Good day, Temp!

If you are one of the oddballs around and are still using your WiiU in 2020, then chances are you are most likely still using because of the neat browser the WiiU had, and its ability to stream videos directly to the TV from the browser.

However, starting in mid-June of 2020, YouTube officially dropped all support for the web browser of the WiiU, leaving the only official supported method for playing YouTube videos on the WiiU be through the YouTube App from the eShop, but if you have tried that app before, you know how awful it is, and it's prone to crashing and the inability to do anything else BUT watch the current video, unlike doing it through the browser, which still gave you the ability to use the browser on the WiiU Gamepad for anything else, while the video was being streamed separately to the TV.

The point of this tutorial is to give the users some options to still play their YouTube videos through the browser, despite YouTube officially ending support for it.
With that said, let us begin with the current options we have to still play YouTube videos.

PREPARATIONS

Before beginning, let me mention that you need to modify the current way the browser loads the YouTube page from the Desktop variant to the Mobile variant.
If you try to use the Desktop site, it won't load any videos at all, and it will show up glitched.

To change the default site that loads upon entering YouTube on the browser, type the following in the link textbox of the browser:
https://m.youtube.com/?persist_app=1&app=m

Then, immediately afterwards, close the tab, and try typing "youtube.com".
Now the browser should automatically load the mobile version of YouTube on the browser, you will now be able to see the videos listed in Home, Trending and Subscriptions.
However, this sole change doesn't make the actual videos to play, that's where the following options come into play.

WORKING OPTIONS

The following methods vary in terms of difficulty.
We will begin from easiest to hardest in case some of these options end up not working in the future, and for ease of access to the end-user.

YT Mobile & Android user agentYT Mobile & Embed YT videosYT Mobile, Chrome user agent & force Desktop site for videos only

1. This method involves forcing the WiiU browser to behave as an Android device.
   To make this work, the following steps are required:
   
   
   1. As stated at the beginning of the "Preparations" section, you should make the browser load the mobile version by default with the following link:
      https://m.youtube.com/?persist_app=1&app=m
   2. Open a new tab, and go to the top-right corner of the browser to the Settings option.
   3. Inside Settings, scroll down until you find an option called "User Agent". Change the default user agent to "Android" (Android tablet might work too, but stick to Android unless that option ends up not working in the future).
   4. Now with the user agent set to Android, and YouTube loading in Mobile mode, you can freely open up any video, and the video will start playing automatically once you click on it.
   
   This is by far the easiest form to currently load YouTube videos in the browser as of July 2020. If you end up having troubles with this method in the future, try one of the other two methods.
   
2. 
   
   1. This method doesn't require changing the browser's user agent, so you can leave it as the default one (Wii U).
      
   2. If you have modified the user agent when trying one of the other methods, then open a new tab, and go to the top-right corner of the browser to the Settings option, scroll down until you find an option called "User Agent", and change the default user agent to "Wii U".
      
   3. As with the previous method, make the browser load the mobile version by default with the following link:
      https://m.youtube.com/?persist_app=1&app=m
      
   4. Search around for a site that removes ads or makes embed videos, like the ones you see on Temp's news articles.
   5. Copy-paste the video's link into the page that does so, and when the embed video is ready, simply play it and it should automatically begin playing on TV.
   
   For suggestions on what sites to use to make the embed videos, I mostly use a site called ViewPure.com, others like Embed.ly could work as well.
   If anyone knows of others sites that can embed YouTube videos and works for this method, please let me know so I can add it to this tutorial.
   
3. 
   This method is by far the hardest to get YouTube videos (and the first one I stumbled upon when attempting a workaround after YT dropped support the very same day it happened).
   I recommend only using this one in case none of the other two methods works for you.
   
   
   1. As with all the other methods, make the browser load the mobile version by default with the following link:
      https://m.youtube.com/?persist_app=1&app=m
   2. Open a new tab, and go to the top-right corner of the browser to the Settings option.
   3. Inside Settings, scroll down until you find an option called "User Agent". Change the default user agent to "Chrome" or "Firefox"
   4. Go to YouTube, and open any video you want in another tab
   5. With the video opened, add "&app=desktop" to the video link. You will see the video trying to load now, but it won't load on its own.
   6. To force the video to play, notice the area where the video is (where the loading circle is moving), and with the touchscreen, click and hold where the circle is until a window pops up.
   7. Select "Play Video on Web Page".
   8. Then, when it starts playing on the in-tab browser, click and hold with the touchscreen again and select "Play Video on Fullscreen".
   9. This will make the video to start playing on the TV, while leaving the browser free for other things of your liking.
   
   The only drawback on using this method is that sometimes, instead of the video loading normally, you will get an ad to load, and the video doesn't resume automatically after the ad ends, so you are stuck with the ad loading instead of the video. You can sometimes bypass this by refreshing the page, or re-entering the video's link manually, but I struggled with a couple of videos where no matter how many times I reloaded the video, an ad would always play no matter what.
   Perhaps using this method alongside the embed sites mentioned in Method #2 could help with this.
   
