Google Play Music Device Management is Broken (Premium)

I very much prefer Google Play Music over Spotify and other services. But it has a major downside that I keep bumping into. And now it's completely broken too.

Great.

The downside I am referring to is the service's terrible device management conditions. This is something even Apple handles better. I can't think of a more terrible thing to write.

"Listen to your music from any computer as well as up to ten devices," the Google Play Music settings page notes. Uploading or downloading music using Music Manager or Google Play Music for Chrome counts towards your device limit. You can deauthorize four devices per year.

In those three sentences are two onerous conditions. And one outright lie.

The first and second sentences are correct, at least: You can tie your Google Play Music account to ten devices. And you can remove four devices from this list every year. But these conditions are unacceptable, especially for someone like me who reviews multiple hardware devices every year. I've run into these limits two times this year alone. And have had an unsatisfactory conversation with Google support both times.

Yes, they eventually fixed the issue by zeroing out my devices list both times. But I don't like going to companies hat-in-hand like this. Apple, at least, supplies a link you can click yourself to do this.

But this isn't about me and my special problems. As noted, Google Play Music device management is broken. And you can see why in that second sentence, which, again, is a lie:

"Uploading or downloading music using Music Manager or Google Play Music for Chrome counts towards your device limit."

If only that were true.

Here's what really counts towards your device limit now: Signing in to an Android device that has Google Play Music preinstalled. Which is all of them.

As you may know, I bought a Google Pixel 2 XL in early November. When the phone arrived, I went to download music to the device using Google Play Music, but was told that I had hit my devices limit. So I went to the Google Play Music website so I could remove a device. Nope. I had reachedthat limit too. So I contacted support.

After a bit of back and forth, I was told that the support representative would have to contact a specialist and that someone would get right back to me. Excuse me, I told that person. I just spent $1000 on this Pixel and I pay for a Google Play Music subscription too. And now you're telling me I can't use them together? Seriously?

Yes, seriously.

Google did fix my problem. But it took over 24 hours. So for that first day, I couldn't listen to music on my phone. I know, first world problem. But I am paying for this service. I should be able to use it.

Once Google did wipe out my ten associated devices, I was able to download music to my phone. Doing so added the Pixel 2 XL to my devices list, as you'd expect. After all, it notes that "downloading music ... counts towards your device limit." That's fair.

Since...