New Apple TV 4K Shows YouTube Not Yet Available Error on Launch Day

New Apple TV 4K buyers saw YouTube error messages on launch day Friday, according to The Verge. The app first showed a black screen with a QR code saying YouTube was not yet available on the device; in some cases it worked but showed a transparent red bar saying it was approved for device testing only.

The Verge's Tom Warren found that installing the tvOS 27.2 update and rebooting was not enough; he also had to uninstall and reinstall the app. A separate report listed the same steps — update to tvOS 27.2, restart the device, uninstall YouTube, then reinstall it from the App Store — and said YouTube has started rolling out a server-side fix, so some devices may recover without local changes. Users reported the problem across social media and Reddit after setting up the device.

The fix steps include updating to tvOS 27.2, restarting the Apple TV by disconnecting power or through Settings, then uninstalling and reinstalling YouTube from the App Store. YouTube has started rolling out a server-side fix, and some devices may recover without local changes.

The Verge's John Higgins, in his review of the new Apple TV 4K, called it one of the best streaming devices available, though expensive compared with other streaming boxes.

YouTube is owned by Alphabet. Apple shares were up 0.77% in delayed trading at $357.63. It is not clear how many buyers were affected or when YouTube's server-side fix will reach all devices. No earnings date or other next event was given in the reports.