YouTube API Services - Subject API Services
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Note: Complying with the YouTube Developer Policies provides guidance and examples to help you ensure that your API clients follow specific portions of the YouTube API Services Terms and Policies (API TOS). The guide offers insight into how YouTube enforces certain aspects of the API TOS, but it does not replace any existing documents.
The YouTube API Services Terms of Service (the "Terms") state (in Section 14) that when YouTube intends to make backward-incompatible changes to YouTube API services, YouTube will announce those changes and try to continue to maintain the software code for six months after the announcement.
This page identifies the Subject API Services referenced in section 14.3 (Special Terms) of the Terms and explains how that section of the Terms affects actual deprecation dates. Prior to February 10, 2017, which is the effective date of the current Terms, the Subject API Services had been subject to a one-year deprecation policy under the previous set of Terms. To honor that policy, the Subject API Services are, temporarily, subject to different deprecation rules than other services.
Understanding deprecation dates
In the event of backward-incompatible changes to Subject API Services, YouTube will use reasonable efforts to maintain code until at least February 10, 2018, which is one year after these Terms became effective. For other services, YouTube will try to continue to maintain the software code for six months from the date those changes are announced.
Exemptions
Some features of Subject API Services are not subject to the rules defined in Section 14.3 of the Terms because those features were also not subject to the deprecation policy defined under the prior set of Terms. Those features are identified as exemptions in the list of subject services below.
When an exemption applies to an object property, it also applies to any of that property's child properties. In addition, the exemption applies to the ability to retrieve, set, modify, or delete values of the property or its child properties as well as to the property values themselves.
Subject API Services
The following sections define the Subject API Services. For completeness, these sections also identify fully deprecated API services. Those fully deprecated services are not covered under the Terms.
YouTube Data API, v3
YouTube IFrame Player API
YouTube Reporting API
- Documentation
-
Exemptions
- Non-core dimensions. (See the dimension definitions to determine whether individual dimensions are considered core dimensions.)
- Non-core metrics. (See the metric definitions to determine whether individual metrics are considered core metrics.)
YouTube Analytics API
- Documentation
-
Exemptions
- Non-core dimensions. (See the dimension definitions to determine whether individual dimensions are considered core dimensions.)
- Non-core metrics. (See the metric definitions to determine whether individual metrics are considered core metrics.)
Fully deprecated API Services
The following API services are fully deprecated. They were subject to the deprecation policy set forth in the Original Terms and the deprecation period has ended. YouTube is neither obligated to announce breaking changes to these services nor to continue supporting them:
YouTube Data API, v2
YouTube Flash Player API
YouTube JavaScript Player API
Except as otherwise noted, the content of this page is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License, and code samples are licensed under the Apache 2.0 License. For details, see the Google Developers Site Policies. Java is a registered trademark of Oracle and/or its affiliates.
Last updated 2025-08-20 UTC.
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Missing the information I need","missingTheInformationINeed","thumb-down"],["Too complicated / too many steps","tooComplicatedTooManySteps","thumb-down"],["Out of date","outOfDate","thumb-down"],["Samples / code issue","samplesCodeIssue","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-08-20 UTC."],[],["YouTube API services follow a deprecation policy where backward-incompatible changes are announced, and code is maintained for six months. Subject API Services, listed as YouTube Data API v3, IFrame Player API, Reporting API, and Analytics API, have extended maintenance until February 10, 2018, due to prior terms. Exemptions, like specific properties and non-core metrics, exist. Fully deprecated services, such as Data API v2, Flash, and JavaScript Player APIs, are no longer supported.\n"],null,["# YouTube API Services - Subject API Services\n\n**Note:** [Complying with the YouTube Developer Policies](/youtube/terms/developer-policies-guide) provides guidance and examples to help you ensure that your API clients follow specific portions of the YouTube API Services [Terms](/youtube/terms/api-services-terms-of-service) and [Policies](/youtube/terms/developer-policies) (API TOS). The guide offers insight into how YouTube enforces certain aspects of the API TOS, but it does not replace any existing documents.\n\nThe [YouTube API Services Terms of Service](/youtube/terms/api-services-terms-of-service) (the \"Terms\") state (in Section 14) that when YouTube intends to make backward-incompatible changes to YouTube API services, YouTube will announce those changes and try to continue to maintain the software code for six months after the announcement.