Back in October, only a few weeks before Google killed off Google Play Music for all remaining users, the company announced that they were releasing a sweet new YouTube Music app for smartwatches. Unfortunately, the watches getting the new app didn’t run Android and were instead the Apple Watch. As for Wear OS, well, Google could only tell us to “stay tuned” for news there.
Less than two months later, Google ended Google Play Music yet Wear OS users still hadn’t heard a thing about YouTube Music coming through to save the day on the music front. We are now 4 months into life without Google Play Music (and even longer for the Wear OS app) and yeah, the same applies – there is no YouTube Music app for Wear OS.
You may be wondering why this is such a big deal. For one, a stand-alone YouTube Music app would give Wear OS users access to their music collections from their wrist, let them control playback, and potentially add Casting controls. That’s what the Apple Watch version can do at least.
For Wear OS users today, the only option to control tunes is through system media controls, which let you control volume pause/play, or skip tracks. But that’s pretty limited functionality there. Again, the Apple Watch app gives you library access and Casting controls without ever needing to pull out your phone.
We still think Google is making a YouTube Music app for Wear OS, because they haven’t said that they aren’t. They told us in August of last year that there were plans for YouTube Music and wearables, though they didn’t specifically say an app was coming. However, in October, that “stay tuned” message was in reference to us being on the lookout for “additional updates on YouTube Music availability on Wear OS.” That sounds like an app, right?
Either way, it’s April and YouTube Music replaced Google Play Music months and months and months ago without a proper replacement app for Google’s wearable operating system. That’s bad.
- UPDATE: A YouTube spokesperson tells us that they are “actively working on bringing a robust YouTube Music experience to Wear OS” and that they “will share more information as soon as possible.”
And what about proper Chromecast support in the Desktop web app? Yeah, I can cast the tab from Chrome, but this is inferior to casting from the app (which is supported in the Android app). Seems like so much is half done in YT Music.
Same thing for Gpay and google pay
They should just bring back Google Play Music. I still don’t see any reason why they killed it off in favor of YouTube Music. I don’t even see any advantages of YTM over GPM.
Appears to be related to licensing. Cheaper for them to just provide content from a single source, which sadly is the source with the inferior service.
Appears to be related to licensing. Cheaper for them to just provide content from a single source, which sadly is the source with the inferior service.
Garbage useless response from Google. They should have just not said anything.
I got a Fossil heavily discounted after Christmas, and I have to say it’s disappointing what Wear OS cannot do.
YTMusic is a terrible app on android … who it looking forward to it on Wear? With 17Gb of music stored locally on my phone it takes YTMusic 8 seconds between songs. I’ve tried it on multiple phones including an S21+ same thing. every other music app I try works fine. Yet it works fine streaming. I gave up on YTMusic.
It’s the opposite for me. YTM loads quickly in my devices. I have Spotify and it takes forever for content/songs/podcasts to load. And I don’t know if it’s and Android thing I’ve tried to do some research on it but I don’t know what it is.
I’m glad it works for you. Are streaming, or do you have your music stored locally like me? The app loads quickly for me, it just takes around 8 seconds between one song ending and another beginning. You’d think having the music on the device would be faster then streaming, but for some reason YTMusic does not seem to like my locally stored music collection.
I stream on Spotify and I’ve noticed that it takes a long time for content to load especially on my tablet. I don’t have local files stored there only on YTM.
I’m glad it works for you. Are streaming, or do you have your music stored locally like me? The app loads quickly for me, it just takes around 8 seconds between one song ending and another beginning. You’d think having the music on the device would be faster then streaming, but for some reason YTMusic does not seem to like my locally stored music collection.
” robust YouTube Music experience” would have to mean they plan on improving the YouTube music experience a great deal then?
I love that my new Fitbit (owned by Google) has no Youtube Music app (also owned by Google) but it does have a Spotify app (owned by who cares anymore)….. And my friends’ Apple Watch (owned by Apple) DOES have a YouTube Music app (owned by Google)…
Why in the honest hell is Google taking so long to release a YouTube app for their own watches!?!?! Makes me want to return my Fitbit just to prove how stupid they are….
If they don’t pull a Youtube Music app by summer I’m jumping ship and using Spotify or some other service. These jackasses can’t get their heads out of the sand and listen to what consumers want…..
This is nothing new. I switched to Samsung and anything that is not Google for my services.
What division would writing the code fall on, the YTM devs or the Wear OS devs? Or some other super cool division we don’t even know about?
a beautiful intersection of products google doesn’t seem to be aware they make
It’s not just bad – it’s unacceptable. This issue would be annoying enough on its own. However, it’s just one in a long string of decisions that ignore the concerns of customers and promises that never materialize – as Kellen’s recent post about Inbox demonstrates so well.
One might think that Google is too big to fail, but little failures compound until you have a case study about driving a corporation into the ground.
I’ve given up on YouTube Music. I moved on to Apple Music. It has a few quirks, but it’s a much better music service than YouTube Music.
Forget that, there’s still no Google Chat for Android Auto and that’s the much more egregious omission.
Who cares the main app is absolute garbage!
It may be garbage but a garbage app that can still play music is better than no app that can play music. I have thousands of songs in my library that I can’t use on my watch without an app.
Spotify ftw!
I like Spotify. I came so close to switching to Spotify until I found out only one device can play music at a time and there’s 3 people using the account all the time.
They do have family plans…
With YouTube Music you pay $10 a month and can listen to music on up to 10 devices at the same time. With Spotify for the same price you can only listen to music on 1 device at a time.
With Spotify family plan up to 6 users can use it. That would be a good deal if it wasn’t $5 more and I didn’t already have 5 people using the account.