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How to get a YouTube subscriber count

This guide explains how to obtain a YouTube channel's Channel ID and a Google Cloud API Key, then configure them in the TC002 YouTube subscriber count app.

Before you begin

To use the YouTube subscriber count feature, connect TC002 to a network with internet access and enable the global network proxy. Otherwise, the device may not be able to retrieve or refresh the subscriber count.

Required parameters

  • User ID: the Channel ID of the YouTube channel whose subscriber count you want to display.
  • Token: an API Key created in Google Cloud Console.

Get the YouTube Channel ID

  1. Sign in to the YouTube website.
  2. Click your profile picture, then select Your channel.
  3. Check the browser address bar. If the URL contains channel/, copy the string after channel/ as the Channel ID.
  4. If the URL uses @username, open YouTube Advanced settings and copy the Channel ID shown in the Channel ID field.

Get the YouTube Channel ID

Get a Google Cloud API Key (Token)

  1. Open Google Cloud Console and create or select a project.
  2. Go to APIs & Services > Library, search for YouTube Data API v3, and enable it.
  3. Go to APIs & Services > Credentials, then select Create credentials > API key.
  4. After the key is created, select Show key, copy the API Key, and enter it in the TC002 Token field.
  5. We recommend adding API restrictions to the key so that it can access only YouTube Data API v3. Keep the key secure.

Get a Google Cloud API Key

Configure TC002

  1. In the TC002 Social Media app, select the parameter expand/collapse button to open the YouTube settings.

Expand the YouTube settings

  1. Enter the Channel ID in User ID and the Google Cloud API Key in Token.
  2. Select Save. A successful validation shows “√” beside the button. A failed validation shows “❗” and an error message.

Save and validate the YouTube settings

  1. After saving, switch TC002 to Social Media > YouTube subscriber count to view the channel's subscriber count.

YouTube subscribers displayed on TC002

Subscriber data is refreshed automatically every 5 minutes. Keep the device online; saving the configuration triggers an immediate refresh.