How to Install YouTube TV on Firestick: The Ultimate Guide 2024 (With Screenshots)

by
Frederik Lipfert
Dr. Frederik Lipfert Founder, vpncheck
Updated on 18 Dec 2021

Trying to figure out how to get YouTube TV on Firestick? Well, there’s no need to panic. We’ve laid out step-by-step instructions on installing the YouTube TV Firestick app—with screenshots. We’ll show you how to use a VPN and why you should use ExpressVPN when watching YouTube TV on Firestick.

  • 3 Methods on How to Install YouTube on Firestick
  • Why Use ExpressVPN to Access YouTube TV content
  • How to Customize the YouTube TV Firestick App
  • Benefits of Using YouTube TV on Firestick

How to Install YouTube TV on Firestick: 3 Methods?

Method #1: Directly from the Amazon Store—with 3 approaches

Installing an app from the Amazon Store is a straightforward process, but there are three ways to find the app within the store. Follow these steps to locate, download, and install YouTube TV.

Approach 1: Use the voice search function

  1. Hold the microphone button on your Alexa Voice Remote until you hear a beep. Say,  “Alexa, find YouTube TV.A screenshot of the microphone button highlighted on your Alexa Voice Remote
  2. The YouTube TV app should appear on the search results screen. Just be sure to select the YouTube TV app and not the YouTube app.The YouTubeTV app with black background to be selected, not the YouTube app with white background, in the search results of Amazon’s App Store
  3. Select ‘Get’ or ‘Download.’The Download icon for YouTube TV highlighted on Amazon App Store’s screen
  4. Click ‘Open’ to start the application.The Open icon for downloaded YouTube TV highlighted on Amazon App Store

Approach 2: Manually type in your search

  1. On the home screen, scroll down and highlight ‘Find’ and select the icon that says ‘Search’ and contains the microphone symbol.The Find button highlighted on Amazon App Store’s screen
  2. Use your remote to type in YouTube TV. As you type, options will appear below the keyboard, so you probably won’t have to type the whole phrase. Once YouTube TV appears in the list, select it from the search results.‘Youtube TV App’ appearing on Amazon App Store’s search results
  3. Highlight and select YouTube TV on the search results screen. Again, don’t choose the YouTube app.The YouTubeTV app with black background to be selected, not the YouTube app with white background, in the search results of Amazon’s App Store
  4. Based on what appears, select either ‘Get’ or ‘Download.’The Download icon for YouTube TV highlighted on Amazon App Store’s screen
  5. Select ‘Open’ to run the app.The Open icon for downloaded YouTube TV highlighted on Amazon App Store

Approach 3: Find the YouTube TV Firestick app in the categories list

  1. Highlight ‘Find’ on the home screen, and when the ‘Find’ menu appears, select the ‘Appstore’ icon.The Find button highlighted on Amazon App Store’s screen
  2. Scroll to underline ‘All Categories.’The All Categories tab highlighted in App Store’s screen with a tile menu of the items below it
  3. Select the ‘Movies & TV’ to find YouTube TV.The Movies & TV tile highlighted in the All Categories tile menu of the App Store
  4. Highlight and select YouTube TV. One last time, don’t select the YouTube app.The YouTube TV app with black background highlighted in the Movies & TV tile menu of the App Store - not to be mistaken with the YouTube app with white background
  5. Select ‘Get’ or ‘Download’ based on what appears.
  6. Click ‘Open’

Method #2: From a third-party application

If you want to run YouTube TV from outside the US, this is the best method to run it along with a VPN. Regardless, you’ll still have to pay for YouTube TV, and you must pay with a US-issued debit or credit card.

