I have always purchased music to download and listen to. Since Google have decided to force me into streaming via YouTube and a monthly sub I was wondering if anybody can tell me how to continue my luddite ways. I need a music player for android, I would use Samsung music but there is no shop option.

I still buy music from iTunes and play it through my Android phone using whatever free front end music player of choice.

I have a library of mp3 ripped from old CDs. I just drag and drop them to my Android phone, then use Play Music to play them. Any other music player app should be able to do the same.

Hols2

Could you describe how you drag and drop to the phone?

Phone connected to pc or some kind of network server?

I’m in same boat as the OP.

@hols2

I do the same, unfortunately I think we’re about to have the facility removed, email from Google below.

Google Play Music is going away soon

YouTube Music is replacing Google Play Music as your new destination for music listening and discovery. Between October and the end of this year, access to Google Play Music will be removed permanently. We know that you’ve spent time building your Google Play Music library, so we’ve made it easy to transfer your music library to YouTube Music with just one click, including playlists, uploads and recommendations.

If you haven’t tried YouTube Music yet, you’ll notice that it looks a bit different from Google Play Music, but know that it was built by the same team with the same passion. It also offers more than 65 million official songs, albums and playlists, as well as many features that you love and expect from Google Play Music.

Plug phone into a pc, open up folders with music files and open another window showing a folder on your phone (phone will appear as a new drive on you pc). Select the files/folders from music folder and drag-and-drop on the phone folder. Wait for transfer to complete then disconnect phone from pc and off you go.
If stock music player on phone isn’t suitable, App store will have another…

I created a topic about this the other day.

You can copy library over, but YT music removes the ability to cast to a speaker or Chromecast if you don’t pay the £12 a month fee 😠
So they’re saying that you can’t listen to music you actually own without paying them a fee. Arseholes.

Looks like I’ll just have to store music on a card on my phone.

Most of my music isn’t on streaming sites so I’ve moved from Google play to storing it all I’m my Microsoft one drive and using the cloud player on my phone. I think you can use Google drive and Dropbox as alternative storage.

After wasting sooo much time trying to use Google Play Music to play my downloaded and copied to my phone MP3s and then trying other free alternatives I stumped up the pennies for PowerAmp. Haven’t looked back.

I’ve (a few minutes ago) installed Hi-Fi Cast on my phone. It’ll connect to my NAS and I can stream to my Home Hub(s). I lose voice control but otherwise seems to be fine. I’ll play about with it for a while.

You can copy library over, but YT music removes the ability to cast to a speaker or Chromecast if you don’t pay the £12 a month fee 😠

Seriously? I’ve been able to cast music videos to the TV from YT music but then I have a Play Music sub so maybe that will change. I assume Bluetooth would still work?

I’ve used Play Music for years, got a big library of non purchased stuff that’s interesting but not everyday listening and then download in playlists for long trips or whatever and then Bluetooth to car or speaker or headphones. I guess that will still work?

As a £10 a month stream and make playlists service it has kind of worked. May go back to buying media item by item but hard to get the diversity of tunes for the price.

you tube music is fine been using it for the last month no bother. Ad free youtube is class.

Have my library in iTunes Match as well, luckily. I can see that being taken away soon as well.

you tube music is fine been using it for the last month no bother. Ad free youtube is class

Agree. For how much I use the tube . 11.99 is good value.

Swapped from play a while ago.

You can copy library over, but YT music removes the ability to cast to a speaker or Chromecast if you don’t pay the £12 a month fee 😠

I don’t have subscription, and can still stream to my Chromecast from my YT Music library (so my music I previously uploaded to Google Music) on Android.

We need some clarification here. I don’t use a TV and have Chromecast Audio to stream music from Spotify (no subscription as yet, so put up with the annoying ads). I’ve got a comprehensive library of CD music on Apple music which I’ve transferred to Google Play and stream this also via the Chromecast Audio puck to my Hifi. As others have said I’ve looked at the pending closure oy Google Play and transfer to YouTube Music, but don’t seem to be able to stream music using YouTube Music via Chromecast Audio. I see there is currently a no commitment 3month free subscription to Amazon Music. So considering all the above, what are my best options? I’d prefer to go subscription free, for the time being at least.

I don’t have subscription, and can still stream to my Chromecast from my YT Music library (so my music I previously uploaded to Google Music) on Android.

Really? I get this when I try to cast to a Chromecast…

Ah…something weird…I can cast my music library to my TV, but not to a Chromecast Audio.

So it looks like they’re stopping access to audio devices only.
Question is, why!?

For the minute I have transferred all my uploaded music to YouTube – seems OK, for offline though always user PowerAmp – however, I’m not happy with the UI since they updated a while ago.

mine still doesn’t play offline , ive transferred my library
More annoying is the music i don’t own on my sd card that is linked to play music but won’t work on yt music so it appears once Google has gone I’ll just have to delete it

I like YT music. All my transferred albums are showing and are available for download and offline playback. There is also a toggle switch to “show device files” so presumably it can be used to play back non YTM files?

For those who’ve transferred from Google Play Music to YT music, did your Play playlist transfer across too?

For those who’ve transferred from Google Play Music to YT music, did your Play playlist transfer across too?

Yep.

Including the “Thumbs Up” playlist?

Including the “Thumbs Up” playlist?

Yes. It has a new name though: Your Likes.
Weirdly the new one on youtube music says it has more (10%) more songs on than the old one on play, but I can’t be bothered looking for an explanation (yet).
It was on “downloaded” in play music, and that status didn’t transfer, but was only one click away when I noticed.

Ok, great, thanks

one problem I’ve noticed is that YT music wont work with android auto without a subscription. Even if you don’t cast/bluetooth to anything. Just tried it with a wired audio connection in the car.

will work if you just use the app though, as it’s just through the jack.

Can I play my music on YouTube music offline if on a plane as, an example

Ah…something weird…I can cast my music library to my TV, but not to a Chromecast Audio.

Issue now resolved. The free version of YT Music will now allow casting to Chromecast. Just as well since I have one of the new devices on order.

I am not sure what I am doing wrong, having been forced this week to move to YT Music.

Any attempt to download music I ripped from CD or Purchased through Google Music is met with a ‘do you want premium subscription to download this?’.

As a few have felt, I am now being charged to listen to music I could listen to for free, as I had paid for it already?

The last straw for me yesterday was being told by youtube music that I couldn’t lock my screen and therefore put it in my pocket and carry on with something else, unless I had a subscription.

I downloaded my music a while ago. Spotify and Poweramp for me now.

tbh im a subscriber.

theyve just sent me a stradia and google chromecast ultra for free…

how did you swing that @andybrad?

Sounds like i have some fun to look forward to. I haven’t had an email from Google yet about changing to YT. All my music is on a memory card in my phone so fingers crossed it will be a seamless change when it happens

https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/psa-free-ish-stadia-and-chromecast-ultra/

For anyone looking for an Android music player I’ve been very happy with pulsar. Free, does all the usual, and supports Chromecast audio (including groups of them).

I’m on yt music now…it is ok apart from – not defaulting to my uploaded library content, what appears to be the same playlist every time I ask it to play music and the constant adverts.

I’m not paying for access to my owned music but I can’t see a way to limit yt music to just my uploaded library.

I appreciate most people are looking for a streaming service now, I’m just looking for an online storage location to play my owned music from…but it doesn’t appear to exist (without paying a subscription)…

Definitely not as good as Google Play Music.