In a surprise move, Google has completely stopped YouTube service for the Amazon Echo Show. What’s more, Google didn’t notify Echo Show users in advance of the pull-down. An Amazon issued a statement after that which does mean that the online retailer is not happy with the move.
Google made a change today around 3 pm. YouTube used to be available to our shared customers on Echo Show. As of this afternoon, Google has chosen to no longer make YouTube available on Echo Show, without explanation and without notification to customers. There is no technical reason for that decision, which is disappointing and hurts both of our customers.
While Google also issued a statement to The Verge that seems to be contradicting Amazon’s statement. In short, Amazon is alleged to have broken Google’s terms of service. However, all is not lost as Google wants to resolve the issue soon.
We’ve been in negotiations with Amazon for a long time, working towards an agreement that provides great experiences for customers on both platforms. Amazon’s implementation of YouTube on the Echo Show violates our terms of service, creating a broken user experience. We hope to be able to reach an agreement and resolve these issues soon.
The pull-down is not good business for anyone as both Amazon and Google have a lot to offer each other. The Amazon Echo Show is essentially an Amazon Echo with a screen. It was introduced in May and it used to pull videos from Youtube when users asked for them. But all that has just changed today.
