Provider - YouTube TV

Thanks for making this post.
Lets see what develops.
I guess it explains why I seem to be seeing more requests to "Sign in with Google" as i browse the web
try to use certain apps etc

unless Google is going to require 2fa for family accounts YTTV should keep working...

Google has stopped supporting less secure apps. That’s the issue. Even disabling 2FA still presents the blocked for for being a less secure app. I’ve already tested it without 2FA and it’s the same block screen. 2FA isn’t the issue it’s the fact they no longer support username/password only and less secure apps connecting to any of their services. Channels needs to get updated to support Google’s latest requirements it has nothing to do with family accounts if you examine the block screen. I’ll disable 2FA again and post the error here but it’s specifically related to “less secure apps” being blocked and channels using username and password only is now considered a less secure app in Google’s world. You’ve got to play by Google’s rules to access their services

Maybe existing connections might keep working...but adding a new one is dead and gone end of story based on the test below. You can no longer add a new YTTV connection until channels updates the process to use oAuth per google's requirements.

Also.....nothing should work in 2024/2025 without 2FA it's practically a requirement now which is why google has disabled less secure app access for security reasons. I have been in IT for 25 years and dealing with google serivices for 12....this is to be expected.

While it's a PITA app developers like channels simply need to update their mechanisms to support google's services for new connections....period end of story.


More info...and it can also be account specific as it is in my case...but it is going away 100% Jan 2025 and Channels needs to update their code please for new connections to be fully supported.

https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/6010255?fl=1&sjid=7455493635698895343-NA

also, Once you ever enabled 2FA the option to ALLOW less secure apps gets removed so even if you disable it now it will never connect as the option is gone. Y
How to enable "Less secure app access" on Gmail.

You can check your own account's capability here:
https://www.google.com/settings/security/lesssecureapps

I have many other apps connected that do follow Google's new oAuth process and cvhannels will show here once they support the proper authentication capabilities of google.

This is 99% a channels problem to fix at this stage and especially after Jan 2025 which is around the corner. for the next couple weeks creating a new account with nothing enabled might work, but I suspect only for a short time.

EDIT:

I can also confirm....creating a BRAND NEW google account "today" the ability to enable less secure apps is not available even on a brand account with just a username and password. I can't prove this will no longer work any further and that the authentication simply needs to be updated by Channels to work even on a net new google account with nothing added after creating it. This link still shows the option is not available...you can test it yourself just create a brand new google account and check the link below.

https://www.google.com/settings/security/lesssecureapps

Edit:
The link above may be specific to Google WOrkspace accounts where admins can allow it to be enabled. It does appear that any personal accounts are going to get blocked as google does not see channels app as a secure application per their security standards.

" If an app or site doesn’t meet our security standards, Google might block anyone who’s trying to sign in to your account from it. Less secure apps can make it easier for hackers to get in to your account, so blocking sign-ins from these apps helps keep your account safe."

It still is coming down not to 2FA but to google seeing the connection as a less secure app as one of my screen captures indicates. On admin controlled accounts until Jan 2025 workspace admins can control LSA's but on personal/free accounts google is controlling it for sure

Bottom line.....@Channels please update YTTV option to use the proper secure mechanisms so it can be added as a new source and meet the google security standards. Thanks in advance.

I think maybe existing logons will work but NEW ones will have this new problem.
I'm sure the devs will come up with a fix, and it might work more smoothly and reliably.

So per your additional testing do you still think that 2FA will be required?
I'd rather not go thru the 2FA unless required...
"Google Cloud will require 2FA for all users starting in 2025"

I simply meant that in today's world one should never expect that 2FA is not enabled.

Google is not "requiring" 2FA unless a Google Workspace admin enables that but on personal accounts it is not a requirement yet I am merely saying you should not be using apps today without 2FA it's more secure.

From what I can tell the issue with Channels is "not" 2FA it's the simple fact Google is seeing the channels app connection as an LSA (Less Secure Application) and blocking it in most cases on new connections.