   While this method might sound like a shore to do, once you get the hang of it you can do it really quickly, simply start Youtube on mobile, open the video and add "&app=Desktop" at the end of it, then hold click to force "Play on Fullscreen" and that's it.
   

FINAL THOUGHTS

For me, having the WiiU Tablet as a menu of sorts to browse online is a life saviour, and still unmatched with any other Android box or Smart TV out there, since it gives you a lot of options and a fast click and browsing method while still seeing the video on your TV, which most other devices don't do.

I do what to find a workaround for Twitch, but given how I don't go to that site as much nor have much interest, I haven't really delved much into it.
But if anyone find a way to get Twitch working again on the WiiU Browser, let me know and I'll add it to this tutorial too.

All in all, the best thing that could happen would be for a revised version of the browser, like an updated version of it to mod the current one that works in original firmware, so we can browse with proper multi-coding support and no more "1035" errors, and also updated SSL and TLS certificates so that more sites load on the WiiU browser.

Either that or a homebrew browser for the WiiU.
Sadly, seeing how the WiiU homebrew scene is pretty much all but dead in the bloom of the Switch scene, it's unlikely to happen.

I do hope these workaround help with all those WiiU users out there who still use their WiiU consistently as a streaming media.
Best of wishes, and happy WiiU streaming!

 

[CommanderFox]

The Wii U's web browser is old and hasn't been updated for a long time, so i suppose it's a security concern for Google, i guess...

It has nothing to do with that, Youtube has always been updating their design and scripts to latest web standards.

The Wii U's WebKit engine simply can't render the new design and can't execute the Javascript (same reason why reCaptcha no longer works on the Wii U Browser.)

 

[huma_dawii]

It has nothing to do with that, Youtube has always been updating their design and scripts to latest web standards.

The Wii U's WebKit engine simply can't render the new design and can't execute the Javascript (same reason why reCaptcha no longer works on the Wii U Browser.)

But the core function is still there, and still works.

 

[CommanderFox]

But the core function is still there, and still works.

The mobile design works, yes. Because it's designed to be lightweight and for fallback support. One day however it will also be updated to latest web-standards which will break that too.

If you're talking about videoplayback, it still works too because it has fallback (up to 720p) for just embedded mp4 files with both video and audio stream in the same container.

Anything higher than 720p on Youtube uses Dash, which the Wii U Browser does not support.

 

[huma_dawii]

The mobile design works, yes. Because it's designed to be lightweight and for fallback support. One day however it will also be updated to latest web-standards which will break that too.

If you're talking about videoplayback, it still works too because it has fallback (up to 720p) for just embedded mp4 files with both video and audio stream in the same container.

Anything higher than 720p on Youtube uses Dash, which the Wii U Browser does not support.

I was wondering why my Wii U videos never played in 1080p, only 720p and the Wii U obviously supports video 1080p...

 

[CommanderFox]

I was wondering why my Wii U videos never played in 1080p, only 720p and the Wii U obviously supports video 1080p...

The Wii U Browser Videoplayer can even decode 1080p60FPS videos smoothly if the bitrate is not too high, I have tested that with a local media server, which is really impressive for such a system.

I really wish the Browser got more love by Nintendo.

 

[Moon164]

The ''YT Mobile & Android user agent'' method did not work for me, when I try to load the video it gives error.

I haven't tested the other two methods yet.

 

[ShadowOne333]

The ''YT Mobile & Android user agent'' method did not work for me, when I try to load the video it gives error.

I haven't tested the other two methods yet.

You need to reload the page after you set the user agent.
Be sure you refresh it afterwards, else it remains with the setting from the previous user agent.

I get the same if I load the video page or Youtube first with the default user agent, and then change it without refreshing the video link.

To be sure the video is loading with the proper agent, check that the video area has a blue box with "HQ" in it at the bottom left corner.

 

[weatMod]

anyone try and see if the same method works on 3DS ?

 

[huma_dawii]

anyone try and see if the same method works on 3DS ?

New Nintendo 3DS works for youtube

 

[StrayGuitarist]

Even though I don't own a Wii U, I love seeing workarounds like this. Restoring this kind of legacy functionality to services can make older consoles feel so much more alive, and less claustrophobic, less thinking "I just can't do that anymore on here." I tip my hat to you, good sir.

 

[MetoMeto]

This whole thing with YouTube support is so ridiculous imo.

YouTube is a website that shows (displays) video files.
Why on earth any app needs to be supported to simply
"port" video content through the app.

Support or not its a simple website-video-player basically.
It would be like...i cant play my video clip on my phone that i made with
same phone because android is no longer supported.

I have a printer and scanner 2 in 1, and if i take out cartridges from the slot
or if they are empty, i cant scan a file........scanner is not supported 'cause
i got no ink.....imagine that!!! They are "not" forcing me to but new cartridges at all!!!





I feel like they intentionally block certain devices and app versions so they can
control it better who gets what and when.

