YouTube for Android TV gets ‘Who’s watching’ account switcher launch screen

Damien Wilde | Oct 9 2024 - 4:33 am PT

YouTube’s constant evolution on Android TV continues unabated, with an updated ‘slight’ “Who’s watching” account switcher launch screen.

According to Android Authority, there is a new “Who’s watching” start-up screen for YouTube on Android TV that pulls an account switcher or selector akin to the experience found on streaming services like Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and many more.

As the initial report suggests, when launching YouTube for Android TV on an Nvidia Shield TV Pro or other hardware, you may notice that you have been signed out. You will be asked to sign back, but not before a brief “Who’s watching?” startup page launches with some added color in the background.

From here, you just scan the QR code and link it to your existing accounts. When you close YouTube, head back to the Android TV home screen, and then open that app again, you may see the new “Who’s watching?” page with the account switcher UI again. However, despite following these same steps, we have been unable to replicate this fully on our own test hardware.

It’s worth noting that you may recognize the layout here. The account switcher UI itself is not technically new, as it is taken from the in-app account switcher, which you can access by tapping on your profile icon in the YouTube app. Even so, reusing this section is a good move that will undoubtedly improve it for households that have multiple users accessing one Android TV system or TV set.

If, like me, you have a system that is only accessed by one person, it might be a little more annoying. Do you have this updated “Who’s watching?” start page when using YouTube on your Android TV box? Let us know down in the comments section below.