I had an existing connection and it stopped working hence why I tried to make a new connection. I do think existing connections will eventually just stop working, but from what I can tell most certainly any new connections google is blocking it as a LSA (2FA enabled or not) that seems to be irrelevant to the blocking.

It's a bummer as I had over 120 channels on YTTV showing and working including the local streams all of which are gone now since they stopped working and I removed it to try and re-add it and now discovering it's most certainly blocked by google.

At the end of the day you are not going to work around google's security apps just need to work within their requirements and as of now......channels is being considered a less secure app until they move to meet the google security standards for connecting a 3rd party apps to google services. :man_shrugging:

If current connections are mostly working I would not remove them for sure or you won't get it reconnected.

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YouTube TV keeps raising prices ....

Thanks again for a very informative post.
A question:
How did you get all the YTTV "local streams" to work within CDVR... you don't have to answer, LOL!

I will say I am runing the QNAP package but the version is current to what's published ( Version

2024.12.10.0055) and there could be some relationshop to the QNAP OS and Chrome but I Can revert to the docker image and check but I lose the HW transcoding that works so well natively.

generalyl speaking however if a 3rd party app launches a "local" browser to handle the oAuth you never run into the issue of a chrome version built in being stuck at an old version, but I can't tell what/how the chrome version is being determined within the channels app package/version.

I have connected other QNAP apps like Hybrid Mount to google drive without issue as that app uses the proper oauth mechanism with a local browser to connect. See the short videop example below of how it opens a local browser window.

This is how most apps do it (open a local browser) for sure to comply with google security and if your browser is already logged in you just get the permission options presented etc. This is how channels should/needs to connect to the new google.

That I believe was pulled in with the "Local Network" option checked under advanced. I still get a couple pulled in from the DISH connection but not all of them I got when YTTV was connected. You need to be connected to the channels UI with HTTPS though. That has always worked for the locals to get pulled in via TVE

This has nothing to do with less secure apps. Your error says your browser is not secure, which happens when running too old chrome or running on a NAS.

To add to this i literally set up a new tve connection with YTTV last week on my ubunutu server and it worked perfectly. i have not enabled anything re: less secure apps. Now the channels docker fails every time but stand alone ubuntu server works great

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So even the docker container fails too?. I’d have to go back and check that option but it’s way too random.

Works on native installs not in docker or NAS packages which means it needs better documentation on what works and what doesn’t. Random is no good.

This sounds more likely to the docker problem so host combo may affect it too then

Only place I can run docker is on the QNAP same as the thread above is on synology so even the chrome version in docker on various hosts may differ. It shouldn’t matter though since docker image is self contained and should include its own chrome version. Not sure why it would rely on the hosts version as indicated in the thread above.

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He was running the :nvidia tagged image which uses an older chrome than the :tve tagged image.
I think the same problem exists even with the :tve tagged image compiled for different platforms.
The developers have had to create new images to get a newer chrome version.

For an OS that you can install chrome on, a native install of CDVR will use it.
Don't know of any NAS that can install a chrome package, so it needs to be included in the CDVR NAS package or CDVR Container image.

I was just going to reply the same thing that :tve image is needed LOL.

I flipped myself from the QNAP image back to the docker :tve and

Also as an update Google with 2FA still does work with the :tve image BUT if you have a PASSKEY configured on the account then that is no dice. I simply got the 2FA "is this you yes/no" on my device with gmail installed.

Tested an app password as well and that was no go.

Can you try :nvidia-test

That is why I switched to SlingTV a while back. I only use ah4c and SlingTV blue for Premier League (USA Network). I kept Paramount/Showtime with YouTubeTV for $10 and Starz as well. Now just out of spite I a going to get those with SlingTV as well.

I'm actually on a friends YTTV since he has access to my plex server so it's a trade off of sorts. I am going to test a basic google account next with no extra login security just waiting for him to add that new account to the group. Then I should be able to keep the passkey on my own account he added years ago. That new account I am hoping won't do the 2FA prompt on my device when trying to start a channel either and I can then re-enable full security on my other account and use this new one just for channels DVR and my freular one with the native YTTV app.