Why Is Google Play Music No Longer Available App Replaced With Another Streaming Service
If youve got a Google Play account, then you may have noticed that the Music Store seems to have disappeared but why?
Google Play, formerly Android Market, was launched in 2008 as the official App Store for Android phones and devices. It offers different digital services like books, apps, games, movies and until recently music.
The Music Store is no longer available on Google Play, but where has it gone?
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Whether you already have a Google Home or Nest speaker, or you’re setting one up for the first time, taking five minutes to make a few simple adjustments can mean the difference between limited access to the music you love and an almost unlimited world of musical possibilities.
Here’s how to figure out which plans will give you the best music experience on your Google Home or Nest smart speaker, as well as how to set them up so they work seamlessly.
Spotify is the most popular music streaming service worldwide and is compatible with Google Home and Nest smart speakers.
Linking A Music Service
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How To Transfer From Google Play Music
Google has sent out emails and notifications encouraging users to move their files to the new service. Those prompts come with a transfer button to get the process started, but you can also do it on your own. Here’s how.
First, make sure youve set up an account with YouTube Music and that you have the latest version of both apps. Then follow these steps.
The time it takes to transfer your files may vary depending on the size of your library. When I did it, the process was done in about an hour. Youll get a notification when the transfer is complete, and then you can access your files from the Library tab in the YouTube Music app.
That will move over your songs, playlists, and recommendations. But youll need to take separate steps if youve been using Google Play Music for podcasts. YouTube Music doesn’t support podcast subscriptions the company is encouraging users to adopt the Google Podcasts app instead.
If youve been using Google Play Music for podcasts, the company makes it easy to transfer your downloads, subscriptions, and other data to the Google Podcasts app. Start the podcast transfer using the button on this dedicated page.
Access Your Music On The Web And Your Android Phone
Now that you’ve set up your Google Play music library, you can access it on your Android phone or tablet and the web. Sign in and all your music is just there, like magic. And when you upgrade to the latest Android device, your music comes along too. You’ll never be without your favorite artists again.
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Paid Subscriptions ‘background’ Music
If you pay for a Google Play Music subscriptionto get ad-free streaming, the company will move the account to YouTube Music once you transfer your files. Youll get access to YouTube Music Premium or YouTube Premium , depending on how much youre currently paying. For people in the U.S. and most of the world, prices wont change for now.
For those who use just the free ad-supported tier of Google Play Music, theres some good news and some bad news.
The good news is that YouTube Music will let you listen to files you purchased or uploaded in the background without the app open on your screen. That means Ill still be able to scroll through Twitter while I listen to my various unreleased Tom Waits live recordings without paying for a subscription.
The bad news is that if a free user wants to listen to anything else, it can’t play in the background. YouTube Music comes with a library of 50 million tracks, and free users can listen with ads. But if you aren’t a paid subscriber, you cant listen if you lock your phone screen or switch over to another app. That’s an annoying drawback Google Play Music didn’t have.
That means YouTube Music is still the best game in town for people who want access to their own collection of songs on the go. But for those who want the exhaustive collection of music that comes with most streaming services, there are better free options to consider.
Google Play Music App For Android And Iphone
If youre out and about, and want to listen to some tunes, just pop open the Google Play Music app. If youre reading this, its already probably on your phone. If not, you can download it here for Android or here for iOS.
Once downloaded, fire up the app, and sign in with your Google account. If you dont subscribe to Google Play Music, youll run into some limitations. You wont be able to play specific songs youre looking for, only radio stations. Theyll get you close to what you want, but not to specific songs. You also have a limited number of skips up to six in an hour. Finally, of course, youll get ads, and the occasional prompt to subscribe. None of these are absolute deal killers, but they can make getting your jam on frustrating.
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Why Is It Important To Get Your Music On Google Play
Google Play Music is currently the fourth best-paying music platform for musicians. On top of that, the 15 million active subscribers are mostly YouTube Premium users, which can also add streams to your videos.
Bear in mind that it is possible to monetize your YouTube channel in such a way that it will bring some extra income from the same songs.
Getting your songs on every major music player is very important to get the widest audience possible to hear you. Let´s see how it´s done.
The End Of Google Play Music
As much as we love Google Play Music, the truth is that Google doesnt seem happy with it. In 2018, the company revealed a new music streaming service, YouTube Music, which not only offers full albums and individual songs to stream but also lots of remixes, live performances, and music videos. YouTube Premium, the paid version of YouTube Music, costs the same as Google Play Music at $9.99 a month.
Google already announced YouTube Music will eventually replace Google Play Music as the companys only music streaming service. However, its not clear when exactly that will happen. Google Play Music will probably shut down sometime in 2019, but we dont know exactly when. Google has indicated that when the shutdown does happen, users of Google Play Music will have all of their preferences, songs, and playlists transferred to YouTube Music. Google Play Musics ability to upload and store up to 50,000 songs in the cloud for free will reportedly be supported for YouTube Music as well, at least eventually.
We will update this feature when Google announces when Google Play Music will shut down, along with how the transition to YouTube Music will take place. If you want to switch to another streaming service when the shutdown is announced, you can download any songs or albums you have purchased on Google Play Music. Be prepared it will likely take a long, long time.
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How To Play Music With Google Home
This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow’s Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards.The wikiHow Tech Team also followed the article’s instructions and verified that they work. This article has been viewed 24,108 times.Learn more…
This wikiHow teaches you how to play music with a Google Home device by linking your preferred music service and then controlling the music using voice commands. You can link paid subscription accounts for Spotify, Google Play Music, and YouTube Red, or you can use the free versions of Spotify, Google Play Music, and Pandora with the Google Home.XResearch source
Best Gear For Your Music Listening
No matter which app youre using, your music will sound better on great equipment. Here are a few of the best headphones and speakers from CRs ratings.
