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Google Play Music Shutting Down in October

Now's the time to switch to YouTube Music or another music-streaming service, as Google will pull the plug on Google Play Music in the US in October.

Michael Kan
 & Michael Kan Principal Reporter

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Google Play Music will officially die off in October. 

“Starting in September 2020 in New Zealand and South Africa—and in October for all other global markets—users will no longer be able to stream from or use the Google Play Music app,” the company announced today. 

The Google Play Music wind-down, however, begins later this month, when "the Google Play Store will be removing the ability to purchase and pre-order music. Additionally, we will be shutting down Music Manager, which includes the option to upload and download music from Google Play Music,” the company said. 

Google warned users about the app’s impending demise in May, and urged people to switch to YouTube Music, but offered a more specific timeline today. And while Google Play Music will no longer work after October, Google will preserve user data until December so you can transfer music libraries to YouTube Music. Otherwise, say goodbye to any account data. 

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The Google Play Music transfer site. (Credit: Google)

To transfer your files, the company has created a dedicated website, which will repackage and ferry your Google Play Music account data to YouTube Music. You can also download the YouTube Music app, and initiate the transfer from there. 

For podcast transfers, the company has created a separate website, which will move the data over to the official Google Podcasts app.

Related

To take your Google Play Music data and export it elsewhere, you can use the Google Takeout tool to get an archive of your playlists and MP3 files purchased over the service. 

“For Google Play listeners that have not yet started the transfer process over to YouTube Music, now’s the time, and we’ve made it seamless to do so,” the company added. “Listeners can also choose to delete their Google Play Music data, and we will clearly notify all users before they lose access to their Google Play Music library and data.”

Further Reading

Streaming Music Service Reviews

About Our Expert

Michael Kan

Michael Kan

Principal Reporter

My Experience

I've been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I'm currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country's technology sector.

Since 2020, I've covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I've combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink's cellular service.

I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. In 2024 and 2025, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.

I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I'm now following how the AI-driven memory shortage is impacting the entire consumer electronics market. I'm always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.

The Best Tech I've Had:

  • My first video game console: a Nintendo Famicom
  • I loved my Sega Saturn despite PlayStation's popularity.
  • The iPod Video I received as a gift in college
  • Xbox 360 FTW
  • The Galaxy Nexus was the first smartphone I was proud to own.
  • The PC desktop I built in 2013, which still works to this day.

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