As 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 may only see with fourth dimension. While the feature has been live for months now, many people are just encountering YouTube Music's uploaded library feature in the by few days, and what you find may not exactly thrill you. Here'southward everything you need to know well-nigh the drawbacks (and, occasionally, benefits) of YouTube Music's deject music storage feature.

Library management

Uploading

Google Play Music and YouTube Music both let you lot 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 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. We asked Google whether it would come up for YouTube Music and were told that the developers "currently don't take any plans" to back up information technology — don't hold your jiff.

It'due south likely that neither the Chrome app nor the desktop upload helper will come to YouTube Music.

Before yous upload your files, yous should likewise brand sure 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 whatever issues during the upload procedure, information technology will ship you an e-mail stating as much, which I've never seen GPM practise. It includes a list of all files that haven't been added to it, so you can try uploading those once again.

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

Google Play Music has a pesky limit of ten active devices that doesn't only include your mobile devices but also any desktop reckoner you lot've e'er used for uploads and unlimited downloads of music. The corresponding settings page says, "Uploading or downloading music using Music Manager or Google Play Music for Chrome counts towards your device limit." While the same limit applies to YouTube Music, information technology's not clear if instances like third party desktop players count confronting your total 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 comport just like those available for streaming — when y'all search for an artist or an album, your own files will pop upwardly correct between results from Google'due south library. If you upload music already available on the platform, Google will endeavour its best to match them to avoid showing duplicates (which it's arguably not also expert at).

Left: Search. Centre & Right: Library.

With YouTube Music, the situation is different. Uploaded music gets its ain department in the app that's sealed off from audio available through the streaming service. When you search for music, you'll see two tabs: YT Music and Uploads. If yous take a huge library of titles non available on the streaming service, you might find yourself swiping between these tabs constantly to find the music you're searching for.

This theme of separation continues in theLibrarysection. Whether you head to Songs, albums, or artists,yous'll run across 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 can live aslope YT Music's are the queue and playlists, including the automatic Liked songs collection.

Ultimately, this access comparing comes down to preference: Once yous're enlightened of the differences, yous could even terminate up liking the new system more than Google Play Music's.

Free plan

Yous tin can even so add together your ain files to both services fifty-fifty if y'all're not subscribed to Google'south music streaming plan. On Play Music, you lot only accept access to uploads. You can also play music from Google's library, but you're express to starting mixes — you can't choose specific songs. YouTube Music, on the other manus, lets you lot choose which songs to play every bit long every bit the app is active and your display turned on. Y'all'll likewise run across ads when you listen to music other than your ain.

Metadata

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

Third-party access

Google Dwelling house

Play Music lets y'all play your uploaded files on Google Home but like whatever other song, by saying "Hey Google, play [desired title]." In contrast to music bachelor via the streaming service, uploaded songs won't be followed by an automated mix of similar titles, simply 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 Home voice command at all. Instead, it will play the video version if available. The same happens when yous try to play music through the Assistant on your phone. You might not notice that virtually of the fourth dimension, just some music videos include longer non-music audio snippets, similar Michael Jackson's Thriller. You'll need to use the YouTube Music app'due south casting capabilities to play your own songs.

Android Car

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

On Android Auto, you lot can admission your uploads just like you would in the app or on the website: Choose a category like Albums and then head to Uploads.There, you'll see everything you've added to YT Music. That's nonetheless better than Google Play Music — its Android Auto interface only gives you admission toMusic for Drivingplaylists,Recent activity,andplaylists.Y'all can play other songs by request the Assistant for the title, merely there's no visual manner 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, you lot need to subscribe to the service's premium plan. Even when you do that, you tin't use your own files for alarms at the moment — searching for my uploaded Rammstein album didn't return any results. We don't know if this characteristic volition come up after. Meanwhile, Play Music doesn't support Android'due south alarm app at all, so it's something.

With well-nigh people using streaming services over building their own collection these days, information technology's not surprising that YouTube Music doesn't feature total-fledged uploading support. It would have been dainty to see it, but the number of people using them probably doesn't justify the development work that would need to be put behind it. Later on all, Spotify has never supported it and is all the same widely successful. If you want a more than Play Music-similar experience, you could cheque out Apple Music or Deezer, though the latter simply lets y'all upload 2,000 songs. Apple tree Music is on-par with YouTube and allows you to store 100,000 files of your own. If you simply demand access to music yous ain, Plex could also be another interesting solution.

Thanks: Jes, Webber, Eduardo, Karl Horky

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About The Author

Manuel Vonau (1636 Articles Published)

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

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