YouTube Music Replaces Google Play Music in Android 10

Google announced this week that YouTube Music will come installed on all new devices launching with Android 10, including Pixel. This change impacts new Android 9-based devices as well.

Furthermore, Google Play Music will not be preinstalled on new Android 10 and 9 devices going forward.

Which is confusing, since the OnePlus 7T ships with Android 10, and it includes Google Play Music, and not YouTube Music. But whatever.

“Music listeners on Android devices are now just a few taps away from streaming their go-to tracks and discovering new music,” Google’s Brandon Bilinski announced. “From the gym, to the car, to work—it’s all here, right in your back pocket. Discover official songs, albums and playlists, music videos, remixes, live performances, hard-to-find music, and more. Whatever your mood, we’ve got you covered.”

As for Google Play Music, Bilinski notes that “Google Play Music listeners with new Android 10 devices can continue to enjoy Google Play Music by downloading it from the Play Store and logging in to their accounts.”

I use Google Play Music and it’s not clear to me that YouTube Music has improved enough to replace it on my own phones, but I’ll check it out again.

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  • rmlounsbury

    Premium Member
    28 September, 2019 - 11:04 am

    <p>Last time I was in YouTube Music it wasn't close to the functionality I use in Google Play Music. This doesn't seem great. </p>

    • alexoughton

      Premium Member
      28 September, 2019 - 11:09 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#471650">In reply to rmlounsbury:</a></em></blockquote><p>100% agreed. On Android Auto it always plays the wrong thing, and also has a habit of cutting out after a few seconds. If I verbally tell it "Play xxxxx on Google Play Music", then it plays the right thing and doesn't cut out.</p>

      • IanYates82

        Premium Member
        30 September, 2019 - 6:07 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#471652">In reply to alexoughton:</a></em></blockquote><p>You can set your linked music app for your Google assistant. I've got mine set to google play music and it's never gone to the YouTube flavour fortunately </p>

  • zeratul456

    28 September, 2019 - 12:27 pm

    <p>Can I upload my own songs to YouTube Music, like I can to Play Music? </p>

    • Paul Thurrott

      Premium Member
      28 September, 2019 - 1:17 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#471688">In reply to zeratul456:</a></em></blockquote><p>Not that I can see. </p>

      • spacein_vader

        Premium Member
        28 September, 2019 - 2:05 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#471721">In reply to paul-thurrott:</a></em></blockquote><p>Hard pass from me then, I'll continue to use GPM to play music I own.</p><p><br></p><p>Not interested in renting music.</p>

      • jmeiii75

        Premium Member
        29 September, 2019 - 9:10 am

        <blockquote><em><a href="#471721">In reply to paul-thurrott:</a></em></blockquote><p>That's a problem. </p>

      • ZeroPageX

        Premium Member
        30 September, 2019 - 9:15 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#471721">In reply to paul-thurrott:</a></em></blockquote><p><br></p><p>Yikes. That's the only reason I use Google Play. Is there anything YouTube Music can do that Google Play can't? Is it just video?</p>

  • Tony Barrett

    28 September, 2019 - 1:05 pm

    <p>It seems there are things you can't do in YTM that you still can in GPM, but I think we all knew this was coming – still not entirely sure why though. I'm not interested in music videos – just the albums and curated music, that's where I find most of my new stuff. What about my GPM playlists or other settings? I think I'll carry on using GPM for as long as I can.</p><p><br></p><p>I'm also a little annoyed that YTM has a premium ad-free option too – I'm already paying for a GPM family plan which has NO ads, but now I'm expected to may more for no ads! I'll say it again, I have no interest in music videos, which seems to be what YTM is more about.</p>

    • jgraebner

      Premium Member
      30 September, 2019 - 12:56 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#471720">In reply to ghostrider:</a></em></blockquote><p>Unless something changed recently, I'm pretty sure the ad-free premium version of GPM also includes YTM and vice-versa. </p>

  • Elan Gabriel

    28 September, 2019 - 2:05 pm

    <p>I guess that's what the young kids prefer, as with all weird consumer tech decisions being made. They will make a lot of money from that, they know what they're doing.</p>

  • evictedkoala

    28 September, 2019 - 2:56 pm

    <p>I'm assuming YouTube still lumps in all your music follows and likes into your actual video viewing? </p><p><br></p><p>I don't want to sit down at the end of the day, turn the TV on and see music videos pushed to me that are completely unrelated to what I use regular YouTube for.</p><p><br></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">That along with no access to the music I uploaded means I'm sticking with GPM until it dies.</span></p>

  • yoshi

    Premium Member
    28 September, 2019 - 3:25 pm

    <p>YouTube Music is still awful.</p>

  • ubelhorj

    Premium Member
    28 September, 2019 - 3:52 pm

    <p>Thanks. I hate it.</p>

    • Paul Thurrott

      Premium Member
      29 September, 2019 - 9:32 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#471785">In reply to UbelhorJ:</a></em></blockquote><p>Yeah. I do too.</p>

