Get Easy Access to YouTube on Your Apple TV and Roku

Without a doubt, YouTube is a remarkable social media platform offering an extensive range of videos shared and posted by individuals, groups, and companies for information, promotion, and entertainment purpose. Whether you want to watch the latest movie trailers, world news, classic movies/series, or want to listen to music and was educational/informative videos, the unending video library of YouTube has some videos for your every mood and preference. While earlier, YouTube viewing was restricted to smartphones, laptops, and computers, however, since the introduction of internet-enabled Smart TV, the viewership of YouTube has now increased manifold. The experience of watching YouTube on smart TVs is completely different and absolutely amazing compared to a smartphone, laptop, and computer.

With the latest Smart TVs coming available in the market, it has become an effortless task to connect your YouTube to your Smart TV. Well, for those who don’t have a smart TV, there are smart devices like Roku, Xbox, PS3, Kodi, Xbox One, PS3 and many more that can help you easily access YouTube on your non-smart TV. While these devices allow you to watch YouTube on a regular TV, but first you will need to sign in and activate your YouTube on the particular device before you can watch your favorite shows on the TV. To help you understand the process better, below, we have provided you with complete step by step instructions to access YouTube on your Apple TV and Roku streaming device.

Accessing YouTube using your Apple TV

The process of activating YouTube on the devices is quite easy, however, the steps may vary according to the device you are activating YouTube on. The YouTube app is available in the App Store for Apple TV (4th generations and above versions). These versions of the YouTube app make it easier for the users to browse through the content across YouTube on a variety of topics such as Movies, Comedy, and News. It also comes with new features like video previews.

Note: For distribution and playback of 4k videos, YouTube relies on VP9, which is the industry-leading open-source code. VP9 allows in less buffering, faster startup, and superior video quality. As the Apple TV 4K model (5th generation) is not compatible with support VP9 at present, there is no availability of 4K resolution on this device.

Now to access YouTube on your Apple TV, here are the steps that you will need to follow:

Sign in to YouTube on Apple TV

If you’re using the YouTube app on Apple TV (3rd, 4th, and 5th generation), follow these directions below to sign in using your Google Account.

To Sign in Using your Mobile Device

  • Make sure that your mobile device is on the same Wi-Fi network as your Apple TV.
  • Now, start by signing in to the YouTube app on your phone. If you don’t have YouTube pre-installed, you will need to download it from the Apple App Store.
  • Go to the Sign-in screen in the YouTube app on your Apple TV.
  • The YouTube app on your TV will begin searching for your mobile device automatically. Once your mobile device gets paired with your TV, you will receive a notification on your mobile screen that prompts “Tap to begin TV sign-in”. Here, you will need to tap on the profile picture and then on the Continue as <Your name>.
  • Then, you will need to tap on the Allow button when you are on the "Allow Account Access" screen.
  • After that, you will receive a notification that prompts "You are signing in to your TV". Doing so will display a notification that says "You're now signed in to the TV".

Sign in on your TV

Step 1: Find the activation code and sign in

  • Go to the Sign-in screen of the YouTube app and stay on this screen until you are done completing the rest of the steps.
  • Now, you will need to go to youtube.com/activate on your computer or mobile device.
  • When prompt to sign in, log in to your account. In case you have more than one Google Account, you will first need to select the account you use with your YouTube account. However, if you are already signed in to your account, skip to the steps below.

Step 2: Select your Channel

  • Once you will be logged into your account, you will see a list of Google identities associated with your YouTube channel.

Step 3: Complete the activation process

  • After you are done selecting an account, you will need to enter the activation code shown in the YouTube app on your Apple TV in the provided field.
  • After that, you will need to click the “Allow access” option and wait for the confirmation screen in the app.

Accessing YouTube using your Roku

Roku streaming devices allow you to watch paid or free content through a series of channels. YouTube is one of the available channels on most Roku devices, and you can log in with your YouTube account to view all of your subscriptions and playlists. You can also use your smartphone, tablet, or computer to find and play YouTube videos on your Roku instead of using the Roku remote.

  1. Installing YouTube Channel

Determine if your Roku model supports YouTube

  • After the recent updates of Roku, all the "current-gen" Roku devices are now compatible with adding add an official YouTube channel. This means that every Roku device except the original Roku which released in 2010 can now add the YouTube channel easily.

