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YouTube app now on Fire TV; Amazon Prime Video arrives on Google Chromecast

Amazon Fire TV users now have an official YouTube app and can use Alexa to search for cute kitten videos, while Prime Video is finally compatible with Chromecast.

Headshot of David Katzmaier
Headshot of David Katzmaier
David Katzmaier Editorial Director -- Personal Tech
David reviews TVs and leads the Personal Tech team at CNET, covering mobile, software, computing, streaming and home entertainment. We provide helpful, expert reviews, advice and videos on what gadget or service to buy and how to get the most out of it.
Expertise A 25-year CNET veteran, David has been reviewing TVs since the days of CRT, rear-projection and plasma. He created CNET's methodology for testing TVs, streaming services and AI tools. Prior to CNET he wrote for Sound & Vision magazine and eTown.com. Credentials
  • Although still awaiting his Oscar for Best Picture Reviewer, David does hold certifications from the Imaging Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Standards and Technology on display calibration and evaluation.
Headshot of Ty Pendlebury
Headshot of Ty Pendlebury
Ty Pendlebury Editor
Ty Pendlebury has worked at CNET since 2006. He lives in New York City where he writes about TVs and home entertainment.
Expertise Ty has worked for radio, print, and online publications, and has been writing about home entertainment since 2004. He is an avid record collector and streaming music enthusiast. Credentials
  • Ty was nominated for Best New Journalist at the Australian IT Journalism awards, but he has only ever won one thing. As a youth, he was awarded a free session for the photography studio at a local supermarket.
David Katzmaier
Ty Pendlebury
2 min read
20190417-155504

Fire TV gets an official YouTube app, complete with Alexa integration and the real YouTube logo, instead of this weird blue tile that leads to YouTube's web site.

 David Katzmaier/CNET

Google has announced that  YouTube , YouTube TV and YouTube Kids apps are now available on Amazon's Fire TV streamers and TVs worldwide, after 18 months of hostility and user workarounds. 

The companies announced the truce back in April, which also includes the ability for Amazon Prime Video apps to connect to Google Chromecast streamers and Android TV from today. 

The official YouTube app also works with the Alexa voice assistant, allowing users to request YouTube content on the Fire TV. However, Google Assistant will not work with Amazon Prime Video on Chromecast "at launch", a Google representative confirmed. 

In 2018 Google pulled YouTube from Fire TV devices in retaliation for Amazon's stopping sales of Google's Chromecast devices on its web site. Things have changed since then; the newest Chromecast has been on sale at Amazon since soon after its fall 2018 launch.  

Watch this: Amazon Fire TV Stick 2019: Cheap streaming TV date with Alexa

A Google representative told CNET that smart TVs are the most popular device for watching YouTube in the living room, followed by streaming devices (e.g., Chromecast, Fire TV Stick) and gaming consoles like the PlayStation 4.

The latest upgrades help Fire TV and Chromecast better compete against the likes of Roku, Apple TV and most smart TV systems, which have long had both YouTube and Prime Video apps.

Despite lacking an official YouTube app, Fire TV customers have always been able to access YouTube.com via a browser (below). Meanwhile cord cutter live TV service YouTube TV hasn't been available to Fire TV users at all.  The companies did not announce a YouTube app for the Amazon Echo Show, which also currently requires a browser workaround. 

13-amazon-fire-tv-with-tv-control-alexa-voice-remote

Currently Fire TV users get YouTube via a browser.

 Sarah Tew/CNET

Meanwhile Chromecast users previously lacked access to Amazon's Prime Video apps from phones and tablets  as they lacked the little Cast icon at the top, something present on just about every other video app including Netflix, Hulu , HBO Now and thousands of others. 

Many devices on the Android TV platform, including the Nvidia Shield and Sony TVs, have Prime Video apps already, but Google says the app will be available on every device that runs Android TV soon. Vizio TVs with Chromecast built-in also already have Prime Video access.