YouTube on TVs Now Supports iPhone Syncing for Easier Access to Commenting, Liking and More

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YouTube today announced the launch of a new syncing feature that allows an iOS or Android device to connect to a TV that has the YouTube app, allowing the connected device to be used for commenting, liking videos, and more.

youtube tv smartphone integration
According to YouTube, people were already using the mobile app to engage with YouTube videos watched on TV sets, and the company decided to take advantage of that to improve the YouTube experience on the TV.

When watching YouTube on TV, users can open up the mobile YouTube app and then tap on "Connect" to sync the device to the TV. Using the feature requires being logged in to the same YouTube account on both the TV and the device that it is connecting to.

After connecting, the YouTube video being watched on the TV can be interacted with on the device, offering access to comments, likes, video descriptions, sharing tools, and channel membership options like donations. This adds to already available functionality that previously let the mobile YouTube app be used for playing, pausing, rewinding, and fast forwarding on the TV.

Brynn Evans, YouTube on TV head of design, told The Verge that remotes offer a poor experience for interaction with content on the TV. "The remote's clunky, every remote's different, there's a million different buttons. They're all bad," she said.

The feature is rolling out starting today, and TVs or set-top boxes must be updated to the latest version of the YouTube app.

Tag: YouTube

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Top Rated Comments

tothemoonsands Avatar
tothemoonsands
32 months ago
Honestly, out of ALL my subscriptions (Netflix, Hulu, HBOMax, Amazon Prime, Youtube TV, etc etc), the last one to go would be Youtube Premium. I get the MOST value out of it, by far.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macsplusmacs Avatar
macsplusmacs
32 months ago
yah, rather than whine about ads... I paid for the membership and it's worth every penny to me.

I watch almost as much youtube as other streams. money well spent.

This addition will be great to like and get the description notes from the current video. going to update ASAP.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JaylenFast Avatar
JaylenFast
32 months ago
I feel like I've had this for awhile. But improvement is always welcomed.

If you use YouTube frequently, I can't recommend Youtube Premium enough. I haven't watched ads in years, on any device.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
aforty Avatar
aforty
32 months ago
I only use browsers where I can block the ridiculous amount of ads.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kiensoy Avatar
kiensoy
32 months ago

yah, rather than whine about ads... I paid for the membership and it's worth every penny to me.

I watch almost as much youtube as other streams. money well spent.

This addition will be great to like and get the description notes from the current video. going to update ASAP.
I also have premium and I agree it’s worth it. I cannot see myself going back to watching ads. The included YouTube Music is pretty good too. They even have a nice Apple Watch app. I might even cancel Spotify.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
antricparticle Avatar
antricparticle
32 months ago
YouTube Premium seems silly in concept, but game-changing in execution.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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