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

by

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

Popular Stories

iOS 19 Mock WWDC25 Feature

iOS 19 Expected to Run on These iPhones

Monday March 31, 2025 5:28 pm PDT by
iOS 19 will not be available on the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, or the iPhone XS Max, according a private account on social media site X that has accurately provided information on device compatibility in the past. The iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max all have an A12 Bionic chip, so it looks like iOS 19 will discontinue support for that chip. All other iPhones that run iOS 18 are expected...
Read Full Article • 135 comments
maxresdefault

Apple Releases iOS 18.4 With Priority Notifications, Ambient Music, New Emoji and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:03 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, the fourth major updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating system updates that came out last year. iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 come two months after Apple released iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to...
Read Full Article • 88 comments
watchOS 11 Thumb 2 1

Apple Releases watchOS 11.4 With Sleep Alarm Update

Tuesday April 1, 2025 10:34 am PDT by
Apple today released watchOS 11.4, the fourth major update to the operating system that runs on the Apple Watch. watchOS 11.4 is compatible with the Apple Watch Series 6 and later, all Apple Watch Ultra models, and the Apple Watch SE 2. watchOS 11.4 can be downloaded on a connected iPhone by opening up the Apple Watch app and going to General > Software Update. To install the new software,...
Read Full Article • 69 comments
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Monday March 31, 2025 11:27 am PDT by
Apple today released new firmware updates for all AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 models. The new firmware is version 7E93, up from the 7B21 firmware that was installed on the AirPods Pro 2 and the 7B20 firmware available on the AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with ANC. It is not immediately clear what new features or changes are included in the new firmware, but we'll update this article should we find ...
Read Full Article • 30 comments
iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 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. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
Read Full Article • 247 comments
macOS Sequoia Feature

Apple Releases macOS Sequoia 15.4 With Mail Categorization and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:04 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sequoia 15.4, the fourth major update to the macOS Sequoia operating system that launched in September. macOS Sequoia 15.4 comes two months after the launch of macOS Sequoia 15.3. Mac users can download the ‌‌macOS Sequoia‌‌ update through the Software Update section of System Settings. It is available for free on all Macs able to run macOS 15. With...
Read Full Article • 189 comments
Apple Card iPhone 16 Pro Feature

Visa and American Express Vying to Win Apple Card Deal in 'Fierce' Fight

Tuesday April 1, 2025 1:50 pm PDT by
Visa wants to pay Apple approximately $100 million to be the new payment network for the Apple Card, reports The Wall Street Journal. As of right now, the Apple Card is on the Mastercard payment network, but that is set to change because Apple is ending its partnership with Goldman Sachs. Both American Express and Visa are vying to replace Mastercard as Apple's card services provider, while...
Read Full Article • 171 comments

Top Rated Comments

tothemoonsands Avatar
tothemoonsands
37 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
37 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
37 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
37 months ago
I only use browsers where I can block the ridiculous amount of ads.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kiensoy Avatar
kiensoy
37 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
37 months ago
YouTube Premium seems silly in concept, but game-changing in execution.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments