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Google ending YouTube support on older Apple TVs, iPhones, iPads, & iPod touches

<a href="http://9to5mac.com/2015/03/24/how-to-hide-rearrange-apple-tv-channels/" target="_blank">Apple TV 3 with Google’s new YouTube channel</a>

Google announced yesterday that it will be ending support for its YouTube Data API v2 used by older devices. For Apple users, this means the YouTube app will no longer work on iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches running iOS 6 or earlier; users instead will have to rely on the mobile web version of YouTube at m.youtube.com going forward.

The change also affects some Apple TV users, as only the current 3rd-generation 1080p Apple TV supports YouTube’s overhauled channel; prior-generation models will entirely lose access to YouTube…

Older Apple TVs including the similar 2nd-gen 720p model will no longer have access to the dedicated YouTube channel, as it relies on the older API to function. Google mentions that the YouTube channels for Apple TV 1 and Apple TV 2 are third-party apps (made by Apple) that they do not maintain.

If you’re stuck with an older Apple TV set-top box and rely on YouTube on your HDTV for entertainment, there are a few options to make sure the show goes on. Using an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iOS 7 or later, you can download the official YouTube app for free and AirPlay video from your iOS device to your Apple TV 2.

Similarly, you can pick up Google’s affordable Chromecast HDMI stick for $29.99 (reg. $35) and play content from YouTube right on your HDTV.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lB6gIroaizU]

If you want to stick with Apple’s hardware for watching YouTube videos on your TV, the 3rd-gen 1080p Apple TV recently dropped in price from $99 to $69 (currently $67.87 on Amazon) and features the new Google-made YouTube channel, which will continue to work for the foreseeable future.

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Comments

  1. Andrew Messenger - 9 years ago

    Why can’t Apple just push the updated YouTube app to my 2nd gen ATV? They pushed the HBO NOW app just fine.

    • chrisl84 - 9 years ago

      Thats only because HBO made their app compatible with ATV2G. Google isn’t make it compatible.

    • epicflyingcat - 9 years ago

      What wasn’t mentioned in this article is you can still cast youtube videos to your older Apple TV using the cast button in the YouTube app.

  2. bellevueboy - 9 years ago

    Just use YouTube from your newer device and AirPlay to older Apple TV.

  3. claytonkimball - 9 years ago

    I miss the lack of ads in the earlier YouTube app. I assume that’s part of the reason for ending support.

  4. Avenged110 - 9 years ago

    Does anyone know if this applies to the Apple-designed app from iOS that was removed in 6.0 beta 4? Because that’s what I use, but I would imagine that used a private API in the first place.

  5. Leif Paul Ashley - 9 years ago

    Wait for WWDC and get a new AppleTV :)

    • jimgramze - 9 years ago

      I’ve been waiting years for a new TV, having the 2nd gen when it first came out. We saw no compelling reason to get gen 3.

  6. businari - 9 years ago

    It’s just ridiculous. It’s easy when you are american, as the prices of gadgets are most fair in USA. But if you are a Brazilian, as I am – and we are Internet hard users – it’s totally unfair. Here a new iPhone costs around US$ 1.200,00. I think I’ll have to spend more time in the beach and traveling to the mountains. And giving a finger to all this unfair consumerism game.

    • I totally agree with you although i am from the UK and don’t really have the same problem as you have over in brazil, i can totally get where you are coming from…….Look on the bright side though at least you get some nice sunshine over there lol.

    • greginnj - 9 years ago

      Businari, you might not need to get a new iPhone. Up until a couple weeks ago I was using an iPhone 4 running iOS 5.1.1 because I thought iOS 7.1 would be too much for it. I finally upgrading to iOS 7.1 and it works okay and it wasn’t slow like I thought it would be. Give it a try.

      P.S. My iPhone 4’s screen died shortly afterward so I had to spend the money for a new phone, but it was almost four years old.

    • Biazzotto - 9 years ago

      I am Brazilian too, my Apple TV 2th generation doesn’t have Youtube anymore… I will not get other Apple TV, my next acquisition probably will be a new Chromecast or an Amazon Fire TV, if that works on Brazil…

  7. Bit of a bummer for those still using these older devices though

  8. Ario (@ArioYazdan) - 9 years ago

    Well it sucks, but there are options: AirPlay, New Apple TV, or a Chromecast (if you don’t want to spend $70 on a new ATV).

  9. Too bad – the old ad-free YouTube app was nice.

  10. Now you can throw away your perfectly good working device into that landfill and buy a new one!

  11. jimgramze - 9 years ago

    I don’t use my TV for YouTube.

  12. Collin (@breakingcollin) - 7 years ago

    Youtube will work on iOS 6.1.3! As long as you are using version 1.3 or lower! I happened to have had the iPA stored on and old hard drive. If you aren’t so lucky but would still like to run a dedicated app as opposed to using the web clipped version, you will have to be comfortable with using an application like ‘Charles’, which allows you to force the iTunes store on your computer into installing and older version of an app. There are numerous tutorials on youtube.

Author

Avatar for Zac Hall Zac Hall

Zac covers Apple news, hosts the 9to5Mac Happy Hour podcast, and created SpaceExplored.com.

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