Published 19:42 IST, October 22nd 2020
Why is Google Play music no longer available? YouTube music takes over android phones
Technology company Google has shut down its 'Google Play Music' service on all android phones. Read on to find out why is Google Play Music no longer available.
A recent report on 9to5google suggests that Google Play Music is all set to be shut down and its users will have to switch either to YouTube Music or to another provider entirely. Many android users might have noticed that parts of Play Music have been closing for a few weeks, and Google Assistant speakers are also losing support. Assistant speakers such as Google’s Nest Mini and Audio have been able to stream one’s favourite tunes from Play music and other services with just a voice command. But recently YouTube music was also added to the list. Read on to find out why Google Play music is no longer available.
Google Play Music not working
Why is Google Play music no longer available?
If an android user heads to Google Play Music right now, they won’t be able to play any music. The screen will say, ‘Google Play music is no longer available”. It will also say that a user can still transfer their library, including playlists and uploads, for a limited time. The android user will also be presented with two options, one is to ‘Transfer to Youtube Music,’ and the other, ‘Manage your data'. Although the move to stop Google Play Music was rolled out relatively show, but it is definitely not just a test, as Google is set to shut down its former service entirely any day now. The reason for this was not revealed in the report on 9to5google and has not been revealed by Google yet as well.
The MP3 store shut down on android
Another report on 9to5google revealed that starting in late August, the purchase or pre-order of music from the Play Store was also stopped. Hence, baby steps were being taken to eventually dismantle Google Play Music from some time now. The Music Manager desktop app for bulk uploads and downloads was also stopped in August. In 2019, the MP3 store was hidden away in Google Play’s side navigation drawer on Android instead of getting featured in the bottom bar.
Google’s decision of getting rid of the ability to buy and download songs will leave streaming as the dominant model of playing music. Mobile phone users who still wish to own the audio files can use iTunes and Amazon. In fact, YouTube Music’s cloud locker launched in February 2020 supports user uploads and download via the web as well.
Image Source: Unsplash
Updated 19:42 IST, October 22nd 2020