How do I sync my Google Play Music?

Google Play Music was a music and podcast streaming service and online music locker developed by Google. It allowed users to upload up to 50,000 songs from their personal libraries and stream or download them across devices. At its peak, Google Play Music had over 40 million songs available for streaming.

One of the key features of Google Play Music was the ability to sync music libraries between devices. This allowed users to access their music collection on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, as well as on desktop. By syncing Google Play Music, any additions, deletions or edits made to a music library on one device would automatically be synced and updated to any other devices the user was logged into with the same account.

Music syncing enabled seamless access to music collections across multiple devices, eliminating the need to manually manage each library separately. It provided a convenient way for users to take their music collection with them on-the-go.

Prerequisites

Before you can sync your Google Play Music library, you’ll need to have a Google account set up and configured. This is the account you use to sign in to Gmail, YouTube, Google Play, and other Google services. You can create a new Google account for free at accounts.google.com/signup.

Your Google account allows you to access Google Play Music and sync your library between devices. Make sure your Google account is active and in good standing. Check that your account details are up to date, including your contact email, phone number, and payment information.

You’ll also need to install the latest version of the Google Play Music app on any mobile devices or computers you want to sync. The app is available for Android, iOS, and the web. Log into the Google Play Music app on each device using the same Google account.

Enable Sync on Mobile

To enable syncing your music library on your Android or iOS mobile device, you need to open the settings in the Google Play Music app and turn on syncing:

1. Open the Google Play Music app on your device.

2. Tap the menu icon (typically 3 horizontal lines in the top left corner).

3. Select Settings.

4. Under “Downloads”, toggle on “Sync Music Library”.

This will allow your Google Play Music library and playlists to sync across devices. Any new music you add on your phone will automatically be uploaded and available on the web and other devices.

You can also choose streaming quality and toggle settings like “Downloaded only on WiFi” in this section of Settings.

Enable Sync on Desktop

To enable syncing on the Google Play Music desktop app, first open the app on your computer. Then click on Settings in the top right corner of the window. This will open the Settings menu.

In the Settings menu, find the “Enable sync” option and check the box next to it. This will turn on syncing between your desktop app and your other devices that have Google Play Music enabled.

According to this Quora post, once sync is enabled in the desktop app, any music you add to your library will automatically be uploaded and synced across your devices. This allows you to access your full Google Play Music collection from any device.

Upload Music to Google Play

To upload your music library to Google Play Music, you will need to add the folders where your music is stored to the Google Play Music Manager app. The Music Manager will then watch these folders and automatically upload any new music files that are added. Here are the steps to add folders to the Music Manager:

Open the Google Play Music Manager app on your desktop.

Click on the Settings icon in the top right.
Under ‘Music folders on this computer’ click ‘Add a folder’.
Navigate to and select the folder(s) where your music files are stored.

Click ‘OK’ to add the folder(s). The Music Manager will now watch these folders for changes.
Let the Music Manager run to upload your music library to Google Play Music. This may take some time depending on your library size.

Once the folders are added and your music is uploaded, any new files you add to those folders will automatically be uploaded by the Music Manager as well. You can repeat the process to add additional folders at any time. Now your music library will stay in sync across your desktop and mobile devices.

Download Music for Offline Play

One of the key features of Google Play Music is the ability to save songs, albums, and playlists for offline listening when you don’t have an internet connection. Here’s how to download music to your device:

On your Android device, open the Google Play Music app and tap on the three horizontal lines in the top left corner to open the navigation menu. Tap on ‘Downloads’ to view all your downloaded content.

To download a song, album, or playlist for offline listening, find it in the Google Play Music library and tap the download icon next to it. The download icon looks like a downward pointing arrow. Downloads will start automatically.

You can also enable smart downloads to automatically cache songs you frequently listen to for offline playback. Go to Settings > Downloads and toggle on ‘Smart Downloads.’ Google Play Music will analyze your listening history and automatically download recommended songs.^[1]

Downloaded content is stored locally on your device and can be accessed in the ‘Downloads’ section when offline. Listening to downloaded music doesn’t require mobile data or WiFi.

Sync Playlists

One of the most convenient features of Google Play Music was the ability to sync playlists between devices. This allowed you to create playlists on your desktop and have them automatically sync to your mobile device.

With the migration to YouTube Music, playlist syncing works a little differently. Playlists you create in YouTube Music will sync across devices where you are logged into your Google account. However, playlists imported from Google Play Music will only be available on the device they were imported to.

To keep playlists up to date across devices, you’ll need to re-create any playlists imported from Google Play Music within YouTube Music. This will make sure the playlist exists natively in YouTube Music and will sync properly.

You can also use third-party apps like Playlist Sync to handle syncing playlists between different music platforms.

Troubleshooting Tips

If you are having issues syncing Google Play Music, here are some troubleshooting tips to try:

Make sure you have a stable internet connection on both your mobile device and desktop computer. Syncing requires being connected to the internet.
Check that the Google Play Music app is updated to the latest version on all your devices. Outdated versions can sometimes cause syncing problems.

On your mobile device, open the Google Play Music app, go to Settings > Tap your account > Sync devices and make sure sync is enabled.
On desktop, open Google Play Music and click the Settings icon > Check that sync is enabled under the “Music Library” section.
Log out then log back into your Google account on all devices and try syncing again. This can resolve issues caused by authentication errors.

If a specific song or album won’t sync, try uploading it again. There may be an issue with the original upload.
As a last resort, uninstall updates and clear cache/data for the Google Play Music app on your mobile device. Then reupdate the app and set up sync again.

If you continue having sync issues after trying these troubleshooting steps, you may need to contact Google Play support for further help.

Alternative Apps

While Google Play Music is a popular option for syncing music across devices, there are other music syncing apps available that users may want to consider. Here are some top alternatives:

Apple Music – Apple’s music streaming and syncing service seamlessly syncs music, playlists and preferences across iOS devices and Macs. It offers over 90 million songs and works nicely for those invested in the Apple ecosystem.
Spotify – Spotify has a vast music library and lets you sync playlists across mobile, desktop, tablet, and even gaming consoles. It provides both free and premium subscription options.

YouTube Music – YouTube’s music streaming app lets you upload and sync up to 100,000 personal tracks for free. It also gives access to YouTube’s catalog of official songs, albums, playlists and more.
Amazon Music – Amazon Prime members get access to 2 million songs for free. Upgrading to Amazon Music Unlimited unlocks 75+ million songs and advanced syncing features.

For those invested in Google’s services but needing more advanced music syncing features, apps like PlexAmp and iSyncr offer robust Google Play Music syncing with perks like offline playback, advanced queue management and iTunes integration.

Conclusion

In summary, the process of syncing Google Play Music across devices consists of a few key steps:

Enable sync on your mobile device in the Google Play Music app settings.
Enable sync on your desktop through the Google Play Music web interface.

Upload any music you want available across devices to Google Play Music through either of those interfaces.
Download that music for offline listening on any device, which will keep copies synced.
Create playlists which will also sync across devices.

Following these steps will keep your Google Play Music collection and playlists accessible on any device you use. If any issues come up during the sync process, try the troubleshooting tips covered earlier.

While Google Play Music serves as a convenient built-in option, many comparable third-party music apps are also available with their own sync solutions. But with the proper setup, Google Play Music sync enables seamless music streaming across your devices.