Hey there! Just signed up for youtube tv and feeling a little lost? Don’t worry, you’re in the right place! Think of this as your personal tour guide to getting comfy with youtube tv. We’re going to walk through everything step-by-step, making sure you know exactly how to get the most out of your new streaming service. It’s all about making your viewing experience awesome, you know? Let’s dive in together and figure it out.

Alright, so you’ve taken the plunge and signed up for youtube tv. Now what? The first thing you’ll need to do is sign in, and there are a few ways to do this, which is pretty convenient . You can use a web browser, the mobile app, or your TV set . Since we’re focusing on watching on your TV, you’ll want to search for the youtube tv app on your streaming device . Make sure it’s the youtube tv app, not the regular YouTube one – they’re separate, you know?

Once you launch the app for the first time, you’ll see a sign-in screen . If you already signed up on the website, just select “Member sign in” and pick your sign-in method . You can also go to tv.youtube.com/start on a web browser, enter the code shown on your TV, and sign in with your Google account . Another cool way is using your phone; just download the mobile app, and if your phone is on the same Wi-Fi as your TV, you can select your Google account to sign in .

After you sign in for the first time, youtube tv gets a little personal, which is neat . It will show you several screens to help you tailor your experience . You get to select your favorite news, shows, movies, TV series, and even sports teams to follow and record with your DVR . It’s worth taking a moment here to really pick what you like; it helps youtube tv give you better recommendations down the road. So, take your time with the personalization process, and then we can keep going!

Okay, once you’re signed in and personalized, one of the main places you’ll hang out is the live guide . You can usually get to it by clicking right from the home screen navigation and selecting “Live” . At the very top of the guide, you’ll see a section showing programs that are airing right now . You can scroll through these, and you’ll see the channel logos change to little pictures of the shows . Below the image, you’ll find the show’s name, the network, and the time it’s airing . It’s a quick way to see what’s on at a glance.

If you see something you want to watch in the “On Now” section, just pick it and press OK . The screen might go black for a second, but don’t worry, that’s totally normal . Then, bam! You’re watching the live program . What’s interesting is that when you’re navigating the guide, the last channel you were watching will actually keep playing in the background, which is a nice touch . You can even see the name of that program at the top of the guide if you arrow up .

Now, let’s talk about the main part of the live guide, which is below the “On Now” section . This is where you’ll see all the channels listed . As you scroll through, you’ll see a description of the highlighted show at the top of the screen . Just like with the “On Now” section, if you find something you like, press OK to start watching it live . A really useful feature is that you can easily return to the guide from live TV by just clicking back . Plus, you can scroll to the right in the guide to preview content that’s coming up later . If you press OK on a future program, you can add it to your library or check for on-demand episodes . You can also click on a channel logo to see everything airing on that specific network, including their on-demand shows and movies .

And here’s a neat trick: you can actually reorder the live guide to make it yours . Above the network logos, there’s a menu option with three horizontal lines . You can sort channels by most watched or alphabetically, which is pretty handy . But here’s a surprising fact: to create or edit a custom guide with only the channels you want, you actually need to log in from a computer or the mobile app . We’ll get to that later, but for now, just know you can personalize the order even on your TV. And if you ever want to jump back to the top of the guide quickly, just click back twice on your remote – it should do the trick!

So, we’ve explored the live guide, but youtube tv is much more than just live TV. Let’s head over to the home screen . You can get there by arrowing left from the “Live” option at the top . The home screen is your hub for recommendations and browsing . Right at the top, you’ll usually see “top picks for you,” which are suggestions based on your viewing habits . The more you use youtube tv, the better these recommendations get!

As you scroll down, you’ll find sections like “Resume watching,” which includes both live and on-demand content you’ve started . There are also sections highlighting optional add-ons under “Add to membership” . A really important section is “Add to your library,” and this leads us to the library, which is your cloud dvr .

The library is pretty awesome because it’s your cloud dvr . When you add a show or movie to your library, it shows up here . And here’s a fantastic feature: you get unlimited cloud dvr storage! That means you don’t have to worry about running out of space to record your favorite things . If you know something you want to record but can’t find it easily, the search function is your friend . You can search for specific shows, movies, or even sports teams . For example, if you search for a show like “Friends” and add it to your library, all episodes of the series will be recorded . For sports fans, you can add entire teams, like the Boston Celtics, to record all their upcoming games, or you can choose to record just a single event . You can even record by league, like the NFL, and then pick specific teams or network games .

The library also helps keep things organized . You can filter content by things like shows, movies, and sports . Plus, there’s a menu in the upper right corner that lets you reorder the content in your library by things like recently recorded or alphabetical order . A super important tip when watching recorded content: if you see an option to “choose a version,” always select DVR over vod (Video On Demand) . Why? Because with DVR recordings, you can fast forward through the ads, but vod often has ads you can’t skip . So, remember to add programs to your library if you want that ad-skipping magic! You can also see programs that are currently recording or scheduled to record in the “scheduled” section of your library . Even if you join a program live that’s being recorded, you can always rewind to the beginning .

Alright, let’s talk about making youtube tv truly yours by exploring the settings . You can usually get to settings from your account icon in the upper right corner of the screen . Now, here’s a key point, and it might be a little surprising: some settings you can change directly from your TV, but others require you to sign in on a web browser at tv.youtube.com or use the mobile app . For instance, if you try to click on “membership” from your TV, it will tell you to go to the website or app .

Let’s look at the settings you can access on your TV first. You might see an option for “autoplay on start,” where you can choose whether a top recommendation plays automatically when you open the app . There’s also a filter setting that’s helpful if a child is using your account . Under privacy, you can manage your search and watch history, choosing to pause or delete your data . Just keep in mind that deleting your data will affect your future recommendations .

Now, for those settings you need a computer for. Head over to tv.youtube.com and sign in . You’ll notice the layout looks different from the TV app, and the mobile app is a bit different too, but the core navigation skills you’ve learned will still be useful if you decide to stream on your phone or computer . Once you’re signed in on the web, click your account icon and select “settings” . On the left side, you’ll see all the options, and from here, you can control everything . This is where you can manage your membership, pause or cancel your plan, and change your payment methods . You can also set up family sharing, which allows other members of your household to share the membership and get their own DVR and recommendations – pretty cool, right?

This is also where you can finally create that custom live guide we talked about earlier . You can check off the networks you want to see and drag them into your preferred order . Once you’ve set it up, you can then select the custom guide filter from your live guide on any device . Finally, there’s an “area” section you probably won’t use much unless you move or travel, which lets you adjust your home and playback area settings .

Hey, sometimes things don’t go exactly as planned, and that’s okay! If you ever have trouble getting started or run into an issue with youtube tv, the best thing to do is contact youtube tv directly . While I’m happy to try and help, they’re the experts, you know?

The easiest way to reach out is from a web browser . Go to tv.youtube.com, click the question mark icon, and then select “Contact Us” . After you describe your issue, you’ll usually be given options to contact them by phone or live chat . If you’re not near a computer, you can also access support from the youtube tv mobile app, which is super convenient . Don’t hesitate to reach out if you need a hand; they’re there to help you get everything sorted!