YouTube for Android TV is rolling out a Netflix-like account switcher

Last month, Google said there were over 270 million monthly active Google TV and other Android TV devices, making these platforms among the biggest in the world to watch videos on. YouTube remains one of the most popular ways to enjoy videos on any platform, and that’s no different on Android TV. Given that TVs are commonly shared devices, YouTube lets you switch between multiple accounts so everyone can maintain their own subscriptions, watch history, and recommendations. However, YouTube’s account switching experience on Android TV is a bit clunky, but that’s thankfully changing with a new update.

YouTube for Android TV, not to be confused with YouTube TV, has long had the ability to switch accounts from within the app. To do so, you have to launch the app, use your remote to navigate to YouTube’s menu on the left side, navigate up until you reach the account tab, tap switch accounts, and then choose an account from the menu that appears on the right side. The YouTube for Android TV app will then reload to switch accounts. Here’s how that old interaction went:

While YouTube’s existing account switcher does the job, it has a few issues. First, it requires you to sign into multiple Google accounts from within Android TV itself, meaning those accounts can’t be isolated to just the YouTube app. A (now patched) vulnerability was discovered earlier this year that used Google account credentials stored on Android TV devices to access users’ Gmail inboxes, which could’ve been avoided had apps like YouTube not relied on system-wide account sign-ins in the first place.

Second, the existing account switcher is a bit slow. It requires at least 6 button presses to change accounts, which could be annoying if you’re just trying to unwind after a long day of work.

Other media streaming apps for smart TVs like Netflix have what I think is a much better account switching experience. Netflix’s account switcher, for example, is not only integrated into the app itself but also asks you on startup which account you want to use. Fortunately, Google is rolling out an update to YouTube for Android TV that implements a Netflix-like account switcher.

When I launched the YouTube app on my NVIDIA SHIELD this weekend, I noticed that all of my accounts had been logged out of the app. After logging back in, the YouTube for Android TV app started asking me which account I wanted to use every time I launched it. In addition, the account tab now let me switch between accounts without opening Android’s settings. I was even able to log out of my Google account on Android TV and continue using that same account on YouTube.

Overall, I think YouTube’s new account switcher for Android TV provides a much better multi-user experience. I’ve always felt that Netflix, Prime Video, and several other streaming services were better at handling multiple users, but this recent update closes the gap between YouTube and those other services. YouTube hasn’t made an announcement yet about this new account switcher experience, but it’s rolled out to a few members of the Android Authority staff already. If you have this new experience, let us know in the comments below!