I give you credit for calling and speaking to Apple Support. When I originally posted here I too "contacted" Google to "notify" them about the issue, but as we all know, all that means is posting to their support community. Don't have the option to call and speak with an actual human being. And in my experience Google support is way less likely to acknowledge, reply or ACT than Apple's is. But also, as ivors posted earlier in this thread, this is almost certainly an Apple issue as the apps on the 3rd gen AppleTV are Apple's responsibility: there is no App Store where third parties provide/maintain/update their apps.
I was under the impression that if a post/thread got enough attention Apple would take notice, but maybe we should start contacting them directly. I will do so in the next day or two. Maybe if enough customers do they'll acknowledge and eventually fix the issue. I agree that downgrading is not a great fix, and most likely not a lasting one - Apple doesn't keep signing old OS software forever, or in some cases for very long at all.
I was actually feeling like it WAS a motivator to upgrade to an Apple TV 4k, if only an unwelcome/forced one. As support for a device and its software begins to diminish, moving to a current one is usually a good way to get those things again. Plus, with an Apple TV 4k, there IS an App Store with apps provided/maintained/updated by the third parties who created them, Google/YouTube included. Like you, I just don't like feeling pressured into purchasing a new device by having my old one become useless through neglect.
I will come back and post the results of my contacting Apple Support about this issue later this weekend after I have done so.
[Edited by Moderator]
