Taking rivalry to new level: Google blocks YouTube access from Amazon’s devices

Taking rivalry to a new level, search engine giant Google has blocked support for its Youtube video service from Amazon streaming-media devices. The search engine behemoth blocked YouTube access via the Echo Show, Amazon’s smart speaker with a touchscreen, on Tuesday and will stop supporting YouTube on Amazon’s Fire TV set-top box on 1 January, according to a report from Bloomberg.

This is after Amazon failed to make Amazon Prime Video available through Google's gadgets and stoppage of the sale of some Nest products of its site.

Google's taking the action because the YouTube apps on Amazon products aren’t made by Google, like the YouTube app on the iPhone is, and the retail giant doesn’t sell some Google products, such as Chromecast and Google Home, said a company representative in a statement. Both the companies are trying to reach an agreement to give users access to each other's products and services.

Amazon is reportedly planning to resolve the dispute.

Google and Amazon rivalry

Both the firms are aggressive to win customers and take early leads. Recently, they introduced multiple new home devices, including speakers and home-security products.

Both have also been pushing their own video and music-streaming services as well as competing for video-control platforms. They also both offer corporate cloud-computing services, a market where Amazon leads by a wide margin.

Earlier in September, Google blocked YouTube support for the Echo Show and at the time said Amazon’s implementation “violates our terms of service, creating a broken user experience.

In November, this was resolved after Amazon started forwarding people using that device to a stripped-down third-party app that leveraged the YouTube website, instead of a native app. Then, last month, Amazon pulled Nest’s latest devices, including its cheaper thermostat, from its online store. The Chromecast streaming product was removed from Amazon.com in 2015.

Amazon said in the statement. “Google is setting a disappointing precedent by selectively blocking customer access to an open website.”

The California-based company isn’t the only competitor that has seen its products blocked from Amazon. Apple TV Box was also pulled from the Amazon 2015.