Photo: Google
Google Play Music has long been one of the top music apps on Android Auto, but not a long time ago, the Mountain View-based parent company announced a plan that was received with mixed feelings by the community.
Google Play Music was supposed to be replaced by YouTube Music, and users were thus provided with a December 2020 deadline to transfer their music.
The demise of Google Play Music happened in painful stages, and while Google tried to push users to YouTube Music, many actually resisted the switch.
This all ends today, as Google Play Music is officially retired and connecting to the service is no longer possible. Users who are trying to connect to GPM right now are just provided with a warning message they need to transfer their music.
“Google Play Music is no longer available. You can still transfer your library, including playlists and uploads, for a limited time,” the message reads.
Needless to say, the “limited time” reference is the one you should care about, as Google will at one point stop providing you with this option too, so you’d better export your data unless you want the entire library to be gone.
The transition to YouTube Music, however, isn’t necessarily the favorite cup of tea for Android Auto users, and this is because the new service comes with a series of important shortcomings.
Google has already resolved one of the most important, as users initially discovered that listening to the music they purchased on Google Play Music was impossible on YouTube Music unless they paid for a subscription. The search giant eventually introduced a free tier for YouTube Music, thus providing access to an existing library at absolutely no cost.
It remains to be seen how many people end up moving to YouTube Music, but with Google Play Music now completely retired, the clock is ticking on the data not yet exported from the service.
The demise of Google Play Music happened in painful stages, and while Google tried to push users to YouTube Music, many actually resisted the switch.
This all ends today, as Google Play Music is officially retired and connecting to the service is no longer possible. Users who are trying to connect to GPM right now are just provided with a warning message they need to transfer their music.
“Google Play Music is no longer available. You can still transfer your library, including playlists and uploads, for a limited time,” the message reads.
Needless to say, the “limited time” reference is the one you should care about, as Google will at one point stop providing you with this option too, so you’d better export your data unless you want the entire library to be gone.
The transition to YouTube Music, however, isn’t necessarily the favorite cup of tea for Android Auto users, and this is because the new service comes with a series of important shortcomings.
Google has already resolved one of the most important, as users initially discovered that listening to the music they purchased on Google Play Music was impossible on YouTube Music unless they paid for a subscription. The search giant eventually introduced a free tier for YouTube Music, thus providing access to an existing library at absolutely no cost.
It remains to be seen how many people end up moving to YouTube Music, but with Google Play Music now completely retired, the clock is ticking on the data not yet exported from the service.
Google News