Editor’s Note: This article, originally published on May 23, 2020, has been updated with the latest news from Google and instructions for downloading a copy of your music.
Thomas Germain
I want to live in a world where consumers take advantage of technology, not the other way around. Access to reliable information is the way to make that happen, and that’s why I spend my time chasing it down. When I’m off the clock, you can find me working my way through an ever-growing list of podcasts. Got a tip? Drop me an email or follow me on Twitter for my contact info on Signal.
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Set Your Itunes Library Free
Google Play helps you bring your iTunes library to your Android devices. You can upload up to 50,000 of your songs from your computer to Google Play for free. Once youâve uploaded your music, it’s instantly available on the web and your Android phone or tablet. No wires, downloading or syncing.
Where Are The Music Files On My Iphone
How to view songs you’ve saved locally to your iPhone or iPad
- Launch the Music app from your Home screen.
- Tap on the My Music tab.
- Select the view type dropdown from the middle of the screen.
- Switch Show Music Available Offline to on at the bottom of the pop-up.
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How To Open Google Play Music On Your Desktop
If youre using a web browser, we highly recommend you use Chrome. It has a mini player extension you can install, which allows to you pop out a music control box. The app can run in a full window, but if you just want it out of the way, the mini player is great. It gives you album art, playback controls, and like and dislike options.
If you stick with the full browser, you can get started by searching for an artist or song. From there you can click on a song or album to play. Google Play Music also lists all of your recent history, which can help you pick up where you left off. Once you select a song and it starts playing, youll see a play bar across the bottom of the browser. First, you have options which include radio controls, library and playlist controls, and share and buy buttons. After that, you have the like and dislike buttons, play controls, volume, track listing, and if youre in Chrome, the option to cast.
Finding And Managing Your Uploaded Songs
To see only the songs youve uploaded, click your Library in Google Play Music and select Purchased & Uploaded from the dropdown menu.
If a song you uploaded doesnt have any tag information associated with it, you can add it yourself. Right-click the song in Google Play Music, select Edit Info, and enter the artist, song title, album name, and whatever other information you want associated with the song. You can even add album art from here.
You can upload up to 50,000 songs of your own. To check how many youve uploaded, click the menu in Google Play Music and select Settings. Under Account, look at the Uploaded Songs counter.
Songs youve added to Google Play Music can be played, added to playlists, and downloaded for offline playback in the mobile app like any other songs in Google Play Music.
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Google Play Music Is Shutting Down Here’s How To Save Your Tunes
With just a few steps you can transfer files and podcasts
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Fans of the streaming service Google Play Music may soon want to hold a moment of silence. Google has announced that the app will be shut down and replaced by the YouTube Music app, which has been available for a few years.
If youre a Google Play Music user, it’s easy to move your files, playlists, and other data to the new service, and maintain your paid subscription if you have one. You can also download your files if you want to take them elsewhere. But in any case, you need take action soon.
Users will lose access to Google Play Music permanently “between October and the end of this year,” according to an email sent to subscribers. Right now you can still use both services, and Google promises to notify users before the app shuts down for good.
Google Play Music never had the success of competitors like Apple Music or Spotify. But Ive been part of a relatively small but loyal group of users for a long time because the app has a feature that most others dont.
Google Play Music lets you upload up to 50,000 of your own files to the companys servers and listen to them from the cloud.
Option One: Upload Songs With Google Chrome
You can upload music right from your web browser, assuming that web browser is Google Chrome. This is ideal if youre just uploading a few songs . On the , click the menu button in the top left corner of the screen and click Upload Music.
Drag and drop individual song files or folders containing song files from your computers local drive to this window. You can also click the Select From Your Computer button and browse to the individual song files. The music you upload will appear in your music library.
If you use iTunes, you can drag and drop music right from your iTunes library onto the page.
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Option Two: Automatically Upload New Music With Music Manager
Google also offers a for Windows and macOS, ideal for those with large libraries that they want constantly syncing to Google Music. Youll also be prompted to use it if you click the Upload Music option in a browser that isnt Chrome.
The Google Play Music Manager tool is particularly convenient because it runs in the background on your PC, monitoring your music folder. When you add more music to your music folderby downloading, ripping, or purchasing itGoogle Play Music Manager will automatically upload it to your Google Play Music account. Itll be available in the Google Play Music app and website on all your devices.
Select the location where your music is stored on your PC. If you have it stored in your iTunes or Windows Media Player library, select that option. If its stored in your My Music folder at C:\Users\Name\Music, select that option. If its anywhere else, select the Other Folders option and add the folders containing music files.
The Music Manager application will offer to monitor the locations you selected for new music. Click Yes and the application will run in your notification area, automatically monitoring and uploading music files you add to the selected location on your PC.
To monitor the upload process and adjust which folders the tool is watching, click the Google Play Music Manager icon in your system tray.
How To Download Songs On Google Play Music On Pc Or Mac
This article was written by Travis Boylls. Travis Boylls is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. Travis has experience writing technology-related articles, providing software customer service, and in graphic design. He specializes in Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and Linux platforms. He studied graphic design at Pikes Peak Community College. This article has been viewed 49,256 times.
This wikiHow teaches you how to download Google Play music on a Windows or Mac computer. You can only download music that you have purchased or previously uploaded to your Google Music account.
| This article has been marked as historical.Google Play Music was integrated with YouTube Music and discontinued in late 2020. . |
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