A simple, senior-friendly web application to interact with YouTube's API.
Designed specifically for older adults and users who are not comfortable with technology. BigButtonPlay features only 2-3 large, clearly visible buttons to make using YouTube as simple as possible.
This is an open-source, non-profit project created to help bridge the digital divide and make technology more accessible to more people.
🌐 Try it now: bigbuttonplay.com
Before you start: To use Google's free YouTube API, a one-time technical setup is required. This configuration step needs to be completed by someone with basic technical knowledge (a family member, friend, or tech-savvy person). A Gmail account is needed to obtain a free YouTube API key, which must then be copied into the website's configuration page; your API key is stored only in your browser (never on our servers). Once configured, the tool becomes completely simple to use for everyone.
- 📧 Requirement: Gmail account
- ⏱️ Time: 5-10 minutes setup
- 👥 Who can help: Family member or tech-savvy friend (one-time assistance)
- 💰 Cost: Completely free
BigButtonPlay is now available as a web application! No downloads required.
- Visit: bigbuttonplay.com
- Configure: Set up your YouTube API key (one-time setup, see below)
- Choose: Select your preferred language
- Enjoy: Simple YouTube experience with big, clear buttons!
Note: More languages coming soon! Currently available: UN Official Languages - English, Spanish, Chinese, French, Russian, Arabic - plus additional major languages: Italian, Hindi, Portuguese and German.
BigButtonPlay requires a free YouTube API key for operation. This is a one-time setup guided by our interactive wizard that enables the app to search YouTube videos.
📹 Video Tutorial Coming Soon!
We're preparing a step-by-step video guide that walks through this entire setup process. Subscribe to our YouTube channel @BigButtonPlay to be notified when it's ready!
- Visit: bigbuttonplay.com
- Click: "Setup YouTube API Key" button
- Follow: The 4-step guided wizard
- Done: Start using BigButtonPlay immediately!
The interactive wizard will guide you through these 4 simple steps (details below):
flowchart TD
A[Start BigButtonPlay Setup] --> B["Step 1: Create Google Project"]
B --> C["Step 2: Enable YouTube API"]
C --> D["Step 3: Create API Key<br/><small>+ Add restrictions</small>"]
D --> E["Step 4: Test & Save"]
E --> F[Setup Complete - Start Using!]
style A fill:#e1f5fe
style F fill:#c8e6c9
- Visit: bigbuttonplay.com
- Click: The red "⚙️ Setup YouTube API Key" button
- Follow: The 4-step wizard with visual progress bar
- Important: Click the red action buttons in each step, complete the task in the new Google tab, then return and click the gray "Next Step" button
- Done: The wizard tests your API key automatically and you're ready to go!
Wizard Navigation Tips:
- 🔴 Red buttons = Open Google Cloud Console pages
- ⚫ Gray buttons = Move to next step in wizard
- 🟢 Green button = Test & save your API key
- ✅ Progress bar shows exactly where you are
Stuck? See the detailed manual process below.
If the wizard doesn't work or you prefer manual configuration, follow these detailed steps:
- Go to Google Cloud Console
- Sign in with your Google account
- Click "CREATE PROJECT"
- Project name: "BigButtonPlay-YourName" (or any name you prefer)
- Click "CREATE" and wait for project creation (~30 seconds)
- Visit YouTube Data API v3 Library
- Ensure your project is selected at the top
- Click the blue "ENABLE" button
- Wait for the API to be enabled
- Go to Credentials page
- Click "CREATE CREDENTIALS" → "API key"
- Copy the generated API key
- Click "RESTRICT KEY"
- Under "API restrictions": Select "Restrict key" and choose only "YouTube Data API v3"
- Click "SAVE"
💡 Pro Tip: Save this Credentials page link - it's YOUR personal API management area! You can return to your page anytime to:
- View your current API keys
- Delete old keys if needed
- Create new keys for BigButtonPlay
- Go to bigbuttonplay.com/config.html
- Navigate through the wizard to reach the API key input:
- Click "Let's Get Started"
- Click "Project Created, Next Step"
- Click "API Enabled, Next Step"
- Paste your API key in the input field
- Click "Test & Save API Key"
- Choose your language and start using BigButtonPlay!
⚠️ Setup requirement: Gmail account needed for the free YouTube API key- 🔒 Privacy: Your API key stays in your browser only (never on our servers)
- 💰 Cost: Completely free for normal personal use
- 👨👩👧👦 Family setup: One tech-savvy person does setup, everyone enjoys simple interface
- 📱 Cross-device: Works on computers, tablets, and smartphones
- "API key not valid": Ensure you copied the key correctly and YouTube Data API v3 is enabled
- "Access denied": Check that your API key restrictions include only YouTube Data API v3
- "Quota exceeded": You've reached the daily limit - try again tomorrow
This project is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).
You MAY:
- ✅ Use BigButtonPlay for personal purposes
- ✅ Use in educational settings
- ✅ Use in non-profit organizations
- ✅ Modify and improve the code
- ✅ Share with others (under same license)
You MAY NOT:
- ❌ Use for any commercial purposes
- ❌ Add advertising or monetization
- ❌ Sell or license to third parties
- ❌ Integrate into commercial products
- ❌ Generate revenue from this software
BigButtonPlay was created specifically to bridge the digital divide and make technology accessible to seniors and people with difficulties. It's a social mission project, not a commercial product.
See the LICENSE file for complete terms.