Big Cookie
January 12, 2011 9:22 PM Subscribe
Google likes to sign you into their search service once you sign into Youtube. It used to not be like this. I prefer to be logged into Youtube but not Google search/images/maps/docs/etc.. Is there any way to do this?
Google now lets you sign in with multiple accounts and I think I've been able to be signed I in on one service and not on another with that.
posted by tallus at 11:41 PM on January 12, 2011
posted by tallus at 11:41 PM on January 12, 2011
Maybe not the answer you're looking for, but there's a button to un-link these two accounts in the Youtube preferences. You might not get that option if you didn't have a Youtube account pre-acquisition, however — not sure.
posted by brightghost at 11:42 PM on January 12, 2011
posted by brightghost at 11:42 PM on January 12, 2011
I just went through this the other day because Youtube forced me to link my youtube account to my google account, and when you're logged on to youtube in this way you're also logged on to google. The only solution I could find was to de-link the two accounts (Account Settings -> Manage Account), and then when logging onto youtube it will nag you to try to get you to link the two again, but there is a small link that says something like "not right now, remind me later" that you can click on to continue without linking.
posted by Rhomboid at 12:16 AM on January 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Rhomboid at 12:16 AM on January 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
Curious. I am not seeing this behavior. Opening Youtube opens my account. Same goes for Google Calendar, Docs, Images, etc. - but NOT search. If I sign out of any one of those sites, I am still signed in to Youtube.
Did you set up your Youtube account and Google stuff separately? I combined the accounts later on, but my Youtube sign-in is not the same as my Google user name. Perhaps that's part of it?
posted by caution live frogs at 8:38 AM on January 13, 2011
Did you set up your Youtube account and Google stuff separately? I combined the accounts later on, but my Youtube sign-in is not the same as my Google user name. Perhaps that's part of it?
posted by caution live frogs at 8:38 AM on January 13, 2011
So the big q is when you set up your YouTube accounts. Older accounts can be unlinked as Rhomboid describes. Newer accounts are just Google accounts, so they cannot be unlinked (nothing to unlink).
We also don't support multi-login (at least not yet), so if you wanted to have a separate Google account for YouTube you'd need to log into that one first (since non-multi-login properties will use whichever one you log into first) then log into additional accounts via multi-login in gmail or whatever.
Or use an incognito / privacy mode / whatever window that will allow you to have a second set of credentials.
posted by wildcrdj at 10:43 AM on January 13, 2011
We also don't support multi-login (at least not yet), so if you wanted to have a separate Google account for YouTube you'd need to log into that one first (since non-multi-login properties will use whichever one you log into first) then log into additional accounts via multi-login in gmail or whatever.
Or use an incognito / privacy mode / whatever window that will allow you to have a second set of credentials.
posted by wildcrdj at 10:43 AM on January 13, 2011
Response by poster: The solution Rhomboid suggested is what I've been relying on for over a year. Unfortunately they no longer give me that option.
caution living frogs, this is typical. google seems to roll out different policies at different times for different markets.
posted by parallax7d at 7:45 PM on January 13, 2011
caution living frogs, this is typical. google seems to roll out different policies at different times for different markets.
posted by parallax7d at 7:45 PM on January 13, 2011
I don't have a solution, but just for reference, this happened to me, too.. so, it's definitely not just you. I've had my YT account five years maybe (definitely before there was any connection between the two services), and they've never been linked in any way. In my situation, too, it appeared to be mandatory now to link accounts, and, even though I was still logged in under my old YT account, it wouldn't play any video until I linked them. It seems you can unlink accounts still, but that's basically a step away from closing out your YT account. I mean, YT won't allow you to watch videos if you de-link. So, yeah, it looks like some people are getting different policies for whatever reason? The only option I can think of is to create a different Google account if it's that you specifically don't want to associate your default Google account with your YT browsing, but that's such a pain. (I remember I was so irritated when I was prompted by eBay to link my Paypal account with my eBay account. I stopped using the site soon after. This is all done in the guise of 'user safety/security' and/or making things 'easier' for the user. *rolls eyes*)
posted by Mael Oui at 9:13 PM on January 13, 2011
posted by Mael Oui at 9:13 PM on January 13, 2011
YT won't allow you to watch videos if you de-link.
That's what I thought too -- it refused to let me do anything until I linked my accounts. But as I wrote above, linking, then de-linking, then clearing cookies, then logging in again using the old YT credentials gave me back the option of "not right now" which allowed them to remain unlinked for the time being. I suspect that youtube randomly chooses unlinked accounts to pester and by doing this you just go back in the pool of potential people to be pestered again; I don't doubt that this is only a temporary reprieve, but at least it's something.
posted by Rhomboid at 10:27 PM on January 13, 2011
That's what I thought too -- it refused to let me do anything until I linked my accounts. But as I wrote above, linking, then de-linking, then clearing cookies, then logging in again using the old YT credentials gave me back the option of "not right now" which allowed them to remain unlinked for the time being. I suspect that youtube randomly chooses unlinked accounts to pester and by doing this you just go back in the pool of potential people to be pestered again; I don't doubt that this is only a temporary reprieve, but at least it's something.
posted by Rhomboid at 10:27 PM on January 13, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by parallax7d at 9:39 PM on January 12, 2011