YouTube losing support on older devices as Google begins sunsetting Data API v2

Google announced today that it is beginning the retirement process of YouTube’s Data API v2, and that means that some older devices, including older Apple and Google TV set-top boxes, will no longer be able to access the video streaming site. The change is also going to affect users of older gaming consoles and iOS devices as the deprecated built-in YouTube apps will be unable to access the service…

As per the announcement, the first step will be showing a video on top of feeds to notify users about the change:

If you’re still using the Data API v2, today we’ll start showing a video at the top of your users’ video feeds that will notify them of how they might be affected. Apart from that, your apps will work as usual.

Starting in early May, though, any apps that are calling for YouTube clips via Data API V2 will only show the below warning video. This won’t last long, though, as Google is planning to put an end to API v2 before the summer. “By late May, v2 API calls except for comments and captions will receive 410 Gone HTTP responses,” Google says.

Here’s the clip that many users of older devices will begin seeing as of today:

If you’re curious how your older devices might be affected by this change, Google has published a support document explaining the changes. Google says that iOS devices running iOS 6 or earlier should go to m.youtube.com to view content from today forward, and that certain older Apple TV and Google TV boxes won’t be able to view YouTube at all after the switch to API v3.

“If you’re using Apple TV 2nd generation or older, unfortunately there’s no current way to watch YouTube on these devices,” the support document says. “Devices running Google TV version 2 and older will unfortunately not be able to upgrade.”