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Amazon's YouTube Workaround on Fire TV Works Just Fine (geekwire.com)

Posted by msmash on from the check-mate dept.

Last month, a notification that YouTube would no longer be available through Fire TV and Fire TV Stick devices starting Jan. 1 popped up, threatening to leave a huge hole in Amazon's streaming lineup. But just last week, Amazon added the ability to surf the web and get to YouTube via a browser. But does it work? GeekWire thinks so: The result is a simple path to YouTube, circumventing Google's move to pull it from Fire TV. Web browsing probably wasn't a direct response to Amazon's issues with Google, which owns YouTube, but it provides a convenient alternative to keep the service accessible for Fire TV users. The first step is downloading one or both of the web browsers. Opening Firefox leads to this home screen with easy access tiles to both Google and YouTube. On Silk, the home screen defaults to Bing search. But as I poked around, I noticed that YouTube for TV showed up in my bookmarks even though this was the first time I opened the browser. A YouTube interface optimized for TV, the same one you would see on other streaming devices, pops up on both browsers. To sign in, YouTube prompted me to activate YouTube for TV through a phone or computer. Once that process was complete, YouTube showed the same personalized recommendations as my phone and computer.

36 of 64 comments (clear)

  1. Re:thanks by Kenja · · Score: 2

    thanks for the review. I am excited that I have to open a browser now instead of just an app. I cannot believe how efficient it is!

    It's one extra click, you'll live. And bad news, odds are the app was just a wrapper for a web browser anyhow.

    --

    "Have you ever thought about just turning off the TV, sitting down with your kids, and hitting them?"
  2. YouTube casting by aicrules · · Score: 2, Interesting

    While it may not be a huge deal, YouTube casting to Fire TV/stick doesn't work with this method. It was something I used, but now I can't. Wish I could, but not going to cry about it.

    1. Re:YouTube casting by sobachatina · · Score: 1

      Yeah, I wish Amazon would cast to my Chromecast. But they don't.

      I'm sad and wish Amazon hadn't starting this petty fight.

  3. For Now... by Frosty+Piss · · Score: 1

    It works "OK" for now, but it will be no problem for Google to deploy another block. Amazon needs to work something out with Google, otherwise this just keeps going: Fix->Block->Fix->Block and so on...

    --
    If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
    1. Re:For Now... by Tailhook · · Score: 1, Troll

      Fix->Block->Fix->Block

      Pretty hard to support the arguments of Google et al. re Net Neutrality while this kind of nasty shit is going on. I fully appreciate the fine distinctions, but I also know explaining these subtleties to normals is nigh on impossible. At the end of the day it has every appearance of being just another bunch of corporate rent seekers squabbling with each other, none more obviously noble than the others, and safely ensconced in that stink the Senators from Comcast can back Comcast's FCC chairman with a straight face.

      --
      Maw! Fire up the karma burner!
    2. Re:For Now... by 91degrees · · Score: 1

      Blocking it would be abuse of monopoly though. Not supporting an app is legal - no company is expected to make an active effort to support every platform - but actively preventing another company's products from working would be illegal.

    3. Re:For Now... by butchersong · · Score: 1

      I doubt Google will actively block anything. This whole mess is on Amazon as far as I'm concerned though so I'm not super concerned. They started this and Google has just been reacting to each new dick decision from them.

    4. Re:For Now... by magzteel · · Score: 1

      It works "OK" for now, but it will be no problem for Google to deploy another block. Amazon needs to work something out with Google, otherwise this just keeps going: Fix->Block->Fix->Block and so on...

      How do you block a web browser?

    5. Re:For Now... by stephanruby · · Score: 1

      Are users really complaining? I think you can already get Youtube on SamsungTV, SonyTV, LG TV, Chromecast, etc.

    6. Re:For Now... by squiggleslash · · Score: 1

      Given the type of workaround, where the user is using a plain old web browser, I really don't think Google are going to block it. It would be setting a precedent I don't think they'd want to set. It's one thing to block custom apps they have little control over, quite another to ban access via the standard, supported, way of accessing their content.

      They're pissed at Amazon, sure, but even non-cooperation has its limits.