\n\nThis page identifies the **Subject API Services** referenced in section 14.3 (Special Terms) of the Terms and explains how that section of the Terms affects actual deprecation dates. Prior to February 10, 2017, which is the effective date of the current Terms, the Subject API Services had been subject to a one-year deprecation policy under the previous set of Terms. To honor that policy, the Subject API Services are, temporarily, subject to different deprecation rules than other services.\n\nUnderstanding deprecation dates\n-------------------------------\n\nIn the event of backward-incompatible changes to Subject API Services, YouTube will use reasonable efforts to maintain code until at least February 10, 2018, which is one year after these Terms became effective. For other services, YouTube will try to continue to maintain the software code for six months from the date those changes are announced.\n\n### Exemptions\n\nSome features of Subject API Services are not subject to the rules defined in Section 14.3 of the Terms because those features were also not subject to the deprecation policy defined under the prior set of Terms. Those features are identified as **exemptions** in the list of subject services below.\n\nWhen an exemption applies to an `object` property, it also applies to any of that property's child properties. In addition, the exemption applies to the ability to retrieve, set, modify, or delete values of the property or its child properties as well as to the property values themselves.\n\nSubject API Services\n--------------------\n\nThe following sections define the Subject API Services. For completeness, these sections also identify fully deprecated API services. Those fully deprecated services are not covered under the Terms.\n\n### YouTube Data API, v3\n\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\n- [Documentation](/youtube/v3)\n- Exemptions\n\n - The following `channel` resource properties:\n - [brandingSettings.channel.profileColor](/youtube/v3/docs/channels#brandingSettings.channel.profileColor)\n - [brandingSettings.hints](/youtube/v3/docs/channels#brandingSettings.hints)\n - [brandingSettings.image.watchIconImageUrl](/youtube/v3/docs/channels#brandingSettings.image.watchIconImageUrl)\n - [brandingSettings.watch](/youtube/v3/docs/channels#brandingSettings.watch)\n - [contentDetails.relatedPlaylists](/youtube/v3/docs/channels#contentDetails.relatedPlaylists)\n - [contentOwnerDetails](/youtube/v3/docs/channels#contentOwnerDetails)\n - [invideoPromotion](/youtube/v3/docs/channels#invideoPromotion)\n - [statistics.commentCount](/youtube/v3/docs/channels#statistics.commentCount)\n - The [guideCategory](/youtube/v3/docs/guideCategories) resource and its methods.\n - The `search.list` method's [safeSearch](/youtube/v3/docs/search/list#safeSearch) parameter and its values.\n - The `video` resource's [status.publishAt](/youtube/v3/docs/videos#status.publishAt) property.\n\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\n### YouTube IFrame Player API\n\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\n- [Documentation](/youtube/iframe_api_reference)\n\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\n### YouTube Reporting API\n\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\n- [Documentation](/youtube/reporting)\n- Exemptions\n\n - Non-core dimensions. (See the [dimension](/youtube/reporting/v1/reports/dimensions) definitions to determine whether individual dimensions are considered core dimensions.)\n - Non-core metrics. (See the [metric](/youtube/reporting/v1/reports/metrics) definitions to determine whether individual metrics are considered core metrics.)\n\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\n### YouTube Analytics API\n\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\n- [Documentation](/youtube/analytics)\n- Exemptions\n\n - Non-core dimensions. (See the [dimension](/youtube/analytics/v1/dimsmets/dims) definitions to determine whether individual dimensions are considered core dimensions.)\n - Non-core metrics. (See the [metric](/youtube/analytics/v1/dimsmets/mets) definitions to determine whether individual metrics are considered core metrics.)\n\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\nFully deprecated API Services\n-----------------------------\n\nThe following API services are fully deprecated. They were subject to the deprecation policy set forth in the Original Terms and the deprecation period has ended. YouTube is neither obligated to announce breaking changes to these services nor to continue supporting them:\n\n### YouTube Data API, v2\n\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\n- [Deprecation announcement](http://youtube-eng.blogspot.com/2014/03/committing-to-youtube-data-api-v3_4.html) (March 4, 2014)\n- [Documentation](/youtube/2.0/developers_guide_protocol)\n- Migration path: [YouTube Data API, v3](/youtube/v3/getting-started)\n\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\n### YouTube Flash Player API\n\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\n- [Deprecation announcement](http://youtube-eng.blogspot.com/2015/01/youtube-now-defaults-to-html5_27.html) (January 27, 2015)\n- Migration path: [IFrame Player API](/youtube/iframe_api_reference)\n\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\n### YouTube JavaScript Player API\n\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\n- [Deprecation announcement](http://youtube-eng.blogspot.com/2015/01/youtube-now-defaults-to-html5_27.html) (January 27, 2015)\n- Migration path: [IFrame Player API](/youtube/iframe_api_reference)\n\n\u003cbr /\u003e"]]
