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YouTube Returns to Amazon Echo Show

Google pulls access to YouTube because Amazon "violates our terms of service, creating a broken user experience."

 & Angela Moscaritolo Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics
 & Matthew Humphries Former Senior Editor
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UPDATE (11/21): Good news, Amazon Echo Show owners and prospective buyers: YouTube is back after an almost two-month hiatus.

Amazon confirmed the news in a Tuesday email to PCMag, noting that Vimeo and Dailymotion are also now available on the device.

"We're excited to offer customers the capability to watch even more video content from sources such as Vimeo, YouTube, and Dailymotion on Echo Show," Amazon's statement reads. "More video sources will be added over time."

Google pulled its streaming service from the 7-inch touch screen-equipped gadget in September over a terms of service violation, a move users were less than thrilled about. The following month, Amazon slashed $30 off the price of the Echo Show, bringing it down to $199.99.

Meanwhile, if you're in the market for an Echo Show for yourself or someone else this holiday season, you might want to head over to Target, where it will be available for $179.99 on Black Friday.

Original Story (9/27):
If you've spent $230 on an Echo Show thinking it would be a neat way to watch YouTube videos, you're out of luck. YouTube no longer works on Amazon's most expensive Echo device. It doesn't look likely to return any time soon based on the explanations each company has given regarding the removal.

As Reuters reports, Amazon's view is as follows, "As of this afternoon, Google has chosen to no longer make YouTube available on Echo Show, without explanation and without notification to customers. There is no technical reason for that decision, which is disappointing and hurts both of our customers."

Google responded, stating, "Amazon's implementation of YouTube on the Echo Show violates our terms of service, creating a broken user experience. We hope to be able to reach an agreement and resolve these issues soon."

Clearly something is amiss between the two companies. The reason Google pulled YouTube is because Amazon isn't presenting Echo Show users with features beyond just watching videos. So there's no video recommendations or channel subscription options. Google relies on those to keep people watching and sees them as integral to the service.

As the Echo Show is a device setup primarily for viewing video, it looks as though Amazon is the bigger loser in this dispute. No YouTube access could put many Amazon customers off buying an Echo Show. The question now is whether Amazon is finding it difficult to implement the required YouTube features, or if it simply doesn't want to because of how it impacts the user experience on its device.

It seems unlikely Google will choose to compromise to get YouTube back on to this one device.

About Our Experts

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes. 

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app. 

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth. 

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light. 

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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Matthew Humphries

Matthew Humphries

Former Senior Editor

My Experience

I started working at PCMag in November 2016, covering all areas of technology and video game news. Before that I spent nearly 15 years working at Geek.com as a writer and editor. I also spent the first six years after leaving university as a professional game designer working with Disney, Games Workshop, 20th Century Fox, and Vivendi.

I hold two degrees: a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science and a Master's degree in Games Development. My first book, Make Your Own Pixel Art, is available from all good book shops.

My Areas of Expertise

  • PC components and system building
  • Raspberry Pi
  • Software development
  • Storage technology
  • Video games and gaming hardware

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