How to Open a Specified YouTube Video in the YouTube App on Android TV

This article clearly explains how to open a YouTube video in the YouTube app on Android TV, with sample Kotlin code. On Android TV, the package name and behavior differ from the standard smartphone YouTube app, so implementing a step-by-step fallback strategy is important.

YouTube App Package Name for Android TV

The package name for the Android TV version of the YouTube app is as follows:

com.google.android.youtube.tv

By sending an Intent that specifies this package, you can directly launch the YouTube app on Android TV.

Kotlin Example: Opening a Specific Video

Below is an example of an extension function that launches YouTube with a specified video ID.

import android.content.ActivityNotFoundException
import android.content.Context
import android.content.Intent
import android.net.Uri

fun Context.openYouTubeVideoOnTv(videoId: String) {
    val pm = packageManager

    // 1) Directly target the Android TV YouTube app (vnd.youtube: is the simplest)
    val tvAppIntent = Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW, Uri.parse("vnd.youtube:$videoId"))
        .setPackage("com.google.android.youtube.tv")

    // 2) Watch URL for the TV YouTube app (fallback for device/version differences)
    val tvUrlIntent = Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW, Uri.parse("https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=$videoId"))
        .setPackage("com.google.android.youtube.tv")

    // 3) Standard YouTube app (for phones/tablets)
    val mobileAppIntent = Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW, Uri.parse("vnd.youtube:$videoId"))
        .setPackage("com.google.android.youtube")

    // 4) Final fallback: browser
    val browserIntent = Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW, Uri.parse("https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=$videoId"))

    val candidates = listOf(tvAppIntent, tvUrlIntent, mobileAppIntent, browserIntent)

    val intentToLaunch = candidates.firstOrNull { it.resolveActivity(pm) != null }
        ?: throw ActivityNotFoundException("No app can handle YouTube video intent")

    // Handle cases where this is called from a non-Activity Context
    intentToLaunch.addFlags(Intent.FLAG_ACTIVITY_NEW_TASK)

    startActivity(intentToLaunch)
}

Implementation Notes

Try Intents in order of priority Safely fall back in this order: Android TV YouTube → URL-based launch → standard YouTube app → browser.
Check availability with resolveActivity() Prevents crashes when the specified app is not installed.
Add FLAG_ACTIVITY_NEW_TASK Ensures compatibility when called from a Service or Application context.

(Important) Package Visibility on Android 11 and Later

On Android 11 (API 30) and later, when resolving specific packages with setPackage(), you may need to declare them in queries in the Manifest.

<manifest ...>
    <queries>
        <package android:name="com.google.android.youtube.tv" />
        <package android:name="com.google.android.youtube" />
    </queries>
</manifest>

Why This Is Necessary

Due to package visibility restrictions, other apps are no longer visible by default.
Prevents resolveActivity() from always returning null.

Summary

On Android TV, it’s important to explicitly specify the package name of the TV-specific YouTube app.
To account for device and OS differences, a design that tries multiple Intents sequentially is safest.
On Android 11 and later, don’t forget the queries configuration in the Manifest.

Using this approach, you can reliably play specific YouTube videos from an Android TV app.