Google Play Music gracefully disappeared in 2020, making way for YouTube Music. Many of us, myself included, made the transition and hoped for the best. After all, Google promised an even better music experience. While YouTube Music has some great features, it’s still missing some of Play Music’s popular tools and features. Features such as metadata editing, play count, and lite mode are still missing.
1 Edit song information
The power to personalize
Google Play Music included the ability to change the metadata of songs you uploaded to your library. You could edit artist names, albums, song titles, and even music genres. This is a fairly standard option across music streaming services, from Spotify to Apple Music. This is also a blessing as it gives you the best organizational power and allows you to manage your music library with the utmost care.
Google never included that feature in YouTube Music. All of our own music is currently on lockdown. I don’t know if this was intentional or just an oversight, but now that Google Play Music is gone, we’re at the mercy of Google’s mysterious organizational powers.
2 Audio-only app
Why does YTM want to provide me with videos?
YouTube is the single best source for music videos on the internet. After all, the platform was made for video. Similarly, Google Play Music was one of the best audio streaming platforms. It was easy to clearly differentiate between the two services. YouTube Music, on the other hand, is an amalgamation of both, and my homepage and searches are often filled with video suggestions.
This is less of an issue for web apps, but for mobile YTM apps, the line between video and audio blurs. If you’re listening to music while driving and you’re letting Google choose a random song for you to enjoy, you run the risk of seeing videos (and consuming your data). The only way to avoid this is to curate your playlist before you leave.
3 Number of views
Music statistics for audio geeks
Google Play Music understood that users get satisfaction from seeing how many times they play a banger song. If you want, you’ll be able to organize your library based on number of plays. YouTube Music has decided that our musical interests are best kept private. Our viewing history is invisible, at least not to us, and doesn’t exist on YouTube Music.
Sometimes we music geeks need statistics. Play counts aren’t just a vanity metric either. They tell stories about our tastes and give us the ability to trace memories. Remember how crazy I was about The Chainsmokers in 2016? Good times.
Four light mode
GPM was bright and colorful
Google Play Music now has a brighter, cleaner look. Its light mode was a welcome option and a refreshing contrast to the Spotify-esque dark-only trend. It’s puzzling that when so many apps offer light and dark modes that automatically adjust based on your device settings, YouTube Music stubbornly insists on a dark-only interface.
We miss the light, airy feel of Google Play Music’s interface, and wish YouTube Music would implement that too.
Five cross fade
Where did the smooth transition go?
Google Play Music understood the beauty of crossfades. Seamless and smooth magical transitions from one song to another create an uninterrupted flow of music. This feature has been around for a while. It was also in the old Windows Media Player. Sadly, the song is nowhere to be found on YouTube Music, leaving moments of uncomfortable silence between songs.
These gaps can be brutal when listening to carefully crafted playlists. But then again, maybe Google doesn’t want us to create our own playlists anymore?
Advantages of GPM and YTM
Google could bring these missing features to YouTube Music
There’s a lot to like about YouTube Music. First, the Explore page is very good and one of the best of any music streaming service. The service’s recommendations are great and (in my humble opinion) better than Spotify’s Discover page. All it needs is to bring some of the user friendliness of Google Play Music.
After all, Google has successfully implemented these features into Google Play Music, so we know it can do it. With a little effort, you can easily bring customizable metadata, play counts, and crossfade functionality to YouTube Music. Selecting the light mode is easy. And just in case, let’s get rid of the music video too. I’ll leave the video on YouTube.
OK Google, can you please bring these features back?
YouTube Music has certainly evolved since it first appeared in 2015. But when Google announced the end of its long-loved streaming service, it promised that Play Music’s features would be carried over to YouTube Music. Many of the details are still unknown and puzzling.
It lacks the ability to track play counts or customize song information to carefully curate playlists. Almost everyone is annoyed by the lack of crossfades. Each of the factors we have discussed so far has played a role in making Google Play Music one of his favorite music streaming platforms. Consider this a gentle push from our user base to bring Google Play Music back and help you love YouTube Music too.
Google Podcasts is retired, but Google’s own podcasts are no longer on YouTube Music
You can’t make this up