  • Daekar

    28 September, 2019 - 3:59 pm

    <p>Google lost me as a music app user when they started this YouTube Music nonsense. Lesser feature set, worse UI… No thanks. </p><p>I'll stick with local mp3s and Spotify. </p>

  • codymesh

    28 September, 2019 - 4:11 pm

    <p>what would google be if not for 2 different versions of each service</p>

  • chocolate starfish

    28 September, 2019 - 7:15 pm

    <p>I'll be sticking with Google Play Music until YouTube Music allows me to migrate my playlists over. I believe Google are in the process of doing that though.</p><p>If it turns out that feature won't be available then it's GPM for me for as long as possible. May even give Google the middle finger and move to Spotify although I'm sure Google won't be silly enough not to enable a migrate feature.</p>

    • ragingthunder

      29 September, 2019 - 2:18 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#471942">In reply to chocolate starfish:</a></em></blockquote><p><br></p><p>I've used the Stamp service to migrate playlists between services with mixed results.</p>

  • james_rainey

    28 September, 2019 - 11:57 pm

    <p>They are not in parity. Once that happens, fine. Until then, they need to leave well enough alone. I have found YouTube Music's mixed message and clear effort by Google to move us away from a traditional method for purchasing music admirable, I am torn because I honestly don't want videos to be the focus. I look at my phone enough. </p>

    • mike2thel73

      29 September, 2019 - 10:27 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#472002">In reply to James_Rainey:</a></em></blockquote><p><br></p><p>You can make audio only default in youtube music. I used to share your opinion prior to the option being given.</p>

      • mestiphal

        30 September, 2019 - 8:57 am

        <blockquote><em><a href="#472112">In reply to Mike2thel73:</a></em></blockquote><p>I have thousands on songs I've either ripped or purchased from many years of having a Zune pass. I've uploaded all this music to Google Music. Unless I'm about to listen to my own music from the cloud, like I can with GPM, this service is useless to me</p>

    • bill_russell

      30 September, 2019 - 7:05 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#472002">In reply to James_Rainey:</a></em></blockquote><p>I just now go in and immediately hit the 'library' button (wish it could be the default) and avoid the home and hotlist pages. </p><p>I don't care that much if the few albums I once uploaded are there, although it wouldn't hurt. I have a collection of on-device files that aren't really available online, (although I prefer to use casseo-player for those.)</p><p>However still no gapless playback, which is annoying and just shows that it doesn't seem a ton of effort is being put into it. I trust it will slowly improve?…</p>

      • solomonrex

        30 September, 2019 - 12:46 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#472422">In reply to Bill_Russell:</a></em></blockquote><p>Of course it won't. Are they improving Google Play Music? No. They'll just stick with Youtube Music for a couple years, hemorrhage incredible user share and then move on to something else. At this point, they're like a parody of themselves. </p><p><br></p><p>Does anyone take Youtube seriously outside of game streaming and ripping pirated music? It's such a mismatch it's hilarious. They want to compete with Apple like this? </p><p><br></p><p>Samsung actually has a really compelling music player, but has the opposite problem of not linking into Google's cloud. </p>

  • ph-sth

    29 September, 2019 - 6:30 am

    <p>Used YouTube Music as part of a three month free trial recently, genuinely awful, both app and service. Couldn't wait for the trial to end so I could start paying for Spotify again. </p>

  • SvenJ

    Premium Member
    29 September, 2019 - 12:51 pm

    <p>Guess it is time to start making sure I have downloaded copies of things I have purchased through Google Play Music, so I have them when they get tired of this hobby and kill it. Guess it is iTunes for my tunes then. Seem to recall Ms had a service you could upload your own music to as well. Even recall it could play your music out of OneDrive once upon a time. You could ask Cortana for it. What ever happened to Groove? Oh yea, MS got tired of it.</p>

  • evox81

    Premium Member
    29 September, 2019 - 11:36 pm

    <p>My primary issue with YouTube Music has been how inconsistent the sound quality and volume between tracks are. You'll go from listening to a normalized track that is basically CD-quality to something that was uploaded to YouTube in 2005 and with the volume too low and compressed for a dial up modem.</p><p><br></p><p>And don't get me started on the times it plays a song where the music video has pre-song content that you can't conveniently skip if your phone is in your pocket, using Android Auto, etc.</p>

  • chromadium

    30 September, 2019 - 9:29 am

    <p>I feel like Google could have done worse (and it has), by simply renaming Google Play Music to YouTube Music and making the YouTube videos (audio) simpler to integrate into play lists. As it is, YouTube is unreliable for keeping play lists because things get deleted all the time, which makes the UX terrible. I have both, and the sound quality of YTM versus GPM is quote noticeable. YTM sounds flat to me. </p>

  • musanna

    30 September, 2019 - 11:07 am

    <p>it is not good. It is a worse decision I thing so.</p><p><br></p><p>visit my website: <a href="https://omg-blog.com&quot; target="_blank"><em>omg blog</em></a><em> </em></p>

  • jimchamplin

    Premium Member
    30 September, 2019 - 12:31 pm

    <p>Why didn’t they just rebrand Play Music? This new app looks like it was made by interns.</p>

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