YouTube Dumps Leanback Option for Web Users | TechTree.com

YouTube Dumps Leanback Option for Web Users

YouTube pulls the plug on its leanback feature and appears all set to force subscriptions down our throat

 

Make no mistake! The age of the mobile app is well and truly here. For long millennials have preferred to use mobile apps to stream content across to their smart televisions or the older generation TVs using Amazon Firestick or Chromecast. Now, YouTube has officially confirmed that their leanback feature that allowed users to connect via the browser is being shut.

As always, the reaction to this bit of news would run on a binary format. There’d be those who hate the world’s first streaming media giant for letting go of a feature that has allowed web users a means to explore YouTube without actually using their web app or mobile app for over a decade now.

The page opens up by accessing www.youtube.com/leanback and was used to circumvent the app while accessing content for home theaters, personal computers that came without the official created by the streaming giant. Of course, the company hasn’t responded officially to the reason behind this change of policy.

But, those in the know insist that with YouTube aggressively pushing subscription-based offerings on their mobile app, which can be used to stream content across smart or not-so-smart televisions, there is no way that those responsible for growing business revenues want anything to do with a service takes people away from the app.

The message is cryptic to say the least. Try connect to the link above and the message simply says: “This version of YouTube will be going away soon., but you will still be able to get an optimized experience on a supported device, like a smart TV or a steaming stick… check your device app store to see if the YouTube app is available for install…” blah blah blah!

Why? And why now? The obvious answer lies with Google’s attempt to force those who do not accept its hegemony to do so. Device makers who do not have licensing agreements with Google could be prevented from using the web app of YouTube Leanback and instead be forced to pre-install the official app of the streaming device.

Of course, we would like to inform readers that this move would not affect the regular usage of YouTube service on a mobile or the desktop. Both these versions would work normally. Also, none of the official apps of YouTube across different platforms would be impacted by this decision.

So, one can be quite sure that when the company does provide a reason for this move, it would be on the lines that they required standardization or that there aren’t all that many users who were using this feature or a bit of both.

Suffice to say that Google would easily find ways to side-step any complaints over its pushing subscription-based usage of the service though even if it does so some time in the future just as a means to avoid irritating adverts, users would blindly follow. For, in the tech world Google and Facebook are 900-pound gorillas that ordinary mortals can only fear.


TAGS: YouTube, Leanback, Amazon Firestick, Chromecast

 
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