Google to block YouTube on Amazon devices
The feuding tech giants fall out again, as Google retaliates against the removal of its products from Amazon's catalogue.
GOOGLE says it will block users from accessing YouTube on some of Amazon’s best-selling devices… unless Amazon starts selling Google’s products.
It’s understood the popular video app will be inaccessible on Amazon’s Fire TV and Echo Show devices from January 1, if the issue between the feuding tech giants isn’t resolved.
Google puts its decision down to Amazon’s reluctance to sell Google’s gadgets, many of which compete with Amazon’s own offerings.
“We’ve been trying to reach an agreement with Amazon to give consumers access to each other’s products and services,” a spokesperson told The Sun.
“But Amazon doesn’t carry Google products like Chromecast and Google Home, doesn’t make Prime Video available for Google Cast users, and last month stopped selling some of Nest’s latest products.
“Given this lack of reciprocity, we are no longer supporting YouTube on Echo Show and FireTV. We hope we can reach an agreement to resolve these issues soon.”
As the world’s largest online retailer, it’s no surprise that Google is so keen to be featured on Amazon’s stock list.
However, with devices like Chromecast competing with Amazon Fire TV, and the Google Home smart speaker taking on the likes of Amazon’s Echo, Amazon has shown resistance to giving its competition a leg up.
However, its reasons for blocking Prime Video from casting, and for taking down Nest products (owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet Inc.) from sale, are less clear.
Google is hoping to twist Amazon’s arm by holding back access to one of the world’s most used video apps, however access to it via a browser will still be possible, though not as user friendly.
Amazon’s statement seemed to suggest it had already acted to bypass the block, saying: “Echo Show and Fire TV now display a standard web view of YouTube.com and point customers directly to YouTube’s existing website.
“Google is setting a disappointing precedent by selectively blocking customer access to an open website. We hope to resolve this with Google as soon as possible.”