It seems like every other week Google are adding new features to YouTube Music in a bid to have it ready to fully replace Google Play Music by the end of the year. Today they are adding another few features to the ever-growing list of features.
Google Assistant integration improvements
For all YouTube Music users (free and paying) your own Google Assistant will now be able to play your recommended music. This new integration will direct YouTube Music to play your personalised music suggestions from “your favourite artists and genres based on you listening history. To use this feature on your phone or smart speaker just issue the command:
Hey Google, play recommended music from YouTube Music
YouTube Music on your smart TV
We reported on a clumsy new integration of YouTube Music into the YouTube app on Android TV just last week and it seems that this is here to stay — for non-Android TV televisions. On smart TVs all you have to do is navigate to your YouTube app and click on the music icon in the left menu.
For Android TV users though there is now a dedicated YouTube Music app. After heading over to the Android TV Play Store and downloading the YouTube Music app you can then sign in and enjoy a dedicated TV experience within YouTube Music. This new functionality on both Android and regular smart TVs is available to all users, free and paying.
Google Maps and Waze integration
Waze has had YouTube Music integration for a while now but now Google’s new music app will be integrated into their main mapping app — Google Maps. Within Google Maps there is now a YouTube Music icon allowing you to control your playback easily without leaving the app.
The icon will allow you to play, skip or pause music, choose from a set of playlists or to just click it and open the YouTube Music app. This new feature is only available to YouTube Music paying subscribers at this stage.
As we keep saying, Google are continuing to improve YouTube Music as we head towards the shuttering of Google Play Music. It seems that they are hell-bent on including every possible feature from GPM that they can before YouTube Music becomes the only Google music offering. Hopefully they can complete the feature transition before the shuttering at the end of the year.
lol on Android TV the app is just a shortcut to launch regular YouTube app so nope it’s a dedicated “shortcut”
It is trash. Can’t cast and can’t play in Android Auto without a subscription. More trash from Google as they push us away.
Heh, I was blind. 🙂
On my nVidia Shield TV is not YouTube Music app available.
I thought the same too but it’s a little further down like 5 tiles or so in Android TV Play store. Don’t bother anyway…you’ll see it’s no good
YouTube Music still sucks. And still can’t cast my uploads.