5 Disadvantages Of Using YouTube Music You Should Know About

These days, choosing a music streaming service can be tough. While options like Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, and Tidal have their appeals, some may prefer to go with YouTube Music for its large library and integration with YouTube Premium. When we were ranking music streaming services from worst to best, we found the platform had evolved quite a bit since its 2015 inception. Be that as it may, there are some disadvantages to using YouTube Music that users should know about.

Though casual listeners may not worry about certain issues, such as a lack of Hi-Res audio options or particular musical enhancements being mysteriously absent, things like mobile app issues or limitations on certain features can apply to everyone. As we address what problems users may have with the platform, we'll also take a quick look at how other services may compare to give users an idea of what they can expect from the competition. We will also do our best to address some of these issues with fixes and workarounds.

Don't get us wrong, there are plenty of reasons someone may want to switch to YouTube Music, but folks should also be aware that the platform may not be a flawless experience, and this can especially be the case if you're particular about your tunes. For those interested in switching platforms or simply wanting to try YouTube Music for themselves, here's what you can expect from the service before spending your money on a subscription.

The lack of a crossfade option with YouTube Music is the type of thing where you'll either never notice it or you'll be left frustrated and puzzled over its absence. If you're not familiar, crossfading is essentially when songs overlap as you listen to them. As one song ends, it slowly fades out, whereas the new song begins to fade in. It creates a seamless experience, and it can be useful for keeping the energy going in the right situation. Unfortunately, YouTube Music lacks this feature.

For comparison, Spotify has a couple of different crossfade options on mobile, tablet, and desktop for premium users, and there are options to adjust the length of the crossfade to suit a listener's taste. Apple Music also has similar options, as does Deezer. On the bright side, YouTube Music does have gapless playback enabled automatically (for premium users), so at least there are no awkward pauses between songs. Not all is completely lost in terms of crossfade, however, as there are some options available.

Just as some examples, there's TabCrossfade for Firefox and FLOWR for Google Chrome for those needing a crossfade solution. However, users really shouldn't need to rely on third-party solutions for what seems like an incredibly simple feature to include. Even hiding it under a wall of settings like other hidden YouTube Music features would be a better solution than what's currently (not) available.

Paying for a premium service can often mean expecting the best, but users should know that Google's platform has some noticeable limits. Those expecting Hi-Res audio from their streaming services may have issues with YouTube Music, as the highest bitrate supported is 256 kbps (AAC and OPUS). This is lower than the 320 kbps available from Spotify. Don't get us wrong, 256 kbps is going to be more than fine for casual listening, but more acute listeners may want higher audio quality.

To give you an idea of where other services stand, Apple Music subscribers can get up to 24-bit/192 kHz lossless audio (that's 9,216 kbps in stereo), whereas Spotify also offers 24-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC options to premium subscribers. Even the streaming service Deezer is able to give those with a monthly subscription FLAC options. Considering the number of options available in other services, it's surprising Google hasn't tried appealing more to audiophiles.

Sure, there may be some limitations, such as Spotify not having lossless support for podcasts, audiobooks, or music videos, but those who expect Hi-Res are likely to turn up their noses at YouTube Music's offerings. For most users, even the default YouTube Music settings will likely be fine, but there are a few options you can adjust for getting the best YouTube Music audio. On the other hand, if you're the type that likes to spend big on audiophile equipment, be sure to weigh your options.

When you know you want to listen to music but you're not exactly sure what, a nicely shuffled playlist can be a good way to carry your experience. In theory, it's great for some variety, and you may catch a song you haven't heard in a while. For smaller playlists, YouTube Music likely isn't going to have a problem shuffling your tracks, but users across Reddit seem to agree that YouTube Music has issues with shuffling larger playlists.

While pinpointing an exact number may not be easy, users online seem to agree that YouTube Music playlists can load about 50 songs into a shuffle before it starts potentially repeating songs, with some users saying it only shuffled the first 50 songs of a playlist. However, users do complain about Spotify and Apple Music having similar issues (though potentially with higher thresholds for songs in playlists), so it's not entirely unique to Google's platform.

There's potentially a fix in the way a user begins shuffling tracks. Select a playlist, then tap the three vertical dots at the top and choose Shuffle play (on desktop, the three dots are next to the playlist card). Alternatively, start playing a random song from the playlist, then tap the shuffle button on the Now Playing screen. It's not the prettiest solution, but at least it's not a YouTube Music feature hidden behind a paywall. Nonetheless, it can certainly be frustrating for those who just want to play songs from a large playlist in a random order.

Even though one can make the argument that a music streaming platform is primarily reserved for mobile use anyway, a dedicated app for desktops seems like something most services should provide. After all, people still listen to audio at their desks. Apple Music seems to have no issue providing a desktop app, nor does Spotify — even Amazon Music has a dedicated app for Mac and PC. YouTube Music? Not so much.

Though internet users argue the purpose of a standalone app in the first place, having a dedicated space for your music can be far more convenient when compared to using a browser. If you use Google Chrome on your Mac or PC, you can create a web app to have YouTube Music on your desktop. Open Google Chrome and make sure it's up to date, then visit the YouTube Music page and click the installation icon that appears in the address bar (it looks like a computer with a down arrow over it). You can also click the three dots in the top-right corner of Chrome, select Cast, save, and share, and then choose Install page as app.

Other browsers may also support this option, but we wanted to provide an example to show there are available workarounds. Just be sure to do additional research if you're thinking of using a third-party app solution, as online apps can be dubious. Check reviews to see what others have to say.

The last item on this list certainly isn't unique to YouTube Music, but those who are still evaluating which music streaming platform to subscribe to may want to know that the YouTube Music app can offer a buggy experience in some cases. Reports of issues with songs buffering incorrectly, or even songs randomly stopping during playback, seem to draw the ire of many users, and some even report having issues with small things such as the autoplay toggle randomly disappearing.

Again, users may want to experiment with the free version of a streaming service app before taking the plunge, as other services can have app issues as well. For Spotify, users have complained about the app being laggy, with some even hoping for a lighter version of the app that only offers streaming features. Apple Music also doesn't escape the complaints, as users also report app crashes and other issues. However, there are common ways to try and mitigate any potential app issues.

First, always make sure your device's operating system is up to date. This also applies to any software you're using, so be sure to check app stores or the web for updates. You can also try clearing your web browser's cache on desktop, and that can also be done for the YouTube Music app itself on mobile. On Android, long press the YouTube Music icon on your home screen and choose App info, then select Storage and cache and tap Clear cache. We can also show you how to clear cache on an iPhone.