What to Do If YouTube Stops Working on Your Old Apple TV
According to a notice from Apple, YouTube is ending support for some Apple TVs in early March. Users can still watch videos from a second Apple device via AirPlay, but you won’t be able to use the YouTube channel itself on a third-generation Apple TV since 2012.
New Apple TV devices such as Apple TV HD and Apple TV 4K will continue to support YouTube. These models run tvOS, which is a modified version of iOS. This means they can run many of the same multimedia applications as the iPhone. However, older Apple TVs used their own “channels” that had to be created specifically for these models. YouTube had already ended support for the first and second generation Apple TVs, so it was only a matter of time before it was dropped from the third generation.
We would like to suggest a workaround for the victims, but we have not seen it yet. This leaves owners of older Apple TVs with two options to watch YouTube on their TVs. The first is to use AirPlay to watch YouTube. Watching AirPlay is a minor extra step, but an extra step nonetheless. And you’ll need a compatible iPad or iPhone to stream.
Another option is even less good: switch to another device when you want to watch YouTube. You may already have a viable alternative, such as a smart TV or game console like the PlayStation 4 and 5, or the Xbox One, Series X, or Series S.
Plus, it’s probably time to update your old Apple TV. And if so, you have several options. The best update for existing Apple TV users is the latest Apple TV HD or Apple TV 4K. Apple TV 4K is the more powerful option, but Apple TV HD is still a great choice for those without a 4K TV. Any of these will look like a major upgrade if you’re upgrading from an older Apple TV.
If the new Apple TVs are too expensive, you can upgrade to the Fire TV Stick from Amazon or Roku. The good news is that you can install the Apple TV app on any of them, which means you can still watch all of your Apple-purchased content (or subscriptions) without having to pay for the more expensive Apple TV.