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YouTube app launches for Xbox One

YouTube app launches for Xbox One

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YouTube xbox one 2
YouTube xbox one 2

YouTube might have been missing from the Xbox One and PS4 entertainment app lists, but that's being addressed for Microsoft's console. Google is announcing today that YouTube is now available for Xbox One. The user interface looks very similar to the existing Xbox 360 version, and it also includes voice controls and gesture navigation that are improved over Microsoft’s previous console app.

Saying "YouTube" automatically displays controls like play, pause, and skip forward, and you can use voice commands in any part of the app. Like the 360 version, you can use gestures to scroll through videos. Google’s YouTube app for Xbox One will also support channels, subscriptions, and the trending videos from the service. It will be available immediately at launch alongside the Xbox One this Friday. It's not clear if the Xbox One YouTube app supports the cast functionality to play videos from a tablet straight to the console. We've reached out to Google to comment on this, and we'll update you accordingly.

Update: We've confirmed that the Xbox One app supports YouTube pairing. It's a manual process initially, but you can then cast videos from the iOS and Android YouTube apps.