I'm all-in on Google, but I still won't use YouTube Music until these 5 things change

As you might expect from someone who writes for Android Authority, I’m about as invested in the Google ecosystem as can be. I use YouTube TV daily and can’t imagine not having YouTube Premium. All of my cloud storage is in Google Drive and Google Photos, my smart home runs on Google Home, and Google Keep/Google Tasks are essential to my workflow.

However, the one Google service I can’t convince myself to use is YouTube Music.

I tried switching to YouTube Music about a year ago, but I lasted only two weeks before returning to Apple Music. Try as I did, I just couldn’t stick with it.

While YouTube Music wasn’t the right fit for me then — and still isn’t in February 2026 — there is a world in which I can see myself switching to YouTube Music for good. But only if it makes these five changes first.

Improved music discovery

While I have a few albums and playlists in my regular listening rotation, I love finding new stuff to listen to — whether that’s a new album from an artist I like or something that wasn’t at all on my radar. In my experience, YouTube Music completely fails here.

The primary way to discover music on YouTube Music is on the Home page. It regularly changes based on your listening habits and aims to recommend songs/albums/playlists that YouTube Music thinks you’ll enjoy. I’ll occasionally find something like a New Release Mix that highlights recently-released songs, but this is buried under a heap of other recommendations for music I’m already familiar with.

By comparison, Apple Music has a dedicated “New” page that exclusively showcases new and trending music. It’s helped me explore Bad Bunny’s discography, reminded me to listen to the (excellent) soundtrack for Send Help, and tipped me off about Beck’s latest album. YouTube Music does have a “New releases” tab on the Search page, but it’s significantly more limited and less helpful than Apple Music’s approach.

Google and YouTube know me better than perhaps any other tech company. Surfacing new music I’m interested in shouldn’t be difficult. And yet, in its current form, YouTube Music doesn’t do this well at all.

Filter out podcasts and YouTube videos

Part of the reason YouTube Music’s music discovery is so difficult is that the entire music library is shared with podcasts and YouTube videos. This isn’t a new issue, but every time I use YouTube Music, it’s one of the things that annoy me the most.

When I open my music streaming app, I don’t want to see podcast recommendations on the home page; I want to see music and music only. I don’t want YouTube Music asking me if I want to continue watching a video I started on YouTube — that’s what I have the YouTube app for.

I know YouTube Music will never abandon its inclusion of podcasts and YouTube videos entirely, especially since a lot of people seem to like this all-in-one approach. However, I would love an option to hide or filter out podcasts so that I only see music. It might seem like a small request, but it would go a long way toward making YouTube Music a streaming service I could actually stick with for the long haul.

High-quality audio formats

I don’t consider myself an audio snob by any definition. When I’m working, I listen to my music through a pair of HomePod mini speakers. When I’m at the gym or out running, I use the excellent (but lower-end) Pixel Buds 2a. I don’t own wired headphones, a DAC, or anything like that.

And yet, I still notice a drop in audio quality when listening to YouTube Music compared to Apple Music. Even without high-end hardware, Apple Music sounds crisper and clearer to my ears. It’s not a dramatic difference, but it’s there.

What’s even more noticeable with YouTube Music is its complete lack of Dolby Atmos support — something Apple Music, Tidal, and Amazon Music Unlimited all have. When I really want to soak in a song or album, listening to it in Dolby Atmos with a pair of AirPods Max is such a wonderful treat. And, unfortunately, it’s a treat YouTube Music simply can’t provide.

Redesigned Android app

App design is extremely subjective, so I imagine some of you reading this may disagree with me on this next point. That said, I kind of hate the YouTube Music Android app.

The TikTok-like Samples page is a complete waste of space. The current Search page hides all its music-discovery capabilities behind annoying subpages. The forced dark theme, with no support for a light mode or Dynamic Color, looks incredibly outdated. The overall UX feels a couple of years behind current Android app design, and I can’t help but notice it every time I open YouTube Music.

Some people have imagined what YouTube Music might look like with a Material 3 Expressive-inspired overhaul, and, to my eyes, it’s a dramatic improvement over the current version of the app. As someone who really enjoys M3E and the Google apps that have already been redesigned with its principles, a Material 3 Expressive YouTube Music Android app would heavily push me toward switching.

Dedicated desktop application

Speaking of applications, I’d also be inclined to start using YouTube Music if it had a dedicated desktop app. Spotify has one, Apple Music has one, Tidal has one — most major music streaming services have desktop apps. But not YouTube Music.

While you can access YouTube Music on your computer via the YouTube Music website, it’s not particularly good in my experience. When I tried switching to YouTube Music last year, I encountered numerous playback issues and other website bugs that made the desktop experience considerably worse than what I’m used to with the Apple Music desktop app. Since most of my music streaming happens on my computer during the workday, a reliable desktop experience is essential, and I’ve never had that with YouTube Music.

Google hasn’t announced any plans for a YouTube Music desktop app, but if I’m ever going to switch for good, this has to change.

That’s a healthy list of requests, and realistically, I know most of them are unlikely to happen — at least not anytime soon. But if I’m ever going to fully commit to YouTube Music as my one and only music streamer, this is what needs to change.

Are you happy with YouTube Music in its current form? What’s your most requested/anticipated new feature or change?