      --
      You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
    7. Re:For Now... by GWXerog · · Score: 1

      Amazon has for the longest time blocked the mobile browser(s) on Non-Kindle Android tablets from watching any of their Prime content. They made you go download the App, which then told you to go buy a Kindle. Amazon started this and they deserve it IMO

    8. Re:For Now... by d0rp · · Score: 1

      How do you block a web browser?

      Refuse connections that include the user-agent string of the device that you are trying to block.

      But of course that only works if the browser "properly" sets it's user-agent. You could just then change your user-agent to report itself as a windows computer and then there's nothing they can do (assuming they don't want to block all windows computers from accessing YouTube).

    9. Re:For Now... by magzteel · · Score: 1

      How do you block a web browser?

      Refuse connections that include the user-agent string of the device that you are trying to block.

      But of course that only works if the browser "properly" sets it's user-agent. You could just then change your user-agent to report itself as a windows computer and then there's nothing they can do (assuming they don't want to block all windows computers from accessing YouTube).

      Exactly. It is very common to spoof the user-agent

    10. Re:For Now... by tepples · · Score: 1

      Chromecast doesn't have any apps on it (besides the wallpaper). You have to use some other device to cast to it. While that is a nearly useless difference to many people, it's huge to someone that doesn't have a smartphone nor ipad nor android tablet (but does have a computer in another room, and a Fire tablet).

      Then install Google Chrome on the computer and cast from that. Why else would it be called a Chromecast?

    11. Re:For Now... by zabbey · · Score: 1

      Years ago I remember watching hulu in the ps3's browser just fine and then one day hulu's website claimed it no longer worked in the ps3's browser. So I wrote a website that scraped all the direct links from hulu and accessed that page on the ps3's browser. Videos worked fine. Until hulu realized people were doing this, then they had the flash player check the useragent and all of sudden the videos were gone. I don't recall any antitrust lawsuits resulting from their actions.

    12. Re:For Now... by 91degrees · · Score: 1

      YouTube's market share is massive. Hulu has never had more than about 3%. You need a monopoly before anti-monopoly laws come into play.

    13. Re:For Now... by JackieBrown · · Score: 1

      Pretty hard to support the arguments of Google et al. re Net Neutrality while this kind of nasty shit is going on. I fully appreciate the fine distinctions

      They want to be the only ones (not the ISP) preventing you from using their service. I know you get the difference and agree that it feels very hypocritical on Google's part.

      On the flip side, it helps Google's push for net neutrality from people who don't understand the issue
      https://slashdot.org/comments....

  4. Re: thanks by wardrich86 · · Score: 1

    YouTube weighs in at 80MB that can't be removed from the Android image

    Anything is removable if you're rooted!

  5. Re:Here's Another Workaround by MachineShedFred · · Score: 1

    Yeah, spend shedloads more money and add complexity because Google and Amazon are in an anticompetitive pissing match. That'll show 'em, especially if you buy all your small, cheap, media PC parts from Amazon!

    --
    Slashdot still doesnâ(TM)t support Unicode after it was added to the HTML standard in 1997.
  6. Re:thanks by cayenne8 · · Score: 1
    Actually, I clicked the old YouTube app....it took me to the browser download links.

    I installed both browsers, I still click the YouTube app and then choose which browser and it works.

    I tried with FireFox and it locked up my FireTV box....but Silk seems to run ok.

    --
    Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
  7. Enough was Enough by CrashNBrn · · Score: 1

    When Amazon force updated YouTube on the FireStick ahead of the Jan.01st deadline, and interrupted YouTube that was already playing.
    We went to Best Buy the next day and replaced all the Amazon Sticks with Roku's. Everything about the Roku is just plain better.

    1. Re:Enough was Enough by eliphalet · · Score: 1

      Still waiting for Prime Video to support ChromeCast.

    2. Re:Enough was Enough by ArhcAngel · · Score: 1

      But have you tried the new Prime Video for Android TV? OH wait, not compatible with ANY of your devices...damn.

      --
      "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." - K
    3. Re:Enough was Enough by reboot246 · · Score: 1

      I have Roku and Fire TV. Each is better in its own way. Fire TV is faster and smoother and plays better games. Roku has tons more "channels" + YouTube. I can switch back and forth between them.

