Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Google Play Music no longer being default is the best thing for everyone

Through sheer dysfunction, Google Play Music's demotion is actually the best thing for it. Last week, Google announced that it would be YouTube Music, not Google Play Music, pre-installed as the default music app on all Android phones.
Many people commented that this was terrible news for Play Music users and yet another nail in a coffin that must look like an iron maiden by now. Actually, as a longtime GPM user, this news made me cheer. Now I can stop worrying as much about that nonsense device limit whenever I get a new phone! For years, one of the first things I'd do on a freshly set-up.

Last week, Google announced that it would be YouTube Music, not Google Play Music, pre-installed as the default music app on all Android phones. Many people commented that this was terrible news for Play Music users and yet another nail in a coffin that must look like an iron maiden by now.

Actually, as a longtime GPM user, this news made me cheer. Now I can stop worrying as much about that nonsense device limit whenever I get a new phone!

For years, one of the first things I'd do on a freshly set-up phone I'd received to review was to disable Google Play Music so that it wouldn't authorize itself accidentally. GPM has a ten-device authorization limit, which is fairly normal, and a four device de-authorization limit, which is anything but normal. What made this worse was that while YouTube Music only counted devices you download offline music on, Google Play Music authorized any device you installed the app on, whether you were just streaming or downloading.

If you hit the de-auth limit, sometimes Google Support would reset your device limit, but many times it wouldn't. And if it wouldn't, then you better hope your current phones don't die, because you couldn't add any more for months. Being locked out of your own music at $10 a month for the privilege was just ten kinds of insane, and that's far less of a worry now.

This next section might be wishful thinking on my part — I am a hopeless dreamer, after all — but YouTube Music being the default should also mean that we see more and more efforts put towards getting it ready for global use, something YTM can't really say it is right now.

YouTube Music is available in just over 70 countries right now, which seems like a lot until you remember that Apple Music is available in 115 and Deezer is available in 182. Setting aside the global availability, YouTube Music is still a hot mess and 18 months into this refresh you still can't even shuffle it while casting, to say nothing of how far we are from the feature parity we need before Google Play Music libraries and users can be migrated to the service.

YouTube Music is the service I use more these days because I've been swapping phones too often to risk burning an authorization on anything lately, but also because it really does music discovery and algorithms better than anyone else in the industry (at least for me) and its library is impossible to match. The core service is good if you're willing to live with its bugs, but it could be drop-dead awesome once the service is actually stable and full-featured.

My colleagues think that feature parity isn't going to happen, that GPM's music locker users will get their music in a Drive folder and get kicked to YTM or the curb. I truly hope they're wrong — because Google Play Music was the last of its kind and I don't want to go back to having two separate libraries for purchased and streamed music — but YouTube Music being the app more people use and report issues with is the next step to YouTube Music getting where it needs to be.

Or it's the next nail in Google's coffin as being utterly and eternally incapable of delivering a quality music experience.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
EU Proposes Phasing Out Russian Oil and Gas by End of 2027 to End Energy Dependence
More Than 150,000 Followers for a Fictional Character: The New Influencers Are AI Creations
EU Prepares for War
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Druzhba Pipeline Incident Sparks Geopolitical Tensions
Cost of Opposition Leader Péter Magyar's Economic Plan Revealed
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
×