In my view, there is no reason on earth why app wouldn't be supported.
I use some 3rd partie YouTube apps that i haven't updated in a while now,
and it can still host videos from YouTube just fine, while YT official app basically forces me to update...

As for Wii U...can't people (devs) just...make a home-brew YouTube app
or port new pipe or whatever to a Wii U, or am i missing something?​

 

[NinStar]

As for Wii U...can't people (devs) just...make a home-brew YouTube app
or port new pipe or whatever to a Wii U, or am i missing something?​

Wii U has an app for YouTube it is still officially supported.
the thing is, it has the same restrictions as other console versions, so you cannot read/write comments, browse other videos while watching one or use it while a game is suspended in background.
using it through the browser has none of these restrictions.

 

[pleasehelpme2]

Wii U has an app for YouTube it is still officially supported.
the thing is, it has the same restrictions as other console versions, so you cannot read/write comments, browse other videos while watching one or use it while a game is suspended in background.
using it through the browser has none of these restrictions.

The problem with the app on wii u is that it barely works anymore, you can't even open it. Maybe you can but I don't want to wait 5 hrs just for it to open.

 

[Moon164]

Wii U has an app for YouTube it is still officially supported.
the thing is, it has the same restrictions as other console versions, so you cannot read/write comments, browse other videos while watching one or use it while a game is suspended in background.
using it through the browser has none of these restrictions.

I don't know about the Xbox One and Nintendo Switch versions, but on PS4 it is possible to open YouTube without having to close any game or other application (the same for the Netflix app), it is very practical when you are stuck in a puzzle or want to to know how to platinize a game but you don’t have a cell phone nearby, just go to YouTube and go back to the game.

Using the Youtube app on Wii U you cannot open another game without having to close the app first, but using the Browser it was possible to access Youtube without having to close the game, including I used it a lot with Zelda Twilight Princess HD when it was stuck in some dungeon.

In addition, the YouTube app for the Wii U is horrible, extremely slow and crashes easily, ironically the best option was to use the browser, It's funny that it wasn't always like that, I remember there was a time when the YouTube App for the Wii U was as fast and practical as the PS4.

 

[pleasehelpme2]

I don't know about the Xbox One and Nintendo Switch versions, but on PS4 it is possible to open YouTube without having to close any game or other application (the same for the Netflix app), it is very practical when you are stuck in a puzzle or want to to know how to platinize a game but you don’t have a cell phone nearby, just go to YouTube and go back to the game.

Using the Youtube app on Wii U you cannot open another game without having to close the app first, but using the Browser it was possible to access Youtube without having to close the game, including I used it a lot with Zelda Twilight Princess HD when it was stuck in some dungeon.

In addition, the YouTube app for the Wii U is horrible, extremely slow and crashes easily, ironically the best option was to use the browser, It's funny that it wasn't always like that, I remember there was a time when the YouTube App for the Wii U was as fast and practical as the PS4.

I miss the times when the wii u version was fast, I miss my browsing history there the most.

 

[Centrix]

I am still able to watch youtube videos just fine through the app, it even show me all the latest videos on my subscriptions. I'm still waiting for them to cut the connection or whatever they're doing, but its been almost a month and still nothing. I'm beginning to wonder if it'll happen at all? guess I'm fourtnate.

 

[pleasehelpme2]

I am still able to watch youtube videos just fine through the app, it even show me all the latest videos on my subscriptions. I'm still waiting for them to cut the connection or whatever they're doing, but its been almost a month and still nothing. I'm beginning to wonder if it'll happen at all? guess I'm fourtnate.

I believe they're rolling out the discontinuation, so maybe where you live it hasn't been discontinued yet. Either that or maybe you got some-kind of error where it'll stay on your thing for longer?

 

[ShadowOne333]

I am still able to watch youtube videos just fine through the app, it even show me all the latest videos on my subscriptions. I'm still waiting for them to cut the connection or whatever they're doing, but its been almost a month and still nothing. I'm beginning to wonder if it'll happen at all? guess I'm fourtnate.

It's being rolled out sporadically, not all at once.
Some are still able to load it normally on the browser without changing the user agent, but to many of us, the Wii U default user agent doesn't even load the videos nor the video lists.

 

[pleasehelpme2]

It's being rolled out sporadically, not all at once.
Some are still able to load it normally on the browser without changing the user agent, but to many of us, the Wii U default user agent doesn't even load the videos nor the video lists.

Yeah for me it just loads up a page with some stuff on the side and middle with not much else. Any videos with the wii u agent have to be loaded through something like pikipedia's showcase videos. (The first thing that came to mind) I wonder where it can still be used though.

 

[ShadowOne333]

Yeah for me it just loads up a page with some stuff on the side and middle with not much else. Any videos with the wii u agent have to be loaded through something like pikipedia's showcase videos. (The first thing that came to mind) I wonder where it can still be used though.

Yep same for me.
Just a blank list and that's all.
Though, embed videos do play with the WiiU agent,

What's Pikipedia?