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Web browsing comes to Amazon's Fire TV ahead of YouTube ban

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Duece

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The new browser seems like a backdoor to allow Fire TV devices to access YouTube after Google removes it from Amazon's device.

Amazon has announced that starting today all Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick users will be able to browse the web on their TVs using Firefox or Amazon's Silk browser.

As part of the press release Amazon mentions that customers can access the World Wide Web, "including popular sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo, Reddit, as well as local and international news sites, video sharing services, cloud photo sites, and other social news, sports, and entertainment content."

However, one site the release doesn't mention is youtube.com.

Recently Google announced that it was cutting access to YouTube on Fire TV (and Amazon's Echo Show) on Jan. 1, 2018. Part of the reason behind Google's decision could be that Amazon may be developing its own YouTube competitor.

It's quite possible that Amazon has been working on adding web browsing to Fire TV for a while, but the new web-browsing feature also seems like a pretty nice workaround for Fire TV users to access YouTube content after the Jan. 1 date. Of course it's technically possible to block access to certain sites, including YouTube, so that workaround might not work.

We've asked Google and Amazon directly about whether the Fire TV browser will allow access to videos on YouTube.com after Jan. 1, and we'll update this article if we get any additional insight.
 
Amid Amazon and Google’s bitter and self-defeating feud over the right to stream videos from YouTube, Mozilla today announced that its Firefox browser is now available on Fire TV devices. The Firefox team, which just released the fastest ever version of the browser back in November, doesn’t explicitly say in the blog post announcing the news that you can use Firefox to access YouTube.

But the company does write that, “Once installed, you can launch popular video websites, like YouTube, load any website address, and search the web for videos to play full screen on the Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick.” When reached for comment, a spokesperson for Mozilla confirmed that you can in fact view YouTube content using the Firefox browser on Amazon’s Fire TV devices.

The Amazon-Google feud is mostly about Amazon’s decision to pull Chromecast devices, and eventually Nest products too, from its web store more than two years ago, and Google’s retaliation in the form of holding YouTube access hostage. The e-commerce giant reversed its decision on Google and Nest devices earlier this month in what appears to be an act of reconciliation, but only after Google announced it would be pulling YouTube from the Echo Show and Fire TV on January 1st.

The two companies are now in “productive talks” to resolve the situation. Yet that still means the world’s largest video site may cut off access to one of the most popular set-top box product lines in as little as two weeks’ time. YouTube is already inaccessible on the Echo Show because Google is blocking access to the service on Amazon’s built-in Silk browser, which Amazon was using as a workaround to having a custom YouTube app for the device.

Regardless of how Google decides to respond to Firefox access, if it does in fact pull YouTube on January 1st, it’s a good sign that the browser is experiencing a bit of a resurgence these days, and not just on desktop. It’s great to have alternative web solutions for all internet-connected devices, especially in a world increasingly dominated by the products of three of the world’s biggest corporations. And when those corporations feud, as we’re seeing with Amazon and Google, it’s consumers that suffer as content is blocked and products that should obviously be capable of accessing a certain app or service are left worse off than when you bought them.
 
i've had firefox & chrome side-loaded onto my fire-tvs for a while now

have to use a mouse to navigate though
 
Downloaded them joints the other day. I guess this shit is going to get messy between the two. lol
 
I was kinda concerned when I saw that message pop up, but I still had a kodi youtube addon.

But this simplifies erry thing again...thanks for the info!
 
How To Watch YouTube On Your Amazon Fire TV Stick

Jacob Kleinman
Dec 27, 2017, 9:00am


Amazon and Google have been duking it out for the past few months, and it doesn't look like the two companies will come to an agreement anytime soon. Earlier this month, Google announced plans to pull its YouTube app from Amazon's Fire TV streaming devices starting on January 1. Thankfully, there's a solution waiting in the wings.

If you've just bought a Fire TV Stick in the recent Amazon Boxing Day sale then you are in luck.

Last week, Mozilla revealed its new Firefox browser app for Fire TV with support for YouTube videos. The application makes it easy to browse the web on your television, search for videos, and go directly to any website by typing in the URL. It even includes a shortcut to YouTube right from the Firefox home screen, so you'll only have to click one more time than you would have with the official YouTube app.


Mozilla

You can download and install Firefox straight from your Fire TV by selecting the search icon in the top right corner of the home screen and searching "Firefox,"or just hold down the microphone button on your Fire TV remote and say "Firefox." Then select "Firefox for Fire TV" from the list of results and click on "Get" to install it.

You can also download the app from Amazon.com.au. Just click on the dropdown menu next to the search bar and pick "Apps & Games." Search for "Firefox" and select the new app. Then make sure the "Deliver to" line on the right side of the page is directed to your Fire TV device before hitting "Get" to install it.

Once the Firefox app is installed all you have to do is open it and click on the YouTube icon. You'll be watching music videos, video game streams, and old Vine compilations in no time.

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