GoKawiilAndy Walker / Android Authority
YouTube is that one music streaming service you either absolutely abhor or love so much that you are ready to defend it. I probably fall into the latter category because I frequently get to try a lot of its alternatives, including popular ones like Apple Music, Spotify, and Amazon Music. Still, I keep coming back to YouTube Music every single time. And there is just one reason for it that trumps every other argument against the service.
What matters more to you in a music streaming app? 17 votes Features and ecosystem 24 % Music catalog and discoverability 53 % Audio quality 24 % Social features 0 %
YouTube Music does have a lot of missing pieces
Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority
There is no denying that YouTube Music is far from being the most perfect music streaming service ever. I can agree with my colleague Rita on this. Spotify is Spotify — it does so many things so well that it makes me envy it.
Google feels allergic to making native apps, especially for desktops, and that’s true for YouTube Music. I have resorted to alternative methods of using the YouTube Music web app using Flotato on my Mac so that I can stream music when I’m working. Still, without a native solution, I can’t download my music offline. Spotify, on the other hand, is way ahead on this. Let alone desktops, it has native integrations for an insane variety of platforms, including gaming consoles, speakers, and even cars.
YouTube Music, despite being in the Google ecosystem, is nowhere close to matching the sheer convenience of Spotify Connect.
Spotify now even has lossless music along the lines of Apple Music, which YouTube Music doesn’t even have a plan for right now. There are half a dozen more things that YouTube doesn’t get right, but its rivals do. Spotify Connect is the most in-your-face example of this, letting you control your music playing on any device from whatever screen is closest to you. YouTube Music, despite Google owning a lot of the platforms it runs on, like Google TV, Home speakers, and Google Cast, is nowhere close to matching the sheer convenience of Spotify Connect.
I would kill to have these features on YouTube Music — yet they aren’t enough for me to ignore the biggest strength of YouTube Music and dump it.
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