Amazon introduced web browsing capabilities for its Fire TV and Fire TV Stick streaming devices just over a week ago, and the new feature is already paying dividends.

As first spotted by TechCrunch, when users open the YouTube app a message pops up saying they can “access YouTube and millions of other websites by using a web browser such as Firefox or Silk.” This change comes ahead of Google’s promise to pull YouTube off Fire TV and Fire TV Stick devices on Jan. 1.

This screen pops up when you try to open the YouTube app on an Amazon Fire TV device. (GeekWire Photo / Kevin Lisota)

This development represents the latest twist in a tizzy between two of the world’s largest and most powerful tech giants that goes back years. Amazon pulled Apple TV and Google’s Chromecast from its online store in 2015 because the devices didn’t work well with the Prime Video streaming service.

In September Google pulled YouTube from Amazon’s Echo Show, citing a terms of service violation. Soon after, multiple products made by Google-owned Nest disappeared from Amazon’s e-commerce marketplace.

YouTube returned to the Echo Show in November, but Google pulled it again a couple weeks later. That’s when it made the call to remove the streaming service from Fire TV and Fire TV Stick devices due to what it called a “lack of reciprocity” from Amazon.

It appeared that tensions were starting to cool as Chromecast and Apple TV devices reappeared on Amazon earlier this month. In addition, Prime Video made its long-awaited debut on Apple TV. While Amazon and Apple seem to have patched up their differences, it looks like Amazon and Google still have some work to do.

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