  1. Go to the Firestick home screen and highlight ‘Find.’ When the menu appears, select the ‘Search’ icon.The Find button highlighted on Amazon App Store’s screen
  2. Type ‘Downloader’ and highlight the text and click to search.Amazon Firestick search function with Downloader highlighted
  3. Highlight the ‘Downloader’ icon and click it.Amazon app menu with Downloader highlighted
  4. Click ‘Get’ or ‘Download.’ Once installed, don’t open the application yet.Clickable option to install Downloader on Firestick
  5. Return to the home screen and highlight the ‘Settings’ icon—the gear—on the far right.The gear icon representing ‘Settings’
  6. Scroll down when the menu appears and select ‘My Fire TV.’Amazon Firestick Settings menu with My Fire TV highlighted
  7. Select ‘Developer Options.’Developer options highlighted in the My Fire TV menu, find Developer options.
  8. Select ‘Install unknown apps.’Install unknown apps highlighted > Select Install unknown apps
  9. Switch the ‘Downloader’ app from OFF to ON.Downloader highlighted in the My Fire TV menu > Make sure that you allow Downloader to access third-party apps!
  10. Press the ‘Home’ button on your remote, return to the home screen, and scroll to highlight the ‘Apps’ icon.The gear icon representing ‘Settings’
  11. Select the ‘Downloader’ app to open it.The Downloader app tile highlighted in the tile menu under Your Apps & Channels category
  12. Click the text box to bring up the keyboard.Downloader Home menu
  13. Type https://m.apkpure.com/youtube-tv-live-tv-more/com.google.android.apps.youtube.unplugged/download?from=details with your remote and press the ‘Play’ button on your remote or select ‘Go.’YouTube TV’s repository link in the Downloader search box and the Go button highlighted to be clicked
  14. The file will download, and another screen will prompt. Click ‘Install.’Install dialog for Live YouTube TV with the Install button indicated to be clicked
  15. You can run the app immediately by clicking ‘Open’, but it’s better to delete the installation file first. Click ‘Done’ instead.Install dialog for Live YouTube TV indicating that the App has been installed and the option ‘Done’ being highlighted to be clicked
  16. At the next prompt, click ‘Delete.’The Delete button highlighted for selection in the Downloader Status dialog box
  17. Then click ‘Delete’ again to confirm.The Delete button highlighted for selection in the Downloader Confirmation dialog box
  18. Press the ‘Home’ button and return to the main screen. Highlight and select the ‘Apps’ icon again.The gear icon representing ‘Settings’
  19. Scroll down to find the Live ‘YouTube TV.’If you are going to use this application often, you can move it to your home screen for quick access.To do this, press the ‘Menu’ button on your remote—the four horizontal lines—and select ‘Move to Front’ from the menu on the right side.
  20. The ‘Move to front’ command indicated among the other Options command menu at the right side of the user’s Apps & Channels home screenSelect the app to open it, and then choose your desired resolution.Live YouTube TV highlighted in the tile menu under Your Apps & Channels category
  21. Click ‘Allow’ for the next prompt.The Allow button being highlighted in the Live YouTube TV permission dialog screen
  22. From here, you have the option to try YouTube TV if you don’t have it already. If you already have an account, select ‘Sign In.’The Sign In button highlighted to be clicked on YouTube TV’s home screen
  23. Follow the instructions on this screen.Visit the YouTube sign-in page on either your computer or smartphone. From there, you can use the activation code and sign in to your account.Dialog screen showing instructions on how to sign in to YouTube TV

Method #3: From the Firestick browser

  1. From the home screen, highlight ‘Find’ and click the ‘Search’ icon.The Find button highlighted on Amazon App Store’s screen
  2. Type ‘Silk Browser’ with the remote and click it in the search results.Firestick Search menu showing Silk Browser in the search results
  3. Click the ‘Silk Browser’ icon.The Silk Browser app - indicated by the word ‘internet’ and Amazon’s curved arrow below the word - to be selected from the search tile menu under the Apps & Games category
  4. Click ‘Download’ or ‘Get.’The Download icon for Amazon Silk Web Browser highlighted
  5. Open the Silk Browser app.The Open icon for Amazon Silk Web Browser highlighted
  6. Click the ‘Enter URL’ bar at the top of the screen.The search bar highlighted on Amazon Silk Web Browser’s screen
  7. With your remote, enter https://tv.youtube.com/ and press the ‘Play’ button on your remote or select ‘Go.’YouTube TV’s URL typewritten on the search box and the Go button highlighted to be selected
  8. Sign in and start viewing.YouTube TV’s home screen on Amazon Silk Web Browser showing a limited time offer and the Sign In button on the top right being highlighted

Why You Should Use ExpressVPN to Access Content From YouTube TV

There are two key reasons to always use a reliable VPN—like ExpressVPN—to access content from YouTube TV.

Watch YouTube TV from a geoblocked location

First, YouTube TV is geoblocked to the United States. If you want to use your YouTube TV subscription outside of the US, you’ll need a fast, secure VPN to change your computer’s IP location. Unfortunately, many VPN companies have subpar speeds, which are necessary when streaming YouTube TV.

It’s best to rely on a fast, secure VPN service like ExpressVPN to ensure that you’re able to enjoy your shows. They consistently rank high or at the top among the fastest VPNs available. 

Fortunately, ExpressVPN has an application you can install on your Firestick. This allows you to watch YouTube TV on your Firestick from anywhere in the world.

Keep your data secure while watching YouTube TV

Anytime you use your Firestick—whether using YouTube TV or any other app—it’s being tracked by your internet service provider or ISP. 

And when you transmit your data, they can sell that data to third parties—legal in the US since 2017. Or they can turn your data over to government agencies for surveillance. 

Hackers can also intercept these data transmissions and use them for attacks on your computer or other nefarious activities. 

Using ExpressVPN encrypts any data that’s being sent when you access YouTube TV. It also hides your actual IP address so that no one can target it for hacking attacks on your personal data. 

