We’ve known for more than a year that Google Play Music has a number of days. His death was also officially announced, but it is now really real. Google recently launched the GPM app on Android and the web, which provides a knockout blow instead of a short match.
Open the Android app now and you’ll be greeted by a white splash screen with the Play Music logo that morphs into YouTube music. Bold text tells you that GPM Is no longer available and explains that you can transfer your entire library to YTM. Below that are two buttons provided, one to kickstart the transfer process and the other to manage your data. The latter will take you to the GPM site where you can download and delete your entire library, and delete your Recommended History. Once you’re done, the app’s widget will automatically disappear from your homescreen if you add it there.
It is a clinically reversible death. You are wondering if manually changing the date of your phone will return the final blow, let me save some time: I tried, it didn’t work.
What Google hasn’t thought of is an easy way to manage your locally stored data on your phone. If you downloaded music to listen offline offline, you can no longer do that anywhere in the app, and that data will still take up space on your phone. So you have to uninstall the app, or if your device doesn’t allow you to do that, you need to tap and hold the app’s icon in the drawer, go to the app info and then select storage. There, you should be able to clear GPM’s cache and offline fly music.
The web client at Music.google.com is long gone. Now, it only offers the options we saw above.
RIP, Google Play Music (2011-2020)
