Google and Amazon Need to Get it Together

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Let's start this out with a disclaimer; this is an opinion/rant. Do with it what you will.

We all know there is some stiff competition between the two Titans; Google and Amazon. But can they please get over their back-and-forth bickering already? It is costing their users like you and me a lot of missed entertainment!

About the time Amazon started selling their FireTV devices, they decided stop selling Google products that it saw as direct competition. At the time, this included Google's Android TV devices and has grown to include their Google Home Smart Assistants. Amazon has even gone so far to not just exclude these devices from its search results, but actually display THEIR devices instead! Note the search results for "google home":



In an act of apparent retaliation, Google has pulled its YouTube service from availability on Amazon devices. Quid Pro Quo, eh Google? This has gone back and forth several times, with occasional arrangements bringing the massive service back to Amazon devices briefly, at best.

Let's face it, a LARGE number of us consumers are regularly using and subscribing to BOTH Google and Amazon services. And it was AWESOME to be able to switch from watching music videos on YouTube to catching up on Sneaky Pete from my Amazon FireTV. Now, without workarounds, that is no longer as easy as it should be.

And one thing that really doesn't make sense to... While voice-controlled home assistants like Google Home and the earlier Amazon Echo devices could be considered direct competition, Google has nothing to compete with the screen-toting Amazon Echo devices like the Echo Show and Echo Spot!



Even if/when they do, wouldn't it make sense to give some leeway and come to an agreement which allows users of those Amazon Devices to use their YouTube service? Sure, Amazon bitch-slapped Google by not selling their hardware, but as you know, Services = MONEY. And by eliminating the customer base that uses Amazon devices like the Echo Show and Echo Spot (as well as the millions of FireTV and Fire Tablet users), Google is essentially punching themselves in the DICK by loosing out on that large group of people who could be using their service.

On the flip-side, you can FIRE up the Google Play Store (pun definitely intended) on your Google devices and enjoy any of Amazon's services you want; Prime Video, Prime Music, etc. So apparently Amazon recognizes the importance of having their services available to users of non-Amazon hardware. Too bad Google hasn't come to that same understanding.

I really just don't get it....

Can't we all just get along....and get YouTube back?

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