For a comprehensive assessment and ratings of ExpressVPN by industry experts, click here: ExpressVPN Review

VPNs are a good idea anytime you’re on the web, but watching YouTube TV sends a continual stream of data. It’s even more important to protect your data while watching. Don’t take a chance. Always use a VPN like ExpressVPN when accessing YouTube TV content on any device.

How to Customize YouTube TV for Firestick?

Outside of the channel offerings, YouTube TV’s interface is one of its key benefits. It’s very similar to the YouTube website and has a clean, sleek look with easy-to-see thumbnails and descriptions. If the white or grey background is too bright for you, you can also enable a dark mode. 

Think of these customization tips as things you can do to get the app ready for Firestick. You can configure the settings via the YouTube TV app on your Firestick, but it may be faster to set things up on the computer or smartphone first and then login from the Firestick afterward.

Customizing Your YouTube TV Channel Lineup

At the top of your YouTube TV interface, there are three options—Library, Home, and Live. When you select the Live option, you’ll see a channel lineup with a programming schedule akin to the old TV Guide Channel. By default, local channels come first, and they loosely divide the rest by category.

However, you can customize your channel lineup however you want. Prefer sports? Put all the sports channels at the top. Love movies? Do the same for your movie channels. To set up your lineup, follow these instructions.

  1. Sign in to YouTube TV and click your profile image on the top right of the interface.
  2. Click ‘Settings’ from the dropdown menu.
  3. Select ‘Live guide’ from the sidebar. Doing this opens a list of all available networks and how they’re ordered on the lineup screen.
  4. If you don’t want a channel to appear, you can uncheck boxes next to any network to hide it from your line up. Don’t worry. They’ll come back if you check the box again.
  5. To reorder the networks, you can drag them up and down in the interface by clicking and holding on to the menu icon (the four lines icon).
  6. When done, exit the settings menu, and your changes will appear. 

When you order this line up under your account, the settings will appear on all devices when you log in to YouTube TV.

Setting Up Your Library

With YouTube TV, you get unlimited DVR storage for all of your accounts. This means you can record and set up your Library tab to view all of your favorite shows, movies, and sports games anytime you want. 

To set things up, you only need to search a show or click on it within the Live TV menu. From there, just click the ‘+’, and the YouTube TV DVR will record every episode of that show when it airs from then on. Once it’s recorded, you can view the show directly from the Library tab on your Firestick device. 

You can also add shows directly within the YouTube TV Firestick app. However, it’s a little faster to do it with a mouse than with a remote. And with your YouTube TV app customized, you’re now ready to download and install YouTube TV on Firestick.

What Are the Benefits of Using YouTube TV on Firestick?

At its low price and ability to install third-party applications, the Amazon Fire Stick makes sense for anyone looking for affordable entertainment. And thanks to YouTube TV, besides being one of the best streaming sites for free movies, it has now become a top alternative for viewers around the world over satellite and cable providers. At $64.95/month, it’s an efficient way to get your favorite channels anywhere in the US—or as we’ll explain later, in the world. 

But what are the benefits of using it with your Amazon Firestick? Before going into detail, let’s look at why YouTube TV is so popular.

A Vast YouTube TV Channel List

YouTube TV gives you access to over 85 channels from the world of entertainment, news, sports, and more. One monthly fee allows you to stream on 3 devices at once with up to 6 accounts. Each user account comes with unlimited DVR storage. 

With YouTube TV, you get access to local and regional networks based on your zip code. You can also pay extra for premium add-ons like HBO, Showtime, NFL RedZone, MLB TV, and the NBA League Pass. 

All of this comes with no extra box rental fees, DVR fees, or local network fees. It’s all one price, and you don’t have to pay for installation. There’s also no contract or cancellation fees.

The channels on YouTube TV broadcast in 780p high-definition, but you can also pay an extra $19.99 per month for access to a limited selection of 4k channels. This add-on also unlocks streaming on unlimited devices simultaneously.

Convenient Access to YouTube via Firestick

To get the full benefits of YouTube TV, you’ll want to watch it somewhere other than a computer screen. It’s easy but requires either a smart TV or streaming device that can download and install applications—enter Firestick.

An Amazon Fire Stick opens up your TV to loads of streaming options. With an easy-to-use interface, you’re able to search, download, and install a variety of applications. These apps enable your TV to stream movies, music, and games all in one convenient place.

With YouTube TV installed on your Firestick, you’ll be able to stream everything from the app on your TV. Plus, you can use its outstanding interface and DVR. Just know that if you pay for the 4k add-on through YouTube TV, you’ll also need a 4k Firestick to view content in 4k.

Conclusion

With this guide on How to Install YouTube TV on Firestick, you’re ready to watch your favorite shows and live events. YouTube TV and Firestick are an impressive combination to help you save cash on monthly bills. Plus, you get access to top-tier channels and unlimited DVR storage. Just remember to use Express VPN when streaming!