Google is going to make a change to YouTube’s API that will see the video-sharing site no longer functioning on around 100 million smartphones and tablets.
Although the search engine firm, which owns YouTube, has touted the upcoming modifications as an upgrade, it does mean that many consumers will no longer be able to access the social platform on devices made in 2012 or earlier.
Apart from inconveniencing its users, the step may also affect companies that are carrying out website marketing. With the video-sharing website becoming increasingly important for many firms as a way to host their visual content, having a substantial number of clients unable to see uploads may not be best for business.
The three-year-old devices that will no longer be supported by the multimedia channel’s API, will include iPhones, iPads, Blu-Ray players and smart televisions. However, the owners of Google-designed Android handsets will not be affected, as the search company will continue to upgrade all of the key APIs through its Play Store. Older Apple products may still be able to access the site through their browser, if Flash or HTML5 is installed, but not the official app.
The updates to the API, which Google first discussed in March of 2014, are being viewed as a way to make YouTube more accessible to users within other applications. By doing so, many future patrons of the platform may be able to experience a more well-rounded service, but only after they will have had to buy new devices.
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