YouTube will soon need AirPlay for video playback on older Apple TV streaming boxes. This means that users have to start video playback on another device, such as an iPhone or iPad, to watch content on the Apple TV.
The change does not affect the two Apple TV boxes currently on sale. Apple TV HD (fourth generation) and Apple TV 4K (fifth generation), the two models that run tvOS and have a built-in App Store, will still support YouTube apps. The AirPlay playback requirement comes rather after the third-generation Apple TV power cabinets first introduced in 2012.
Reader Niels O’Man shared the message currently being displayed before watching videos from YouTube on the third generation Apple TV today:
Launch YouTube, the YouTube app will no longer be available on Apple TV (3rd generation). You can still watch YouTube on Apple TV 4K, Apple TV HD, iPhone or iPad. With AirPlay, you can also stream YouTube directly from your iOS device to any Apple TV (3rd generation or later).
Apple has long placed development support in the most recent two Apple TV hardware versions based on a full operating system based on iOS. Older Apple TVs rely on special arrangements between Apple and video providers for app support.
Smart TVs sold in recent years offer other ways to see YouTube on the big screen with built-in apps, built-in AirPlay and Chromecast, and more affordable streaming sticks like Amazon Fire TV, which also works with Apple’s TV + streaming service.
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