YouTube Music - Music Streaming

So, like, I'm having way more issues with the audio starting and stopping weirdly on this thing than I ever did with Google Play Music. I really just want a simple audio player to listen to my downloads, but this one doesn't quite cut it. It's not terrible, I guess, but it's definitely got some glitches, and it comes with a bunch of extra features that I don't need (mostly to do with online music stuff). I feel like it's a step down from good old Google Play Music, which I'm actually missing now. And now in 2024, it's even worse.

Oh man, this app just keeps going downhill. The home screen is so messy with random recommendations that don't match what I like at all. And don't even get me started on the album suggestions - they're way off base! Plus, instead of playing my playlists, it's all about other users' playlists. And those podcasts they added? Such a mess to find the shows I've been following forever. And when I want to listen to the next episode, the autoplay feature throws in random episodes from different shows. I just miss how easy this app used to be to use.

The UI is really smooth and there's a wide range of music available, which is awesome. The only thing I wish it could do better is remembering my shuffle and replay choices. It's a bit frustrating that it resets every time I pick a new song. Sometimes when I shuffle, it keeps playing the same songs over and over, which can get annoying even though I have loads of songs to choose from. I appreciate that the lyrics are displayed nicely and accurately. Surprisingly, I actually like the "heard in YouTube shorts" tab because sometimes you just want to listen to those viral songs from platforms like YouTube.

There's just not enough room to cover all the problems with this app. Trying to organize music is a nightmare – the songs stubbornly stay in the order you liked them, with no way to change it unless you make a separate playlist or shuffle them. And even when you do manage to rearrange the order during shuffle, half the time it just ends up leaving the song where it was and making a copy that goes where you intended. On top of all that, the app always insists on playing music via the internet, even if you've already downloaded all the songs. So every time you open the app, you have to remember to switch it over.

Oh man, YouTube Music is like a treasure trove of all the songs I could ever want. It's got everything under the sun, and because it can tap into regular YouTube, there are endless remixes and different versions to explore. But when it comes to podcasts, ugh, this app is just awful. I'm subscribed to so many podcasts, but none of them are showing up on YouTube Music as of April 10, 2024. And when I tried to export my library from Google Podcasts, it told me there was nothing to export. Seriously? What gives?

Yeah, I totally get what you're saying! It's frustrating when things that used to be easy become more complicated. Switching from Google Podcasts to another platform on Android Auto can be a bit disappointing. When you're driving, you want things to be simple and convenient, right? Having to tap multiple times just to access your podcast list can be a hassle, especially when it doesn't even remember where you left off. It means you have to spend more time tapping and scrolling through lists to find your spot again. I completely understand why you're looking for a better option that works smoothly with Android Auto. Hopefully, you'll find one that meets your needs and makes listening to podcasts while driving a breeze again!