Google appear a migration tool for taking your library from Google Play Music library of uploaded songs and getting them onto its new YouTube Music service back in May. Now, information technology's speedily becoming more widely available across the globe. It'south non immediately intuitive what the tool volition and won't preserve, though, and the benefits and drawbacks of taking your deject music library over to Google's new music streaming platform. In this guide, we'll show y'all the ins and outs of the tool and everything you need to know about using information technology.

Before nosotros swoop into the process, be warned that it might have a while until library migration is bachelor to you. Since all of your data needs to be copied over, Google is probably fighting with limited server capacities, so it'southward rolling out the tool in stages based on your location. You should meet a popup or toast in Google Play Music when it arrives on your account, and the company volition ship you an electronic mail.

Using the Android (or iOS) app

To go started with the migration, you need to install YouTube Music on your phone. Make sure it's at least version 3.65. If it'south non available to you lot on the Play Store just yet, yous tin can go the latest version from APK Mirror.

Left & Middle: Switch banners. Right: Transfer workflow.

If the tool has rolled out to y'all, y'all should see a message on the app'due south homescreen, telling you lot that Play Music is going away and that you lot can offset the migration. Tap the "Let'south become" push button and yous're taken to a screen showing y'all in which order your items will be moved over. If y'all're a Play Music subscriber, your subscription volition also be rolled over, and the price will remain the aforementioned — even if you're grandfathered in on the $7.99 plan or the family subscription. When you're ready to start, tap "Transfer." A banner will popular up, telling you that the migration is in progress and that you lot tin explore YouTube Music now.

The tool will first import your recommendations so you can commencement listening to personalized mixes on YouTube Music earlier the full transfer is finished. Y'all tin tap a banner below the superlative bar to run into how far your migration has progressed.

Y'all tin can offset exploring YTM while the migration is in progress.

Y'all'll receive a notification and an electronic mail once the transfer is finished, which tin accept a few minutes or multiple days depending on how many songs you lot've uploaded. When I made the switch myself, I noticed that a few songs in some former Play Music playlists were still grayed out and unavailable subsequently getting the notification, but that issue fixed itself subsequently a few days.

Using the web app

If you'd rather use your computer to kick off the migration, head to music.youtube.com/transfer. Like the app, this website shows you which data it'll transfer in which society. Click the "Transfer" push button to get going. You tin so explore the YouTube spider web app, and a banner will let your render to the transfer overview so you can meet your progress — the process is basically the same as in the Android app.

What if I continue using Play Music after the switch?

If yous still continue using Play Music after making the initial switch, don't worry: You can sync your libraries equally often equally you want to past clicking or borer your profile picture in the top right corner and heading to settings, where yous'll find an option to kick off the migration tool again. That can be done both on the spider web and in the Android app.

Where are my uploads and stations?

YouTube Music organizes some things differently from Play Music. Your uploads sit in a divide department of the app, sealed away from the platform's streaming service aspect. When yous browse your library or search results, you'll notice that in that location are two tabs at the elevation, i for YT Music and one for uploads. It'due south self-explanatory enough, but you need to be aware of it if you tin't find some of the albums you idea you lot'd uploaded. We've got a granular comparing of how YouTube Music handles uploads compared to Play Music.

Stations aren't a affair in YouTube Music, so it converts all of your stations to playlists. Their content is identical — the only difference is that yous can actually encounter all the individual songs within a playlist, which y'all couldn't with stations, at least without playing them. YouTube Music also has curated and AI-generated playlists that supervene upon things like Play Music'southward New Release Radio or the Feeling Lucky station.

I'm missing some songs. What's up with that?

All of your uploads and purchases will be transferred, just since YouTube Music has dissimilar licensing deals than Play Music, you lot might not find the aforementioned selection of songs as available on Play Music's streaming service. Google says these cases should exist few and far between, and some songs that have disappeared from your Play Music library due to rights or licensing might even reappear in YouTube Music eventually.

Can I brand the switch if I'thou a complimentary user?

Yes. YouTube Music lets you play your uploaded songs in the groundwork, and you tin download them. Casting adequacy is limited, though — as far as I tin can tell, you can't ask an Assistant-equipped speaker to play uploaded songs, so you need to cast your music via the Android app.

In contrast to Play Music, y'all can besides admission the streaming service of the platform for free, but you'll accept to endure ads, and yous need to leave your phone's screen turned on and the YouTube Music app in the foreground while you mind. The background limitation doesn't utilise to the web app, though.

I already utilise YouTube Music. Will my library be overwritten?

That's the situation I plant myself in, and as far as I can tell, no data got lost when I made the switch. Instead, your libraries will be combined intelligently. I uploaded a few albums to YouTube Music already in my Play Music library prior to the migration and at that place were no duplicates. A few identically titled playlists across the two services were retained every bit dissever lists, instead.

What about podcasts?

Some people utilise Play Music to listen to podcasts, but YouTube Music doesn't support that format. You can instead consign your episode progress and subscriptions to Google Podcasts. In one case the migration tool has rolled out to y'all, you lot can head to podcasts.google.com/transfer to kick off the divide transfer.

The podcast player is bachelor on your Android phone equally office of the Google app (merely search for a podcast you're interested in), merely you lot can also become a dedicated launcher icon from the Play Store if y'all prefer. There'southward besides a web interface.

While some people might wish to have more granular command over which songs and playlists to transfer, the tool is as straightforward and easy to use equally it can get, which was Google's goal. The YouTube Music team knows that there are still some significant differences between the two services, so it wanted to brand the transition as smooth and painless as possible.

If you're interested in how such a switch pans out for someone who has used Play Music always since it became available, cheque out my editorial on my experience with YouTube Music (written before the migration tool rolled out).

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About The Author

Manuel Vonau (1637 Manufactures Published)

Manuel is a tech enthusiast and Android fan based in Berlin. When he's not writing articles for Android Police, he's probably out and nearly as a videographer.

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