Equally the Play Music library migration tool rolls out more widely in the past week, more and more than people are discovering the limitations and pitfalls of uploaded songs on YouTube Music. While some are obvious—like YouTube Music sequestering away uploaded songs in an entirely separate area—there are others you lot may merely run across with time. While the feature has been alive for months now, many people are just encountering YouTube Music's uploaded library feature in the past few days, and what yous detect may non exactly thrill you. Here'due south everything y'all demand to know nigh the drawbacks (and, occasionally, benefits) of YouTube Music's deject music storage characteristic.

Library management

Uploading

Google Play Music and YouTube Music both let you upload music past dragging and dropping files and folders onto their spider web interfaces. Play Music used to take a desktop helper and a Chrome app that looked for new audio files in a specified binder and uploaded these automatically, but the service has been feeling rather broken over the last few years for many people. Nosotros asked Google whether information technology would come for YouTube Music and were told that the developers "currently don't have any plans" to support information technology — don't hold your jiff.

It's probable that neither the Chrome app nor the desktop upload helper will come to YouTube Music.

Earlier you upload your files, you should also make certain they're in a supported format: FLAC, M4A, MP3, OGG, or WMA. Google Play Music, in dissimilarity, additionally supports M4Ps — DRM-protected AAC files. If YouTube Music runs into any issues during the upload procedure, it will send you an e-mail stating every bit much, which I've never seen GPM exercise. It includes a list of all files that haven't been added to information technology, so you tin attempt uploading those again.

In dissimilarity to Google Play Music, YouTube Music uploads are a one-way street. One time you lot've imported files, there'due south no way to download them through the website or the app. You'll have to use Google Takeout to exercise that. Google Play Music lets you download your files right through its website, though there's a limit of two downloads per title when y'all don't use the Play Music web app (which seems rather broken/deprecated).

Google Play Music has a pesky limit of 10 active devices that doesn't only include your mobile devices but also any desktop computer y'all've ever used for uploads and unlimited downloads of music. The respective settings folio says, "Uploading or downloading music using Music Director or Google Play Music for Chrome counts towards your device limit." While the same limit applies to YouTube Music, it'southward non articulate if instances like third party desktop players count against your total number of devices.

On Play Music, you tin can upload a maximum of l,000 songs, though this has been raised to 100,000 for some people. YT Music ups this limit to 100,000 for everyone.

Admission

If y'all're a premium subscriber, titles uploaded to Google Play Music behave just like those available for streaming — when you search for an artist or an album, your ain files will pop up right betwixt results from Google's library. If you upload music already available on the platform, Google will endeavor its best to match them to avoid showing duplicates (which it'due south arguably not too good at).

Left: Search. Middle & Right: Library.

With YouTube Music, the situation is different. Uploaded music gets its own section in the app that'southward sealed off from audio bachelor through the streaming service. When you search for music, y'all'll run into two tabs: YT Music and Uploads. If you take a huge library of titles not available on the streaming service, you might find yourself swiping betwixt these tabs constantly to discover the music you're searching for.

This theme of separation continues in theLibrarysection. Whether you head to Songs, albums, or artists,you'll see the tabbed interface that segregates your uploads from the streaming service's titles you've added to your library. The only places where your files tin live alongside YT Music'southward are the queue and playlists, including the automatic Liked songs collection.

Ultimately, this access comparing comes downwardly to preference: Once you're aware of the differences, you could fifty-fifty cease upwards liking the new system more than Google Play Music'due south.

Free program

You can still add together your own files to both services fifty-fifty if you're non subscribed to Google's music streaming programme. On Play Music, you but have access to uploads. You can also play music from Google's library, but you're limited to starting mixes — you can't choose specific songs. YouTube Music, on the other mitt, lets you cull which songs to play equally long every bit the app is active and your display turned on. You lot'll as well meet ads when you listen to music other than your ain.

Metadata

Google Play Music lets yous edit your files' metadata afterward uploading, assuasive you to right a misspelled title or interpret. The characteristic is not supported by YouTube Music, and we don't know if information technology's planned at all. It would be a nice addition, but don't hold your breath.

Third-party access

Google Habitation

Play Music lets you lot play your uploaded files on Google Home simply like any other song, by saying "Hey Google, play [desired title]." In dissimilarity to music available via the streaming service, uploaded songs won't be followed by an automatic mix of similar titles, only those are virtually all the disadvantages at that place are.

YouTube Music, on the other hand, doesn't let you access your uploaded files via a Google Domicile voice command at all. Instead, it will play the video version if available. The same happens when you try to play music through the Assistant on your phone. You might non notice that almost of the time, merely some music videos include longer non-music audio snippets, like Michael Jackson'south Thriller. You'll demand to use the YouTube Music app's casting capabilities to play your own songs.

Android Auto

Left & Middle: YouTube Music on Android Machine. Correct: Google Play Music.

On Android Motorcar, you can admission your uploads just like you would in the app or on the website: Cull a category similar Albums and then head to Uploads.There, you'll see everything yous've added to YT Music. That'due south withal amend than Google Play Music — its Android Auto interface just gives y'all access toMusic for Drivingplaylists,Recent action,andplaylists.You tin can play other songs by asking the Assistant for the title, but there's no visual way effectually your library.

Alarms

Left: Subscription necessary for alarms. Right: No results for my uploaded Rammstein album.

To use YouTube Music content for your alarms, you demand to subscribe to the service'due south premium programme. Even when you do that, you lot can't use your ain files for alarms at the moment — searching for my uploaded Rammstein album didn't return any results. We don't know if this feature will come later. Meanwhile, Play Music doesn't support Android'due south alarm app at all, then it's something.

With about people using streaming services over edifice their own collection these days, information technology's non surprising that YouTube Music doesn't feature total-fledged uploading support. It would have been overnice to run across it, but the number of people using them probably doesn't justify the evolution work that would need to exist put backside it. Afterwards all, Spotify has never supported it and is notwithstanding widely successful. If you desire a more Play Music-like experience, you could check out Apple Music or Deezer, though the latter only lets you lot upload two,000 songs. Apple Music is on-par with YouTube and allows y'all to store 100,000 files of your own. If you merely need admission to music you ain, Plex could also be another interesting solution.

Thank you: Jes, Webber, Eduardo, Karl Horky

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Manuel Vonau (1638 Articles Published)

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

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