The YouTube app on older Apple TV models has been officially discontinued as of today. If you have a third generation device (the model from the 2012 era that preceded modern tvOS-based decoders), you will only be able to stream YouTube via an iOS device using AirPlay starting today, as noted by 9to5Mac.
Although the news has been known for some time, the change highlights a major problem with the Apple TV ecosystem. That is, it has been almost three and a half years since Apple updated its streaming box hardware.
If you own the old model with the now defunct YouTube app, your only choice made by Apple is Apple TV 4K, released in September 2017. This is particularly problematic, given that Apple TV 4K still starts at $ 179 ( with a more expensive 64 GB model that offers twice as much storage for $ 199), despite having been released years ago.
This compares to competitors like Amazon, Google and Roku, who have launched new streaming products that offer the same (if not better) features than Apple’s outdated box at much lower prices. Roku’s flagship streaming box, the Roku Ultra, costs $ 99 – almost half the price of the basic 4K Apple TV – while supporting 4K, HDR, Dolby Vision and Apple’s own AirPlay 2. The $ 50 Streaming Stick Plus offers 4K and HDR (without Dolby Vision) for those who want to save even more.
Amazon’s Fire TV Cube costs $ 119.99 and offers similar state-of-the-art streaming specifications, while also functioning as a full-featured Echo speaker. Like Roku, Amazon also has its cheaper $ 50 Fire TV Stick 4K, which offers the full range of streaming support (Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, HDR10 + and HDR10) without the added Alexa speaker .
And, of course, there’s the latest Google Chromecast, which costs just $ 50, offers excellent content curation, supports 4K, HDR, Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision, and remains The Vergethe best choice for a streaming stick in 2021.
With more and more apps starting to end support for Apple’s older streaming boxes (CBS All Access has already announced that it will make a similar change when Paramount Plus comes out), the hardware problem and outdated pricing on Apple TV only will end continue to grow.