Play Music and the associated app have received an update, some good news in the changelog for users and one piece of news that has angered the mob. Let’s get on with the good news first;
- New ‘Manage downloads’ place that lets you see everything that you’ve downloaded, view the total space taken up by each item, and remove the downloads from device
- Redesigned widget that’s resizable from 4×1 to 4×4
- New 1×1 ‘I’m Feeling Lucky’ widget
- You can now undo tracks removed from playlists and the queue via swipe
Add a few minor bug fixes to this and you’ve got a nice little update, some cosmetic changes and functionality additions that have been on the wanted list for heavy users for some time.
Then we get to the dark side of the latest update to the Play Music service, people who regularly change devices or (in the case of many of the Ausdroid Team) review devices and link them to your Play Music account are in for a shock. In the settings page for Play Music, right above the list of Authorized devices you’ll see
Manage My Devices
Your Music library is accessible from any computer, as well as up to ten devices. You can deauthorize four devices per year.
I took the time to investigate this and in the last 12 months I have linked, used and deauthorized 9 devices that were review units. So I now have the option of either;
- Not linking my Music to review devices
- Only doing this with “flagships” so I get the full experience as a daily driver
- Carry 2 phones while reviewing a device
- Downloading music onto review devices instead of using the service I pay for!
- Some other option I haven’t thought of yet… But I’m open to practical and polite suggestions
I understand that not everyone suffers this dilemma; but even for a relatively modest user of Android who enjoys having the latest toys, it’s no out of the realm of possibility that someone may change a half a dozen devices in a year. So with this in mind, I need to say that I’m confused Google, Why?
What’s your theory on why the limit of authorized devices has changed?
Guess thats a direct stab at the rom changers and reviewers. Guess that takes google music off the cards for alot of people who talk about phones. No one important will be recommending play all access anymore thats for sure. I might even have to piss it off Iv changed phones 5 times already this year.
I’m with you mate. I reckon I’ll be changing music services if they continue this policy. I often change roms etc. I have play music on 2 laptops, oneplus one, nexus 5, nexus 7 2013, and nexus 10. doesn’t leave much for the rest of the year considering how much i change roms and review devices…
Wow I hadn’t seen this. I’m always changing ROMs or reflashing the same one (just about to update to the new L image in fact), so this is going to be a problem.
Not keen on this but am still on the manage downloads
I’m constantly changing rom, so yeah I’m skrewed 🙁
Practical and polite suggestion: product training specialists who are required by their work to use their new products as a daily driver and pass on their knowledge and experience to the rest of the company.
That one move makes it almost impossible for independent device reviewers to exist.
Except if, like me, you don’t listen to music. 😉 still, even though I don’t I still support users of the service and think this move is complete and utter bull dust.
you don’t listen to music?
Nope. Podcasts. Training at the gym is to a hardcore mix of TECH Podcasts!!!
The other question is, how are the defining a ‘new device’? If I’m flashing ROMs, My Devices loses the name of the device, so I wonder if this counts as a new ‘device’ in this context. If so, that is going to screw over a helluva /lot/ more people than the scenario from the article.
Even people flashing ROMs are in the extreme minority technically. The average user buys a phone and a tablet and they last them for two years.
As far as Google is concerned it’s a new device, as witnessed by the 4 x Nexus 5’s on my device list. Urgh…
WHY GOOGLE, WHY?
yup I am in this boat. It would definitely slow down my rom flashing habit a bit.
Me three, my list is full of reflashed devices.
There is a way to restore your Device ID between flashes. I haven’t done it for a while but I think Titanium Backup has a function for that. You need to be rooted of course.