Open YouTube link & stay in Safari - no auto direct?

[ScratchyMoose]

Hi All,

If there's a web page that has a YouTube link in it which I tap, I get the pop up "Open in YouTube?". Sometimes I don't want to open it in YouTube but keep going in Safari and watch it there. If I click cancel, the link won't open, and I'm forced to mess around with copying and pasting which is nonsense. I've been searching for an answer but no joy.

In a stubborn moment, I've deleted the YouTube app itself, but is there an alternative?

Try it on this

link ... Edit - will embed rather than show url

Cheers

 

[GreyOS]

Yeah it's rubbsh and YouTube could and should update to the new deep linking method on iOS which puts a button top right to go to the website instead of the app after the app opens
[doublepost=1461187304][/doublepost]For example...

The difference with the new method is it immediately opens the app (but then gives you the top right option) whereas YouTube pops up a message box first. This leads me to believe they are not using the proper linking method that the Twitter app uses for example

 

[ScratchyMoose]

Yeah it's rubbsh and YouTube could and should update

Thanks, initially I thought I was going mad, not being able to do such a simple thing - be in safari, click a link, and stay in safari ... it's not too much to ask!

 

[macfacts]

Yeah it's rubbsh and YouTube could and should update to the new deep linking method on iOS which puts a button top right to go to the website instead of the app after the app opens
[doublepost=1461187304][/doublepost]For example...

The difference with the new method is it immediately opens the app (but then gives you the top right option) whereas YouTube pops up a message box first. This leads me to believe they are not using the proper linking method that the Twitter app uses for example

Thanks, initially I thought I was going mad, not being able to do such a simple thing - be in safari, click a link, and stay in safari ... it's not too much to ask!

Apple doesn't allow the user to pick "default apps".

 

[Gav2k]

It plays in the browser for me....?

 

[GreyOS]

It plays in the browser for me....?

It's not a great example but click the title link at the top of the video

Basically, desktop YouTube links try to open in the app with no other option.

Mobile links with m prefix in URL and embedded video play in the browser

This is iPhone only.

Unfortunately MacRumors forums converts all links to embedded video but you can put these two in your address bar

desktop https://youtube.com/watch?v=Yf0BShx-v5Q

mobile https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Yf0BShx-v5Q

[doublepost=1461221172][/doublepost]

Apple doesn't allow the user to pick "default apps".

What has that got to do with anything? Apple allows certain urls to open in apps, that's all that's important here

 

[Gav2k]

It's not a great example but click the title link at the top of the video

Basically, desktop YouTube links try to open in the app with no other option.

Mobile links with m prefix in URL and embedded video play in the browser

This is iPhone only.

Unfortunately MacRumors forums converts all links to embedded video but you can put these two in your address bar

desktop https://youtube.com/watch?v=Yf0BShx-v5Q

mobile https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Yf0BShx-v5Q

[doublepost=1461221172][/doublepost]
What has that got to do with anything? Apple allows certain urls to open in apps, that's all that's important here

Surely that just adds user choice? If I want it in the browser I click play, if I want it in the app I click the link? No?!

 

[GreyOS]

Surely that just adds user choice? If I want it in the browser I click play, if I want it in the app I click the link? No?!

no: you're thinking of a specific example where the video is embedded.

In many many cases you will just have a plain link to a video. (Read my post again)

If it's a link to the desktop site you have no (simple, easy) choice but to open in the app

 

[macfacts]

...
What has that got to do with anything? Apple allows certain urls to open in apps, that's all that's important here

And that is what is happening. You tube URLs in safari are opening in YouTube app.

What is being requested in this thread is to watch the YouTube video in Safari, aka letting the user pick which app to handle the link.

 

[slimnickyy]

And that is what is happening. You tube URLs in safari are opening in YouTube app.

What is being requested in this thread is to watch the YouTube video in Safari, aka letting the user pick which app to handle the link.

Yea, but Apple doesn’t like offering too many options, thus removing YT like he or she did is the best bet though yes admittedly you lose some benefits of using the app. Some apps don’t always launch when selecting the URL, e.g. wikipedia is hit and miss. So definitely work to be done.

 

[GreyOS]

And that is what is happening. You tube URLs in safari are opening in YouTube app.

What is being requested in this thread is to watch the YouTube video in Safari, aka letting the user pick which app to handle the link.

No, if you read my posts, you'll see I pointed out that YouTube is not conforming to the nice method of universal linking introduced in iOS 9. I posted an example of Twitter, which does it nicely, where the OS provides a link in the top right to go to the web page view instead of the app view. YouTube does not support this feature. Another annoying feature of YouTube's method is that it pops up a box (where your options are only to cancel or go to the app) whereas Twitter just goes straight to the app, but then lets you go to the web page with the top right button.

If YouTube followed Twitter's lead (and Twitter is just one example here. ebay do the same, to give one more example) then OP would have what they wanted

edit:
If anyone doesn't know much about this new Universal Links feature I've done a bit of further research into it

When an app supports this feature and a URL to its website opens the app, as you know you can then tap on the top right of the status bar to go to the website instead. iOS will take that to mean you always want to open the website instead of the app. You can revert to opening in the app by long-pressing a link for that app's website and choosing Open in "App Name" - after that, the default tap action on its URLs will be to open in the app. When the default action is to open the app, you can also use the long-press menu and chose Open to open the website

I've added some pictures:
1. Finding MacRumors twitter profile in Google search
2. Default result of tapping the link - Twitter app opens on the MacRumors twitter profile
3. Tapping the top right status bar button which takes me to the website of the MacRumors twitter profile
4. Showing the long-press menu on the Google search link to show both Open and Open in "Twitter" options