The death knell for Google Play Music has sounded. In August, Google announced that the streaming service would be fully replaced by YouTube Music by the end of 2020.
Luckily, Google has made it simple to transfer your account to the newer music streaming service.
Here’s everything you need to know about how to switch from Google Play Music to YouTube Music, as well as what to expect from Google’s music streaming service.
If you have a Google Play Music account, you can choose to transfer your account, along with your saved playlists and purchases, to YouTube Music. Otherwise, you’ll lose access to the service and your account at the end of the year when Google officially phases it out fully.
Google has made the process of switching from Play Music to YouTube Music pretty seamless, automating most of the process.
First, you need to visit the YouTube Music transfer tool website and log into the Google profile that is linked to your Play Music account.
Then you just need to click the Transfer button and the process will begin.
This is by far the easiest and most straightforward method. But there is another way to transfer this data…
If you don’t want to use the transfer tool website, you can also transfer your Play Music account from the YouTube Music website or app.
To do this, open YouTube Music and select the profile or user icon.
Next, go to Settings > Transfer > Transfer from Google Play Music. This will begin the transfer process.
Depending on how much data and music you have on your account, the transfer can take several hours. The transfer page will let you know once the transfer is finished.
After Google completes the transfer, you’ll find your old music sorted under the Library or Playlists tabs in YouTube Music.
So what exactly does this transfer process do? It transfers all of your data from the old service to the new one.
This transferred data, according to Google, includes:
- Uploaded and purchased songs
- Playlists & music stations
- Albums & songs in your library
- Your likes and dislikes
- Billing information for your subscription if you’re a current Google Play Music subscriber
If you have an existing Play Music subscription, Google will convert it to the equivalent tier of YouTube Music Premium or YouTube Premium.
Google notes that your subscription price stays the same, unless you live in a region where there has been a significant fluctuation in your currency.
These regions include Croatia and Serbia, among others. In this case, you will receive a re-established subscription price to align with the different currency rates.
What to Know About YouTube Music
You may be wondering what YouTube Music includes and why Google is turning it into its only music streaming service. So what exactly is YouTube Music and how is it different from the service it’s replacing?
In many ways, YouTube Music is very similar to Play Music. After all, they were made with similar audiences in mind. But the newer service has long been intended to replace Play Music, and YouTube Music has come pre-installed on Android devices since September 2019.
In fact, in the lead-up to this swap, YouTube Music has rolled out features based on the feedback that incoming Play Music users would miss from the old platform.
One notable difference between the services is that YouTube Music is integrated into the larger YouTube platform. This means that Google can use your YouTube video history to recommend music to you on YouTube Music.
And while you can get a standalone YouTube Music subscription, you can also get access bundled with a YouTube Premium subscription.
So, in a lot of ways, YouTube Music is a very similar experience as Google Play Music—but with a different hosting platform and a potentially more sophisticated algorithm.
You can also view music videos on YouTube Music, something you couldn’t do with Play Music.
Other improvements introduced to YouTube Music in 2020 include:
- Assistive playlist creation
- Collaborative playlists
- Music player page redesign with improved playback controls
- An Explore tab for new releases
Google has also rolled out YouTube Music integration with Android TV, Google Maps, and Google Assistant.
Is YouTube Music Free?
Past the look and technology of the service, there is another major difference that YouTube Music introduces.
Like the video platform, the music platform offers free access and streaming with ads. This differs from Google Play Music, which only offered free, ad-supported radio in the US, Canada, and India.
If you canceled your Google Play Music subscription, you would no longer be able to access your downloaded music or playlists. However, with YouTube Music, you don’t need a subscription to access these.
Instead, the premium version just unlocks ad-free use of the platform, background play functionality, and a download feature for offline listening.
As the company notes, there are two versions of YouTube Music:
- A free, ad-supported YouTube Music.
- YouTube Music Premium that includes background play, ad-free music, and an audio-only mode.
You may not be sold on YouTube Music, in which case you could choose not to transfer your account at all. So what happens if you don’t transfer your Play Music account to YouTube Music?
Google will remove access to all Google Play Music accounts after December 2020. The company will also automatically cancel the subscriptions for users who don’t transfer before the end of the year.
“For users who decide not to transfer their Google Play Music account to YouTube Music, we will be sure to cancel your subscription at the end of your billing cycle so you aren’t paying for a subscription,” the company said on the YouTube Blog in August.
You can choose to manually end your subscription and delete your account yourself too on the Play Music platform.
If YouTube Music doesn’t pique your interest as a music streaming service, there are a range of others you can choose from. Including music streaming services aimed at audiophiles.