RIP Google Play Music: Users told to migrate to YouTube Music

Google today finally released details about the demise of Google Play Music, and launched a quick-transfer button inside YouTube Music for those who want to make the switch.

In 2017, Google said it would eventually merge Google Play Music with its YouTube music-streaming service, then known as YouTube Red. The move was intended to avoid confusion about Google's music services, but it's taken almost three years to become a reality.

Google Play Music will shut down later this year. “For now, users will continue to have access to both services,” Google said in a blog post. “We want to ensure everyone has time to transfer their content and get used to YouTube Music, so we’ll provide plenty of notice ahead of users no longer having access to Google Play Music later this year.”

The company says it’s created an “effortless” way for users to transfer their music libraries and playlists to YouTube Music, so Google Play Music stalwarts hopefully won’t be losing much. 

Those who want to get started now can download the YouTube Music app on their phones, and click a transfer button inside the interface. The app should then upload your purchases, added songs and albums, playlists, and basically all your preferences from your Google Play Music profile. The process could take a few seconds or up to a few days to complete, Google says, but once it's done, your audio recommendations should appear in the YouTube Music app.  

“All Google Play Music users will soon receive an email with detailed instructions on how to begin transferring your full Google Play Music history and content, as well as podcasts, to their new homes,” the company added.

That includes billing information. "Google Play Music Unlimited members will be automatically granted the equivalent tier of YouTube Music Premium or YouTube Premium based on the level of benefits with their current subscription, at the same price," Google says.

For podcasts, the company wants users to try out the Google Podcasts app, which you can also use to transfer your podcast subscriptions to via this dedicated webpage. 

A big reason why users have stuck with Google Play Music over YouTube Music is that Google Play Music enabled you to upload your own music files to the app while YouTube Music did not. But this changed earlier this year when YouTube Music introduced a music-upload feature, signaling that Google Play Music was not long for this world. You can also add up to 100,000 personal tracks to your library in YouTube Music, an increase of more than 50,000 compared to Google Play Music.

In today’s announcement, the company acknowledged that change can be hard. But Google says YouTube Music does offer some enhanced features over the old service, such as expanded playlists and a smart search feature, which is designed to easily help you find new songs in YouTube's cloud library.