The YouTube for Android TV app was updated to version 2.0 last month, with an all-new interface and changes to the video player. While there are a few great aspects of this update, like the new auto-play screen, many users aren't happy with it.

The main complaint is that YouTube for Android TV is now a web wrapper for the YouTube on TV webapp. If you click that link, you'll get the same exact UI that Android TV users now have. While I don't really mind the interface, it definitely strays a bit from Material Design. Some users are reporting that the app is slower and buggier than it was before, likely due to the overhead of running a browser behind the scenes.

Another major problem with the update is that you can't login with brand accounts - that is, channels not tied to a personal Google+ account. Multiple threads on the YouTube Help Forum are filled with complaints, with a Google Community Manager simply responding with, "We confirmed that the new version of Android TV isn't compatible with brand accounts for the moment."

I can understand Google opting for a web wrapper - it allows them to have one universal app for all consoles, smart TVs, and set-top boxes. But it's not excusable for an app update to not have all the functionality of the previous version. Hopefully Google will resolve this soon, but there isn't a (public) timeframe right now. If you want to downgrade, you can grab the previous version of YouTube for Android TV at APKMirror.

Thanks: Everyone who sent this in

UPDATE: 2017/08/09 7:41pm PDT BY

The app's changelog on the Play Store has been updated with the following statement:

Note: This current app is not compatible with Brand Accounts for the moment, but we are working to add this support in a follow on release in the coming weeks. Thanks for your patience.

At least now Google is committing to fixing it, but there's no word on the other missing features (like changing video quality).

Thanks: John

YouTube for Android TV Developer: Google LLC
Price: Free
2.6
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