As the Play Music library migration tool rolls out more widely in the past week, more than 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 y'all may only encounter with time. While the characteristic has been live for months now, many people are but encountering YouTube Music'south uploaded library feature in the past few days, and what you find may non exactly thrill you. Here's everything yous demand to know about the drawbacks (and, occasionally, benefits) of YouTube Music'south cloud music storage feature.

Library management

Uploading

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

Information technology's likely that neither the Chrome app nor the desktop upload helper volition come up to YouTube Music.

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

In contrast to Google Play Music, YouTube Music uploads are a i-fashion street. Once you've imported files, there's no way to download them through the website or the app. You lot'll have to use Google Takeout to do that. Google Play Music lets you download your files right through its website, though in that location's a limit of ii downloads per championship when yous don't use the Play Music spider web app (which seems rather cleaved/deprecated).

Google Play Music has a pesky limit of ten active devices that doesn't only include your mobile devices but also whatsoever desktop computer you've ever used for uploads and unlimited downloads of music. The respective settings page says, "Uploading or downloading music using Music Manager or Google Play Music for Chrome counts towards your device limit." While the aforementioned limit applies to YouTube Music, it'due south not clear if instances like 3rd party desktop players count against your full number of devices.

On Play Music, you can upload a maximum of 50,000 songs, though this has been raised to 100,000 for some people. YT Music ups this limit to 100,000 for everyone.

Access

If you're a premium subscriber, titles uploaded to Google Play Music behave but like those bachelor for streaming — when y'all search for an artist or an anthology, your own files will pop up correct between results from Google's library. If you upload music already available on the platform, Google volition endeavor its best to friction match them to avert showing duplicates (which it's arguably non too skilful at).

Left: Search. Middle & Right: Library.

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

This theme of separation continues in theLibrarydepartment. Whether you caput to Songs, albums, or artists,you'll see the tabbed interface that segregates your uploads from the streaming service'due south titles you've added to your library. The simply places where your files can live alongside YT Music's are the queue and playlists, including the automated Liked songs drove.

Ultimately, this admission comparison comes downwardly to preference: Once you're aware of the differences, you could even end up liking the new system more than Google Play Music'due south.

Gratis plan

You lot tin can still add your own files to both services even if you're non subscribed to Google'due south music streaming plan. On Play Music, you only have access to uploads. You tin can besides play music from Google's library, just you're limited to starting mixes — you can't choose specific songs. YouTube Music, on the other hand, lets yous cull which songs to play as long as the app is active and your display turned on. You'll also meet ads when you listen to music other than your own.

Metadata

Google Play Music lets yous edit your files' metadata after uploading, allowing you to correct a misspelled title or interpret. The feature is not supported by YouTube Music, and nosotros don't know if it's planned at all. It would be a nice addition, only don't hold your breath.

Third-party access

Google Dwelling house

Play Music lets y'all play your uploaded files on Google Abode simply like any other song, by maxim "Hey Google, play [desired championship]." In contrast to music available via the streaming service, uploaded songs won't be followed past an automatic mix of like titles, merely those are about all the disadvantages there are.

YouTube Music, on the other hand, doesn't allow y'all access your uploaded files via a Google Dwelling voice command at all. Instead, information technology will play the video version if available. The same happens when you lot attempt to play music through the Banana on your phone. Y'all might not find that well-nigh of the fourth dimension, but some music videos include longer not-music audio snippets, like Michael Jackson's Thriller. Y'all'll need to use the YouTube Music app'due south casting capabilities to play your own songs.

Android Auto

Left & Middle: YouTube Music on Android Auto. Right: Google Play Music.

On Android Motorcar, you lot tin access your uploads just similar you would in the app or on the website: Choose a category like Albums and then head to Uploads.There, you'll see everything y'all've added to YT Music. That'due south even so amend than Google Play Music — its Android Auto interface just gives you lot access toMusic for Drivingplaylists,Contempo activity,andplaylists.You tin play other songs by asking the Banana for the championship, just there'south no visual way around your library.

Alarms

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

To use YouTube Music content for your alarms, y'all need to subscribe to the service'south premium programme. Even when you do that, y'all tin can't use your own files for alarms at the moment — searching for my uploaded Rammstein anthology didn't return whatsoever results. Nosotros don't know if this feature volition come subsequently. Meanwhile, Play Music doesn't support Android'southward warning app at all, then it'southward something.

With most people using streaming services over building their ain drove these days, it's non surprising that YouTube Music doesn't characteristic full-fledged uploading support. It would take been dainty to see it, but the number of people using them probably doesn't justify the development piece of work that would need to be put behind it. After all, Spotify has never supported it and is all the same widely successful. If you lot want a more Play Music-similar experience, yous could check out Apple tree Music or Deezer, though the latter only lets you upload two,000 songs. Apple Music is on-par with YouTube and allows you to store 100,000 files of your own. If you just need admission to music yous own, Plex could also be some other interesting solution.

Thank you: Jes, Webber, Eduardo, Karl Horky

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Manuel Vonau (1637 Articles Published)

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

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