You can browse, search for, and watch YouTube videos without signing in. Signing in with a Google account gives access to personalized features such as subscriptions, viewing history, liked videos, and Watch Later.
Once signed in, you can also personalize Join-In Pro to make YouTube easier to explore and better suited to the user’s interests and access needs.
Before You Start
Before using YouTube, make sure:
- Join-In Pro is installed and the preferred access method has been selected.
- If you want to use personalized YouTube features, you have the details for the Google account you want to use.
You don’t need a Google account to browse and watch YouTube. You can sign in later if you want to use personalized features.
Signing In to YouTube
- Open YouTube in Join-In Pro.
- Open the YouTube menu and select Sign in.
- The Google sign-in page will open.
- Enter the email address or phone number associated with the Google account.
- Select Next.
- Enter the password and continue.
- Complete any additional verification requested by Google.
- Once sign-in is complete, return to YouTube.
YouTube will normally remain signed in, so you should not need to repeat these steps each time you open it.
Using the Login Toolbar
When the Google sign-in page opens, Join-In Pro provides a dedicated toolbar to help with navigation and text entry.
Use:
- Previous Field / Next Field to move between fields and controls.
- Keyboard to enter account information.
- Space and Enter to interact with controls when needed.
- Back to Home to leave the login screen and return to Join-In Pro.
Some users may need assistance with passwords, account recovery, or additional Google security checks.
What Does Signing In Add?
Signing in gives access to personal YouTube content and features. Depending on the selected Stage and toolbar, these may include:
- My Subscriptions and the Subscriptions Feed
- History
- Watch Later
- Liked Videos
- Subscribing to channels
- Liking or disliking videos
- Saving videos to Watch Later
- Personalized YouTube recommendations
Using the Basic Toolbar for a More Curated Experience
The Basic YouTube toolbar is designed for users who benefit from a simpler, more controlled and curated YouTube experience.
When the user is signed in, Basic opens directly to Liked Videos rather than the general YouTube Home page. This means that family members, professionals, or others supporting the user can help build a collection of appropriate and personally meaningful videos in advance.
This provides a more predictable starting point and reduces exposure to the much broader range of content and recommendations available on the YouTube Home page.
Important: The user must be signed in for this curated starting point to work. If YouTube is not signed in to a Google account, the Basic toolbar will open the regular YouTube Home page instead.
Personalize My Search Phrases
My Search Phrases gives users quick access to YouTube content based on their own interests.
Instead of typing a search each time or navigating back to their AAC system to select what they want to watch, users can choose a saved item for a favorite singer, TV show, animal, sport, hobby, or other topic.
A saved item can open a YouTube search or link directly to the URL of a specific video. This makes it possible to provide quick access to a particular favorite video as well as a broader set of search results.
Users who are signed in to an optional Join-In Pro account can also add images to their saved items, making them easier to recognize and select.
To personalize My Search Phrases:
- Open My Search Phrases from the YouTube toolbar.
- Select Edit My Search Phrases.
- Add, edit, or remove items to reflect the user’s interests.
A Join-In Pro account is not required to create and use text-based items.
Choose a Stage
Stages control how many YouTube functions are available.
A user can begin with a smaller set of functions for browsing and watching videos and gradually add searching, related videos, history, subscriptions, and other features.
Open Stages from the toolbar to select the Stage that best matches the user’s current needs.
You can change the Stage at any time.
Choose a Video Table Layout
Join-In Pro displays YouTube videos in a table to make browsing and selecting videos easier.
Select Change Table Layout to choose how many videos are displayed:
2 × 3 · 3 × 4 · 4 × 5 · 4 × 6 · 5 × 7
Smaller tables provide fewer, larger choices. Larger tables show more videos at once.
Choose a layout based on the user’s visual and access needs. You can change it at any time.
Ready to Explore
Once YouTube is set up, the user can start browsing and searching for videos, exploring personal interests, and using the playback and YouTube controls available in their selected toolbar and Stage.
