In what might seem like a minor annoyance to most users, Google has announced that Google Play Music will now be replaced as the default music player on its Android devices. Instead, Google has made YouTube Music compulsory. This change will occur only on Android 9 and Android 10 devices. This means, if you are planning to purchase a new Android cellphone, you can expect the familiar Google Play Music nowhere to be seen on your new device. However, worry not, as Google Play Music can still be downloaded separately via Play Store.
Users may not want to use YouTube Music the way Google intends them to
Most readers have noted that they usually use Spotify to listen to music, and they hardly ever use Google Play Music anyway. YouTube Music has not caught up in popularity and most people simply use it only when they want to watch videos. WIth this being the case, Google seems to be trying to compete with its arch-rival Apple, whose Music application did undergo a revamping exercise lately. Apple Music can now be accessed via browsers, much like Spotify. This has probably put Google in a tight spot, and is trying to divert all its users to Youtube Music, and hopefully urge them to subscribe to a paid membership.
What is wrong with Making YouTube Music Compulsory?
Unfortunately for Google, YouTube Music may never pick up in popularity like its more glamorous rivals. Firstly, it does not allow users to stream files stored on their local disks. Google Play Music does but expecting users to download two music applications to do the same things that Spotify or Apple Music does is a bit of a stretch. One must remember that most people on Android already use either Spotify or Apple Music, much to Google’s dismay.
YouTube Music lags behind in terms of its library, quality of music and also user interface. YouTube Music’s user interface is known to be difficult to use, and not as intuitive as its competitors. In fact, Google Play Music fares much better than YouTube Music in terms of intuitive UX/UI and size of library. As YouTube Music does not have much to brag about, and comes with many limitations, this move is likely not going to help Google in the near future.
Google should have planned carefully
With practically millions of users potentially subscribing to one of the music applications, Google should have considered this move carefully. In the future, we may expect YouTube Music to let users play their local files and stream videos on the Internet. However, at the moment, Google has not given any indications that it plans to allow its users do both on YouTube Music. For that to happen, users will have to download both YouTube Music and Google Play Music.
Do you plan to use YouTube Music?
Google is probably not being very smart in forcing its new customers to opt for YouTube Music, as this is only going to drive people away from both YouTube Music and Google Play Music. Most new users might simply continue to use Spotify or Apple Music, leading to loss of revenue for Google. However, in the coming months, Google will most probably make changes to YouTube Music. It may also. add more features to make it as attractive as its competing applications. If you are an ardent listener of music and use one of these applications, which one is your favorite? Do let us know in the comments section below.
