy 13 Years · 24627 comments

About 5 years ago

That's going to be welcome news for many Fire TV owners, my daughter and son-in-law being two of them. They love YouTube

Just Johnny 6 Years · 2 comments

Yeah can’t watch YouTube on show because of advertising is blocked

22july2013 11 Years · 3736 comments

I'm likely an idiot, but I can't figure out why anyone would buy a special purpose device like a game device or a TV streaming device when a general purpose device like a real computer can do pretty much everything a special purpose device can do. Extra devices mean more hardware to support, more software licenses to purchase and maintain, more wires to plug in, more electricity to use, more companies to submit my email address to, and just more grief that I don't want. Even worse, my ISPs contact me (like they did today) to try to get me to *rent* boxes to watch programs on. Rent! And those boxes remove my ability to modify the recorded programs later, just for example, maybe I want to make a GIF or JPG of my favourite TV actor to be my Avatar for some website. I can't do it with their hardware. People want to take my money on a monthly basis to remove my ability to do what I can already do with my general purpose computer.

coolfactor 20 Years · 2342 comments

22july2013 said:

I'm likely an idiot, but I can't figure out why anyone would buy a special purpose device like a game device or a TV streaming device when a general purpose device like a real computer can do pretty much everything a special purpose device can do. Extra devices mean more hardware to support, more software licenses to purchase and maintain, more wires to plug in, more electricity to use, more companies to submit my email address to, and just more grief that I don't want. Even worse, my ISPs contact me (like they did today) to try to get me to *rent* boxes to watch programs on. Rent! And those boxes remove my ability to modify the recorded programs later, just for example, maybe I want to make a GIF or JPG of my favourite TV actor to be my Avatar for some website. I can't do it with their hardware. People want to take my money on a monthly basis to remove my ability to do what I can already do with my general purpose computer.

You are not dumb, you are just blind. :D If a computer is the right device for you, then that's great! Keep buying computers. But for many people, myself included, if I want to throw Netflix up on the big screen, doing so from a computer is more complicated than it needs to be, an Apple TV does the task perfectly.

It's about purposeful devices. Same reason that we have separate fridges, freezers, stovetops, oven, microwaves, toasters, dish washers, clothes washes and dryers. I'm sure you have each of these, and nobody is trying to force you to make toast in the dishwasher. So you can relax about it now. Breathe, and repeat after me: "I am in control of my spending". ;)

glynh 12 Years · 133 comments

Amazon and Google mending fences?

Fingers crossed for my Nest Hello Doorbell to be announced on Amazon Alexa shortly then!

Odd that I can view I’ve video streams from my Nest Cam IQ’s on Alexa Shows & Spots but it wont notify me when the doorbell rings...