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Google Play Music Review
Google Play Music is no longer operational. Google fully discontinued the service and directed users to transfer their libraries to YouTube Music; there has been no relaunch since. Official materials now state plainly that Google Play Music is not available and point users to YouTube Music as the successor (Google support; shutdown timeline; service overview; global shutdown confirmation).
To stream with Google today, use YouTube Music on Android, iOS, and the web. It integrates with Google/Nest speakers and displays, Chromecast and Google TV, and participates in Google’s modern smart home stack. Google has enabled Matter across Android, Google Nest, and Google TV for device setup/control (Matter on Android & Google Nest), the Pixel Tablet offers a hands‑free “Hub Mode” when docked for casting and Assistant control (Pixel Tablet), and Nest Wifi Pro adds a built‑in Thread border router and is built for Matter (Nest Wifi Pro).
Google Play Music Packages Compared
How We Evaluated Google Play Music
Because Google Play Music was fully shut down in 2020 and replaced by YouTube Music, our evaluation focuses on what that shutdown means for listeners today and how YouTube Music compares on core factors: pricing and bundles, audio quality, discovery, podcasts, personal uploads, and device integration. Google confirms the discontinuation and directs users to YouTube Music (support page; timeline).
Key data points we used: YouTube Music Premium is currently listed at $10.99/month (Individual), while YouTube Premium (which includes YouTube Music) is listed at $13.99/month, with Family and Student options available (YouTube Music Premium; YouTube Premium). Audio quality controls allow High quality up to 256 kbps AAC and configurable download/streaming quality (YTM audio quality). Podcasts are available in YouTube Music in most regions globally and Google provided a migration path from Google Podcasts (podcasts in YouTube Music; Google Podcasts sunsetting). YouTube Music also supports personal uploads—up to 100,000 tracks per user—an increase over Google Play Music’s 50,000-song legacy locker limit (YTM uploads and membership; legacy GPM upload limit). Scale-wise, YouTube Music + YouTube Premium surpassed 100 million subscribers (including trials) in 2024 (YouTube milestone).
Google Play Music vs. Other Music Streaming Services
| Google Play Music Individual | Amazon Music Unlimited | Apple Music | Pandora | Spotify | |
| Premium starting monthly price | N/A (service discontinued); successor pricing: YouTube Music Premium $10.99 or YouTube Premium $13.99 | $10.99–$11.99+ (market typical range across major DSPs; see pricing trend: Spotify $11.99) | $10.99–$11.99+ (market typical; industry-wide normalization since 2023–2025 per trends) | Varies by plan; generally aligned with $10.99–$11.99+ market norms | $11.99 (US Individual, 2024) |
| Free trial length | N/A (discontinued). YouTube Music/YouTube Premium trial lengths vary by market and promotion (see YTM) | Varies by promotion and market | Varies by promotion and market | Varies by promotion and market | Varies by promotion and market |
| Max sound quality | N/A for GPM. YouTube Music offers up to 256 kbps AAC (High) with configurable settings (YTM quality) | Varies by plan; many services now offer lossless/Hi‑Res tiers (industry trend) | Varies by plan; many services offer lossless/spatial tiers (industry trend) | Varies by plan and device | Varies by plan; services continue to evolve tiers and formats (see industry trend) |
| Number of songs | N/A (GPM ended). YouTube Music positions a top‑tier, competitive catalog size (Google’s ongoing service) | Not publicly standardized across providers; leading services market very large catalogs | Not publicly standardized; leading services cite very large catalogs | Not publicly standardized | Not publicly standardized |
| Number of subscribers | GPM: N/A. Successor milestone: 100M across YouTube Music + Premium (incl. trials, 2024) | Not disclosed here | Not disclosed here | Not disclosed here | Not disclosed here |
| View plans | View plans | View plans | View plans | View plans |
Key Google Play Music Considerations
Free listening
Google Play Music no longer offers free or paid listening because the service has been discontinued (Google support). If you want an ad‑supported Google option today, use YouTube Music’s free tier; offline downloads and background play for music require a paid membership, while podcasts may play in the background without a paid plan (background play; podcasts in YouTube Music). Current U.S. pricing: YouTube Music Premium $10.99 (Individual) or YouTube Premium $13.99 (includes YouTube Music Premium).
Local recommendations
Classic Google Play Music features like location‑based playlists are part of a discontinued product. Across today’s services, location primarily powers concert and event discovery, while track discovery emphasizes intent and AI‑driven tools. Examples include Spotify’s AI Playlist for prompt‑based playlist creation and Live Events for nearby concerts, as well as Apple’s integration of concert discovery into Apple Music and Apple Maps (Apple Music + Maps concert features). A broader industry shift toward on‑device, context‑aware personalization further reduces reliance on strict location triggers (Apple Intelligence; LLMs for recommendation).
Appealing app interfaces
There have been no interface updates to Google Play Music since the 2020 shutdown. Google’s help materials and independent references confirm the service is discontinued and that YouTube Music is the ongoing product receiving updates (transition help; GPM discontinued; YouTube Music).
Broad station choice
While Google Play Music is gone, YouTube Music offers algorithmic radios, mixes, and video‑native discovery that leverages the broader YouTube ecosystem. Users can tune streaming and download quality, with High up to 256 kbps AAC (change audio quality in YouTube Music). Industry‑wide, services continue adding audiovisual discovery (for example, Spotify’s music videos beta) and experimenting with new tier features such as lossless add‑ons, reflecting a broader 2024–2025 trend toward richer formats and tier differentiation (pricing normalization).
Upload your own music
Google Play Music historically allowed up to 50,000 uploads to a personal locker (legacy limit). In YouTube Music, personal uploads are supported and the limit is up to 100,000 tracks per user, integrated alongside the streaming catalog (YouTube Music). This doubles the capacity that GPM offered and maintains the ability to combine your own files with on‑demand streaming.
The Bottom Line
The uncertainty that surrounded Google Play Music years ago has been resolved: Google Play Music was shut down globally in 2020 and replaced by YouTube Music (Google support; timeline; overview; shutdown complete). Earlier signs of the transition included the YouTube Music app replacing the Google Play Music app as the default music player on new Android devices.
There is no way to listen with Google Play Music anymore. If you want a free option from Google, use YouTube Music’s ad‑supported tier; paid members get background play and downloads, and podcasts can play in the background without a paid plan (background play; podcasts). Current U.S. pricing is listed on the official pages: YouTube Music Premium $10.99 and YouTube Premium $13.99.
If you were considering Google Play Music, choose YouTube Music instead. It’s Google’s official service, supports personal uploads (up to 100,000 tracks), adds podcasts, integrates with Nest speakers/displays, Chromecast, Google TV, and Google’s Matter‑enabled smart home, and has achieved strong adoption—over 100 million subscribers across YouTube Music and Premium (including trials) (YouTube Music; scale milestone; Matter on Android & Google Nest).
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