The YouTube App for Roku & Fire TV is About to Get a Major & Much Needed Update


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ROKU-4-REMOTE-3QUARTER-USBYouTube is a much loved service among many but their apps for TVs are hated by almost all. The good news is you are about to see a major update to the YouTube app on consoles, streaming devices like Roku, smart TVs and of course the Chromecast will all get a small but important update.

With the new app when you load up YouTube, you’ll be presented with a variety of different content tabs right at the top of the interface. It’s now much easier to flip through topics like sports, news, comedy, music, entertainment and so forth.

The Old App on Roku:

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The New App: 

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Google previously had hidden similar categories in the left-side menu bar, but Google hopes that moving them front and center will help users find content faster and keep them watching longer. The categories themselves have also been refined a bit, with some new additions and subtractions getting to the 14 total you’ll find now.

This change is something YouTube has been working on ever since it started designing its own consistent interface across the big screen in 2013. Previously, YouTube had an open API that device makers could tap into and make their apps, but that led to inconsistent experiences and new features being left behind.

There will also be a new live streams section in the YouTube app. There’s a top “live” area that shows you a variety of streams happening right at the moment you’re looking.

This update is rolling out today to almost every device that displays YouTube on your big TV. With one big exception the Apple TV, which has its own YouTube app that integrates with Siri and that Google maintains separately. Do not see the update yet? Check back tomorrow and you should have it.

Source: Engadget

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