In mid-March, Google removed the ability for users to download their Play Music library via Takeout. Since the data is now gone, Google Play Music gets one last update on Android to hide the app.
Version 8.29.9112-1.W of Play Music is widely distributed today via Google Play. It still shows a “Google Play Music is no longer available” screen asking users to “explore YouTube music”. However, below is a new section “Freeing up space”:
Easily delete Google Play Music local data from your device to free up space.
“Hide app” makes it so that “Google Play Music will no longer show on your homepage or in all applications.” After confirmation, Play Music will no longer appear in your app drawer and you will no longer be able to open it. On Google Play, the only option you get is to uninstall.
There is also ‘Delete all local data’ if you could not remove downloads before the app was blocked, and ‘Open app information’.
This update is intended to address how you can not uninstall Play Music if the app is pre-installed on your device. In Google’s case, the Pixel 3 and earlier had it as a standard application where the only option is to disable it from the ‘App Info’ page, which is not obvious to most users. On newer phones loaded with YouTube Music, you can wipe it just like any other app.
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