YouTube Music is starting to take over for Google Music, as it's confirmed to come bundled with the latest Android devices.
It is part of Google's bid to combine its major music services, so there's no longer any need to choose between the two.
Google Puts Spotlight On YouTube Music
In a news release from Google, YouTube Music product manager Brandon Bilinski confirmed that the app for YouTube Music will be preinstalled on all Android 10 devices moving forward, including the upcoming Pixel 4 series.
Any new Android 9 device that's going to be released will also have the app as part of its slate. With YouTube Music, users are not just able to stream music, but also albums and live performances.
It's one of many steps the company will be taking to streamline its music services, which many experts believe is essential to compete with its biggest rivals on the streaming stage.
For the past few years, Google has been juggling two different music services: Google Play Music launched in 2011 and YouTube Music launched in 2015.
Tech Crunch noted that the company found handling both was a significant challenge, especially with the addition of the subscription service YouTube Premium. Subscribers of this premium service are given access to both Google Play Music and YouTube Music, but at the same time, Google Play subscribers are given access to YouTube Premium. YouTube Music can also be bought separately.
In part, because YouTube Music was made to compete with Android's built-in music app, it hasn't been gaining as many subscribers as its rival services like Spotify and Apple Music. Last May, YouTube Music only had 15 million subscribers, while Spotify had a record 108 million paying subscribers and 232 million active users. Apple Music also marked 60 million subscribers at the same time.
In the hopes of boosting these numbers, the company has made the decision to focus on just a single service, specifically YouTube Music.
Is It Goodbye To Google Play Music?
For now, the company isn't shutting down Google Play Music just yet. As the latest release revealed, the users who still want to use their accounts in this particular service can continue to do so.
"Google Play Music listeners with new Android 10 devices can continue to enjoy Google Play Music by downloading it from the Play Store and logging in to their accounts," Bilinski wrote in the news release.
