Google announced 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, it's speedily condign more widely available across the globe. It'southward not immediately intuitive what the tool will and won't preserve, though, and the benefits and drawbacks of taking your cloud music library over to Google'southward new music streaming platform. In this guide, we'll prove you the ins and outs of the tool and everything you need to know most using it.

Before we dive into the process, be warned that information technology might take 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'south rolling out the tool in stages based on your location. Yous should see a popup or toast in Google Play Music when it arrives on your account, and the company will send you an email.

Using the Android (or iOS) app

To become started with the migration, you need to install YouTube Music on your phone. Make certain it's at least version 3.65. If it's not available to you lot on the Play Store but yet, you can get the latest version from APK Mirror.

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

If the tool has rolled out to yous, you should come across a bulletin on the app's homescreen, telling you that Play Music is going away and that you can offset the migration. Tap the "Let's become" button and you're taken to a screen showing you lot in which order your items will be moved over. If you're a Play Music subscriber, your subscription will 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 y'all're gear up to beginning, tap "Transfer." A banner will pop upwardly, telling you that the migration is in progress and that you can explore YouTube Music now.

The tool volition beginning import your recommendations and then you can start listening to personalized mixes on YouTube Music before the full transfer is finished. You can tap a banner below the summit bar to encounter how far your migration has progressed.

You can offset exploring YTM while the migration is in progress.

You'll receive a notification and an email in one case the transfer is finished, which can accept a few minutes or multiple days depending on how many songs you've uploaded. When I fabricated the switch myself, I noticed that a few songs in some one-time Play Music playlists were still grayed out and unavailable subsequently getting the notification, but that upshot fixed itself after a few days.

Using the web app

If you'd rather apply your computer to kick off the migration, caput to music.youtube.com/transfer. Like the app, this website shows you which information it'll transfer in which order. Click the "Transfer" push to get going. You can then explore the YouTube web app, and a banner will let your render to the transfer overview so you lot can see your progress — the process is basically the same as in the Android app.

What if I keep using Play Music later on the switch?

If you still keep using Play Music after making the initial switch, don't worry: You lot can sync your libraries as frequently equally y'all want to by clicking or borer your profile picture in the top right corner and heading to settings, where you'll find an option to kicking off the migration tool again. That can exist washed 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 separate section of the app, sealed away from the platform'south streaming service aspect. When you lot scan your library or search results, you'll notice that there are two tabs at the top, one for YT Music and one for uploads. It's self-explanatory enough, but yous need to exist aware of it if you can't find some of the albums you idea you'd uploaded. We've got a granular comparison of how YouTube Music handles uploads compared to Play Music.

Stations aren't a matter in YouTube Music, so it converts all of your stations to playlists. Their content is identical — the only difference is that you lot can really see all the private songs within a playlist, which you couldn't with stations, at least without playing them. YouTube Music also has curated and AI-generated playlists that replace things like Play Music's New Release Radio or the Feeling Lucky station.

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

All of your uploads and purchases will exist transferred, but since YouTube Music has dissimilar licensing deals than Play Music, you might not discover the same selection of songs every bit 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'k a complimentary user?

Yes. YouTube Music lets you play your uploaded songs in the groundwork, and you can download them. Casting capability is express, though — every bit far as I tin tell, you lot tin can't ask an Banana-equipped speaker to play uploaded songs, so you need to bandage your music via the Android app.

In dissimilarity to Play Music, you can also admission the streaming service of the platform for free, simply you'll take to suffer ads, and you need to go out your phone'due south screen turned on and the YouTube Music app in the foreground while you listen. The background limitation doesn't utilize to the spider web app, though.

I already use YouTube Music. Volition my library be overwritten?

That's the situation I plant myself in, and as far every bit I can tell, no information got lost when I fabricated 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 there were no duplicates. A few identically titled playlists across the two services were retained as separate lists, instead.

What most podcasts?

Some people utilize Play Music to heed to podcasts, but YouTube Music doesn't support that format. You tin instead export your episode progress and subscriptions to Google Podcasts. One time the migration tool has rolled out to you, you can caput to podcasts.google.com/transfer to kick off the separate transfer.

The podcast player is available on your Android telephone as part of the Google app (just search for a podcast yous're interested in), but you can also get a defended launcher icon from the Play Store if you prefer. At that place'south also a web interface.

While some people might wish to have more granular control over which songs and playlists to transfer, the tool is equally straightforward and easy to use as it tin can get, which was Google's goal. The YouTube Music team knows that there are yet some significant differences betwixt the two services, then it wanted to make the transition every bit smooth and painless equally possible.

If you're interested in how such a switch pans out for someone who has used Play Music ever since information technology became available, check out my editorial on my feel with YouTube Music (written earlier the migration tool rolled out).

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Manuel Vonau (1638 Articles Published)

Manuel is a tech enthusiast and Android fan based in Berlin. When he'south not writing articles for Android Police force, he'south probably out and well-nigh equally a videographer.

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