      They're cheap enough. Just get both.

    4. Re:Enough was Enough by squiggleslash · · Score: 1

      Try a newer Roku. I bought a Roku stick two years ago, and loved it, but certain applications seemed to be ridiculously slow, and others, such as Netflix, started off OK but just became unusable over time.

      So we bought a newer standalone Roku, a Roku Premiere+ (sadly discontinued but I'm sure you can find the current equivalent on their site), and it was like night and day. The responsiveness is perfect now. Plus this model you can connect to the Internet using Ethernet rather than Wi-fi (less interference, and using powerline ethernet you don't have much extra wiring.)

      I have to admit to finding the improvement in speed absurd, the user interfaces aren't that complex, a Commodore Amiga should be able to render them quickly, but I suspect they're written in Javascript and HTML, using 17 layers of frameworks, all probably by contractors who have never heard of "for()" loops and have no idea why they'd want to use one...

      --
      You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
    5. Re:Enough was Enough by reboot246 · · Score: 1

      I have a Roku Premiere +. It's much better than the original Roku I owned years ago, but it's still not as good with games as Fire TV is. Roku's YouTube interface is a little clunky but works great.

  8. DOS ain't done until Lotus won't run! by Thud457 · · Score: 1

    Youtube ain't done until Fire won't run!


    The land was stalked by monsters back in those days...

    --

    the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

  9. Re:i don't think.... by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

    I'm pretty sure msmash knows what "Just Fine" means.

    You, on the other hand, should give us a definition of what "Jut Fine" actually means.

    --
    #DeleteFacebook
  10. Re:Breaking News by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

    I'm pretty sure they're seeing the "TV version" of YouTube, similar to the differences when viewing youtube.com on a smartphone, a tablet or a laptop/desktop computer.

    --
    #DeleteFacebook
  11. Re:Here's Another Workaround by 91degrees · · Score: 1

    A fire stick is $39.99, comes with a remote, and works out of the box with minimal configuration required. It's small enough to be easily hidden behind the TV, or reasonably unobtrusive coming out of side port.

    And people who want one already have one.

  12. I hope this upgrade comes to Android too by JMZero · · Score: 1

    I never open the Youtube app, and only end up on Youtube through a link.

    And I never want to open random links to Youtube (or Twitter or Facebook - or any of the preloaded apps I can't remove) with some dumb special app - the browser version is fine, doesn't force me to log in, and stays in its tab where I put it.

    Hopefully Google gets in some fight with everyone else (and, uh, itself) so that all this garbage stays in browser tabs where it belongs.

    --
    Let's not stir that bag of worms...
  13. How about screwing with the browser ID by guruevi · · Score: 1

    If Amazon just spoofed its user agent, it wouldnâ(TM)t have such trouble. The Fire is just an Android system, there are plenty of YouTube apps for Android.

    --
    Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com
  14. Re:Here's Another Workaround by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

    It doesn't have enough RAM, and Amazon has actually made it use more memory in updates. For example, if you let the screensaver display more than just a few images, whatever you were actually running gets kicked out of memory. Whether this is the Youtube app (well, was) or Firefox, you wind up having to wait for it to totally reload before you can get back to watching things. And since Youtube loves to shuffle recommendations, whatever you were planning to watch has probably vanished.

    The Fire TV stick is shit. The only good thing about is the remote.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  15. Re:Here's Another Workaround by 91degrees · · Score: 1

    It may well be. But it's not shit enough to justify buying a media PC to replace it just because it no longer supports youTube.

  16. Re:Here's Another Workaround by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

    It may well be. But it's not shit enough to justify buying a media PC to replace it just because it no longer supports youTube.

    If what you do is mostly watch Youtube, I disagree, at least in part. I wouldn't buy a "media PC", but I might well buy another STB or stick. Preferably one that is less shite. If Amazon works on it these days, I might be better off actually going back to my MK908.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  17. YouTube still works fine. by jdharm · · Score: 1

    The YouTube app on my FireTV Stick Gen2 still works fine. I get a popup saying it won't work on 1/1/2018 but I just OK out of the popup and keep going as normal.

    I did try the FireFox/YouTube combo on the Stick and it as nearly indistinguishable from the app.