Channels & viewing

[Psilobite]

There are additional problems:

If using the YouTube for televisions app on a new device, OR if resetting the app using the app's option under Settings, when using a "brand" account:

- Watch history no longer tracks or updates globally

- Search history does not show up, only top searches, although anything you search for will reflect on myactivity.google.com for the brand account.

This affects all versions of the YouTube for televisions app (Roku, Fire, Playstation, Smart TV). The YouTube app for Apple/Android is different. YouTube.com is different.

https://support.google.com/youtube/thread/129358445/youtube-roku-channel-no-longer-shows-search-hist...

(This is even when using Google's DNS.)

[J_Mo]

For those using pi-hole, under "Group Management", create a new group called ROKU (or whatever), and add all your ROKU devices to it. Then create a whitelist item for 'static.doubleclick.net' and assign that whitelist item to the new group you created.

This way, YouTube on your ROKU devices can share your data with doubleclick, and your search function will work again, if you're willing to give up your privacy, while maintaining the blocking for your other devices.

[CalvinE]

Sorry, but no, just no. You wouldn't let a creepy guy into one room of your home just because all the other doors are locked....you keep him outside off your property to begin with. Whitelisting doubleclick is your call, your privacy, your network security but not in my home. 

Plus casting to the TV from my phone (makes a fantastic remote, fewer ads) works better than the Roku YouTube app ever has. To each their own, but I see zero reason to pay to watch YouTube and less than zero reason to put up with this new YouTube Roku app behavior.

[J_Mo]

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@CalvinE wrote:

Sorry, but no, just no. You wouldn't let a creepy guy into one room of your home just because all the other doors are locked....you keep him outside off your property to begin with. Whitelisting doubleclick is your call, your privacy, your network security but not in my home. 

Plus casting to the TV from my phone (makes a fantastic remote, fewer ads) works better than the Roku YouTube app ever has. To each their own, but I see zero reason to pay to watch YouTube and less than zero reason to put up with this new YouTube Roku app behavior.

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I absolutely cannot disagree with you, at all.  Doubleclick is evil.  I guess it's too much to ask Youtube (Google) to "don't be evil" anymore.  Some of us remember when "don't be evil" was Google's corporate motto.  It's a shame most people have come to expect evil from them now...

[Angus_NB]

If you use AdGuard Home you can add each Roku device to the Client list, Settings>Client settings, and Tag them as device_tv.

Then, under Filters, add the following Custom filtering rule;

@@||static.doubleclick.net^$ctag=device_tv

[Trystan]

Thank you. Set up a group in pi-hole and threw all the tvs and roku devices into a group. Slapped in static.doubleclick.net and tagged it only for this group. Works very well and doesn't expose my other devices. Many thanks!

[ralphie_suzy]

I might try it if it would only affect particular devices. I've got to bother for a more detailed instructional for Pi-Hole. Creating Groups seems straight forward just not applying rules for particular IPs. Thanks.

[J_Mo]

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@ralphie_suzy wrote:

I might try it if it would only affect particular devices. I've got to bother for a more detailed instructional for Pi-Hole. Creating Groups seems straight forward just not applying rules for particular IPs. Thanks.

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The group management section has everything you need.  In 'groups', you create a group.  In 'clients', you add your ROKU devices to your group.  And in 'domains', you create a whitelist item, and specify which group(s) it should apply to.

It's a bit confusing, because the normal whitelist manager does not allow you to specify the groups.  But the domain manager inside group management does.

[ralphie_suzy]

Thank you J_Mo (et al), it worked and is a very cool feature of Pi-Hole I wasn't aware of. I tested connecting to static.doubleclick.net on other devices and, indeed, it won't connect. I set up a colorfully-worded Group name, too…long live Pi-Hole and ad-blocking! BTW, it's the same deal with devices like Nintendo's Switch, etc.

Have a great day!