Note: For some, the naming system of the Roku model can be very confusing. In 2010, the original Roku was launched, and in 2011, the Roku 2 model was launched. After the release of Roku 2, in 2013, the company released a new Roku 1 and Roku 2 device. This means that the Roku 1 and the original Roku are actually two completely different models of the device.

  • So, if you are having an original Roku from 2010, the only way you can get YouTube videos is by installing the Twonky channel, which requires you to buy a subscription.
  • Now, you will need to open the Channel Store section on your Roku interface. If you are unable to see the Channel Store option or if it is not available on it, you will need to press the Home button on your Roku
  • Next, you will need to select the "Top Free" option from the screen. By doing so you will be able to see the YouTube channel on the right-hand side of your screen.
  • Then, you will need to select the YouTube You will be directed to the next screen where you will see that it is a free application and also find the rating and reviews of the current users.
  • After that, you will need to select the "Add channel" option located next to the Roku app. As you will press the Add channel option, Roku will begin downloading the YouTube channel and add it to the channel list of your Roku device. You may have to wait a bit to complete the process.
  • Finally, you will need to select the "Go to channel" option in order to open the YouTube app immediately on your device. If you want you can also get back to your Roku home screen and select the YouTube app from the "My Channels" list.
  1. Pairing Your Smartphone or Tablet
  • Start by opening the Settings menu of the YouTube channel. You can get to the Settings menu by selecting the Gear icon located on the left-hand side of the YouTube menu on your Roku device.
  • Next, you will need to select the "Sign In" option and log in using your YouTube account login credentials. As you will follow this step, you will be prompted to go to the youtube.com/activate page on the web browser of your computer or mobile device. Once you are on the website, you will need to sign in using the login credentials of your Google account. And then, you will need to enter the activation code in the provided field on the TV display to sign-in on the Roku device. After that, you will need to click on the "Allow access" button to complete the sign-in process.
  • Then, you will need to select the "Pair Device" option. Selecting the “Pair Device” option will allow you to use your smartphone or tablet to find and play videos of your preference. This method is much more efficient than using the built-in Search function of the YouTube channel.
  • If you want, you can also pair your laptop or computer with your Roku device and use the YouTube website.
  • After that, you will need to go to the website displayed on your smartphone or tablet. The website you will need to visit is . Alternatively, you can also use a barcode scanner to scan the QR code on your screen to complete the pairing process.
  • Once you are on the activation page, you will need to enter the activation code displayed on your TV in the provided fields. Doing so will pair your smartphone or tablet with your Roku YouTube channel. On the other hand, If you will scan the QR code, this process will get completed automatically.
  1. Watching Videos
  • Now to find a video using the YouTube app on your mobile device, you will first need to ensure that you have connected your smartphone or tablet. And then, you can use your connected device to find and play videos on your Roku device.
  • Next, you will need to tap on the "Cast" button. The “Cast” button is generally located at the top of the YouTube app on your mobile device. The button looks like a TV display with a small signal icon in the corner.
  • Then, you will need to select your Roku device. For this, you will need to tap the "Cast" button. This will display a list of all of the devices to which you can send videos. Here, you will need to select your Roku device from the given list.
  • After that, you can start playing the video on your mobile device easily. For this, first, you will need to make sure that you have selected the Roku device. Once you have selected Roku, you can begin watching videos and can see it playing on your TV. To control playback or find other videos while still playing one, you will need to use the YouTube app on your mobile device.

Other Smart Devices on Which You Can Watch YouTube

You can access YouTube not only on your Apple TV and Roku device but also on many other digital media players. This includes:

  • Amazon Fire TV
  • Amazon Fire Stick
  • Xbox One
  • Sony PlayStation
  • Samsung TV

The process to access YouTube on the above-mentioned device is almost similar. All you need to do is go to the particular application store of your smart device, search for the YouTube app on it, download and install the app on it. After that, launch and sign in to the YouTube app on your device and copy the activation code. Enter that activation code in the provided field on the youtube.com/activate page and you are done. You can now start watching YouTube on your device.

NOTE: In the case of some media players, you may not have to activate YouTube by going to the youtube.com/activate page. You might be able to access YouTube directly on it.

So, now as you know how easily you can access YouTube on smart devices like Apple TV and Roku, you can follow the information provided here.