The Amazon Echo Show now supports YouTube again. It was pulled in September because Google said so. Actually, it was more about Google saying that the way YouTube works on the device violates its terms of service and thus, creates a "broken user experience."
YouTube Is On Amazon Echo Show Again
Still, it's kind of an open secret that Amazon and Google aren't the best of friends. But things seem to have taken a positive turn. Nearly two months after the abrupt pull-down, Amazon Echo Show owners can now access YouTube again.
Aside from YouTube's comeback, Amazon is also expanding the Echo Show's video capabilities by adding other services such as Vimeo and Dailymotion. As per Amazon's statement, it's "excited to offer [Echo Show users] the capability to watch even more video content from sources such as Vimeo, YouTube, and Dailymotion," and that more video services are going to be added over time.
It's not clear why YouTube has returned but it seems that Amazon has fixed Google's "broken user experience" complaint. This new iteration of YouTube looks and feels significantly different than the previous version. It now resembles what users would expect when browsing YouTube using a tablet or a PC.
Voicebot has uploaded a video, which shows the new user interface.
The Updated YouTube Is Way Different
The updated version on YouTube isn't all about looks, it seems. The video recommendations, subscriptions, autoplay, and other stuff that was missing from the previous version have all been added as default features. However, they require fingers, which is a bit convenient considering the device was made for mostly hands-free control. Then again, it's better than not having YouTube at all.
Based on a tweet by an editor from The Verge, the new version of YouTube hardly implements voice control at all, or at least, it's not as sophisticated as the previous one. The interface loads slow and only manages to bring up a windowed version of the video. For example, to view in full screen, users would have to additionally say, "Alexa, Zoom in."
Meanwhile, rumors swirl that Google is developing an Echo Show competitor, which could possibly be the company's way of deliberately sabotaging the Amazon's device.
Have you downloaded the new YouTube on your Amazon Echo Show? What do you make of the overall interface and experience so far? Feel free to sound off in the comments section below!
