How to Transfer Your Play Music to YouTube Music

Google Play Music ends at the end of the year, and YouTube Music will remain as Google’s only online music service. But before that happens, with only a few taps, you have the opportunity to switch to YouTube Music from your music collection, reviews, downloaded tracks, and personal uploads. This will mean that when Google Play Music finally shuts down, you will not lose any content.

You can do the transfer process with an Android app, iPhone, or from the internet. No matter which option you choose, all of your stuff will be transferred over in the background, and you’ll be able to listen to YouTube Music and use the app as usual.

Check out: YouTube Music makes the content transfer easier from Google Play

With an iPhone or Android Smartphone

For mobile devices, the procedure is the same regardless of whether you are using iOS or Android.

• Please ensure you have the latest version of YouTube Music downloaded on Google Play or the App Store.
• Open the YouTube Music app. You will get a YouTube Music Premium pop-up advertisement. Just ignore it for now.
• On the home screen, you should see a message that says, “Transfer your Play Music Library.” If you go to the app settings, you will also notice a new “Transfer from Google Play Music” option, the second way to start the process. If you cannot find any of these methods, Google may not have turned on the transfer functionality to your account yet, so keep checking.
• Tap “Let’s Go.” Then YouTube Music will display everything you’re about to move from Google Play Music, including songs, playlists, albums, uploads, purchases, personalized taste profile/suggestions, and your favorite and unfamiliar songs.
• Tap the “Start Transfer” button at the bottom, and the process will begin. (Note: by finishing this step, you agree to YouTube’s terms of service, stored music policy, and Google’s privacy policy.) If you choose “Not Now,” you will return to the main YouTube Music home screen, and the content transfer message will still be there.

• Once the process starts, you will see a persistent “transfer of your Google Play Music Library” status bar at the top of YouTube Music. Based on your files’ size and how many other people are currently doing the transfer process, file transfer can take a few minutes or longer than a few days. Items like playlists and your taste preferences will be transferred almost immediately, with purchases and uploads taking the longest since Google has made a direct copy of those files.

Check out: How to play YouTube videos in the background for free on your mobile phone

• When the migration is complete, you will receive a notification in the app and an email confirmation that you are all done.

• After all, the process is done, take a look, and ensure that everything has made the trip a success. You will also see a “continue listening to Google Play Music” row on your home screen to make the transfer a little more seamless as you get acquainted with the YouTube Music app.

File Transfer Through a Web Browser

You can also start the Web-based transfer from YouTube Music — on both the smartphone and a desktop browser. The video below goes through the process, which is not too far from the smartphone process.

1. Go to music.youtube.com/transfer
2. Click on the “transfer” button, and your content will start to be moved over.

If you still decide to use GOOGLE PLAY MUSIC, you’ll need to use the TRANSFER Once more.

Google Play Music is available for now, and even after moving your library to YouTube Music, you’ll be able to continue using the service. So if you make transfers on Google Play Music to playlists or any other aspect of your library, you’ll have to make another transfer for them all to be mirrored on YouTube Music because both services do not sync the content.

Luckily, Google can only pass whatever has been changed or is new during subsequent transfers and does not try to copy the entire library again. The text would also read slightly differently and say something like “pass your new additions to Google Play Music.”

Check out: YouTube upgrades the mobile app to the improved TV experience