YouTube TV subscribers now have the option of controlling the service using their voice via a Google Home device. The new support has arrived for the Google Home and Google Home mini; it'll also be available on the Google Home Max once it is available. YouTube TV is the service's live TV option available in most of the nation's major metro regions.
Don't bring out the pitchforks yet. Google is known to test out features in public, making them available to a few, sometimes unlucky, individuals. Some of those never see the light of day, and some might wish this is one of those. Google is reportedly testing out a feature on the YouTube app that will automatically play a preview of videos while you're scrolling the app's Home page. But to give Google some credit, its implementation is far less obtuse than, say, Facebook's.
Amazon has slashed the price of the Echo Show, its touchscreen-fronted, Alexa-powered assistant, not long after Google unexpectedly yanked one of its most popular features. Most expensive of the Echo line-up, the Echo Show is the only model in the range to have a display, which Amazon uses to show videos, search results, products, and more. While it launched back in June at $230, it's now down to under $200.
Following the deadly Las Vegas shooting that involved a firearm containing a bump stock, YouTube has banned videos that show how to modify rifles so that they contain this particular feature. The videos recently disappeared from the service, and the guidelines were updated alongside this to reflect the new restriction. Until now, such modification videos were allowed on the site.
YouTube is tweaking its interface again, at least according to a screenshot that has appeared from one user seeing the change. It seems the company is testing a change to the bottom menu in the Android app; there's a new 'Activity' tab that combines together both notifications and shared videos, presenting them in a single feed.
Amidst the news about Russian advertisements on Facebook and accounts on Twitter, as well as increased scrutiny over the nation's meddling in the US election via online platforms, Google has decided to remove the news organization Russia Today (RT) from Google Preferred. Twitter recently disclosed that Russia Today spent more than a quarter of a million dollars on advertisements primarily targeting the US market last year.
Nintendo is sending out an email to individuals in the Nintendo Creators Program advising them of a change that puts an end to YouTube livestreaming in the program. Of course, it isn't stopping YouTubers from live broadcasting entirely, but is instead telling them that they can't broadcast content on YouTube Live from the channel that they've registered with the game company's creators program.
Amazon’s screen-toting incarnation of Alexa has just gotten less useful. Well, depending on what you were using the Amazon Echo Show for. If you were mostly using it for watching YouTube videos, which, admittedly, is an odd case for a more or less stationary and limited tablet, then you are in for a rude awakening. Both companies have confirmed that, yes, YouTube has been pulled out of the Echo Show without prior warning to users. And, yes, both companies are blaming the other for it.
A tidbit found within the YouTube v12.37 apk indicates that Google's video service may be preparing to launch yet another subscription option, this one called 'Plus.' The subscription seemingly would be a companion to the existing YouTube Red subscription option, but details about it are slight. There doesn't appear to be any sort of information or documentation about the subscription tier online.
The new fifth-generation Apple TV is certainly a big launch for Apple, as it brings the company's line of streaming boxes into the 4K era. While that support will definitely be exciting for the Apple TV faithful, we're discovering some limitations placed on 4K content today. As it turns out, you won't be able to download 4K content for offline viewing - instead, Apple is only letting you stream that content over the internet.
YouTube is continuing its quest to pull streamers away from Twitch today, rolling out an expansion to its sponsorship program. Up until now, YouTube sponsorships had been available to a select number of users in a limited beta, but beginning today, they'll be available to a lot more content creators who run gaming channels.
As promised, YouTube has once again expanded its live television service into more markets throughout the US, this time tacking an additional eight cities/regions onto the coverage map. YouTube TV now covers municipalities throughout the US, including some of the biggest cities as well as other smaller-but-densely-populated regions.
