Apple TV 3 Owners Report Issues Viewing YouTube Content

Google appears to have handicapped its YouTube support for the third-generation Apple TV, based on hundreds of user complaints on Apple’s support forums and in YouTube’s Help Center.

youtube apple tv
Multiple users are reporting problems accessing certain YouTube content such as music videos. When attempting to watch the content, viewers are being met with the message "An error occurred loading this content. Try again later."

One Reddit user who contacted Apple customer support reports that Apple claims the issue is on Google’s end, following recent changes it made to the YouTube platform. However, Google has yet to address or acknowledge the problem, despite numerous reports being filed and submitted over the course of more than two weeks.

Have you had trouble viewing YouTube content on a third-gen ‌Apple TV‌? Let us know in the comments below.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Tag: YouTube
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)

Popular Stories

CarPlay Hero

Apple Releases Wireless CarPlay Fix

Wednesday April 16, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
If you have been experiencing issues with wireless CarPlay in your vehicle lately, it was likely due to a software bug that has now been fixed. Apple released iOS 18.4.1 today, and the update's release notes say it "addresses a rare issue that prevents wireless CarPlay connection in certain vehicles." If wireless CarPlay was acting up for you, updating your iPhone to iOS 18.4.1 should...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Triad

Apple's 20th Anniversary iPhone May Finally Go All Screen

Tuesday April 15, 2025 6:31 am PDT by
Apple is preparing a "bold" new iPhone Pro model for the iPhone's 20th anniversary in 2027, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. As part of what's being described as a "major shake-up," Apple is said to be developing a design that makes more extensive use of glass – and this could point directly to the display itself. Here's the case for Apple releasing a truly all-screen iPhone with no...
iOS 19 Roundup Feature

iOS 19 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday April 15, 2025 7:37 am PDT by
The first iOS 19 beta is less than two months away, and there are already a handful of new features that are expected with the update. Apple should release the first iOS 19 beta to developers immediately following the WWDC 2025 keynote, which is scheduled for Monday, June 9. Following beta testing, the update should be released to the general public in September. Below, we recap the key...
maxresdefault

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Sunday April 13, 2025 7:52 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and ...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iOS 18

Apple Releases iOS 18.4.1 With Bug Fixes

Wednesday April 16, 2025 10:11 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.4.1 and iPadOS 18.4.1, minor updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that came out last September. iOS 18.4.1 and iPadOS 18.4.1 come two weeks after the launch of iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. There have been complaints about ...
tvOS 18 Thumb 1

Apple Releases tvOS 18.4.1

Wednesday April 16, 2025 10:04 am PDT by
Apple today released tvOS 18.4.1, a minor update to the tvOS 18 operating system that came out last September. tvOS 18.4.1 comes two weeks after Apple released tvOS 18.4, and it is available for the Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD models. tvOS 18.4.1 can be downloaded using the Settings app on the ‌Apple TV‌. Open up Settings and go to System > Software Update to get the new software....
iPhone Security Feature 25

Five iPhone Security Features You Should Be Using

Wednesday April 16, 2025 4:15 pm PDT by
Apple has quite a few security features that it's added to iPhones, iPads, and Macs over the years. Now more than ever, it's important to make sure you're taking advantage of the built-in security tools that are available to keep yourself and your data safe, so we've rounded up a list of the most important options. If you don't already have these enabled, you might want to consider turning...

Top Rated Comments

AdamFootUK Avatar
66 months ago
I’m also having issues as an Apple TV 4 user, but only because the app is so badly designed for Apple TV ?
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
thequietaussie Avatar
66 months ago

I’m also having issues as an Apple TV 4 user, but only because the app is so badly designed [S]for Apple TV[/S] ?
;)
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CarlJ Avatar
66 months ago

Idk, I don't see people having as many UI issues on other devices as on 4th gen Apple TVs. I literally have to stop using the Siri Remote before I have an anxiety attack and use my iPhone as a remote because of how sensitive it is and a pain in the ass to use the app with the Siri Remote.
The YouTube app is a cross-platform mess that only begrudgingly supports the AppleTV. One of the problems is they don't really support the trackpad, it's built for a D-pad. If you stop trying to swipe, and instead just lightly tap on the top, bottom, or sides of the trackpad, it works a lot better. (Also, there's a setting in the settings app for how sensitive the Siri trackpad is.)

I've learned to operate within its limitations. The two that still frustrate me no end are:

One, every time you unpause, YouTube insists on covering the bottom half of the screen with largely unnecessary controls and "you might also like" advertisements for other videos (dammit YouTube, I unpaused this video, that means I want to watch this video - stop using half the screen to tell me about other videos), and you can't dismiss this from the trackpad, only using the menu button (or waiting), and if you hit the menu button to dismiss it just as it decides to auto-dismiss, then the menu button performs its other primary purpose and takes you out of the video. So infuriating!

And, two, when their lower-half travesty of videos and controls is on the screen, every time you move from the timeline down to the other controls, if the video is paused, IT UNPAUSES THE VIDEO FOR YOU! Dammit YouTube! I paused it to and brought up the bottom, you know, have it stay in the same place while I went to add it to a list or something - why are you starting the video back up? It's precisely what I don't want at the moment. It's like it's trying to trick you into hitting the menu button to dismiss the mess on the bottom half of the screen, and maybe jump out of the video entirely.

Also, serious points off for using the row under the video title to tell me that it's "Recommended for you". With upwards of 17 trillion videos on YouTube now, every video listed on my screen is going to be somehow recommended for me - I also don't care how many times it's been viewed. Instead, tell me the date the video was posted. Lots of times there'll be 3-4 videos from the same source, and I want to watch them in order. Armed with the date I can do that. If all 4 just say "Recommended for you", then I have to guess.

The iPad YouTube app handles the video controls at the bottom, and the date/info under the the thumbnail issues much better. I wish we could have that on the Apple TV.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
allenvanhellen Avatar
66 months ago
OK, let’s just keep buying new streaming boxes every 5 years and throwing the old ones in the trash. Great.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iParis Avatar
66 months ago

;)
Idk, I don't see people having as many UI issues on other devices as on 4th gen Apple TVs. I literally have to stop using the Siri Remote before I have an anxiety attack and use my iPhone as a remote because of how sensitive it is and a pain in the ass to use the app with the Siri Remote.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Justin Cymbal Avatar
66 months ago
Makes sense that the third gen Apple TV is slowly losing support... After all it came out in 2012

I still have a few 3rd gen ATVs lying around - mostly just use them when I travel incase I forget it in the hotel
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)