Play Music to YouTube Music transfers are delayed ‘due to high demand’

One month ago today, Google announced that it would start transitioning Play Music users to YouTube Music. The company explicitly said that the migration tool would become available “over the next couple of weeks.” A warning in YouTube Music today notes that “transfers are delayed” due to “high demand.”

Once your account has access to music.youtube.com/transfer or “Transfer from Google Play Music” in app settings, you can “Transfer again” as many times as you want. If users go back to Play Music and edit a playlist, upload new songs, or buy albums, they can have those changes sync over to YouTube Music when they’re ready to use the new offering full-time.

Depending on your library, the process can officially take a “few minutes or up to a few days to complete.” Music recommendations sync over immediately, while the “Uploads & purchases” category takes the longest.

Those transferring again today are met with a new warning on the YouTube Music status page: “Due to high demand, transfers are delayed.” This message did not appear when the tool first launched, and it now shows up immediately after you start the process. It’s likely geared towards users that have transferred in the past, but are now facing an extended wait.

Earlier this week, it took our Damien Wilde four days to transfer his large library. His warning was more subtle compared to today’s red text:

“Transfer are taking longer than normal. We are looking into it and will contact you when your transfer is complete.”

Despite the “high demand,” there are still reports of new users receiving the transfer tool in recent days, so Google hasn’t entirely halted onboarding. The company is also still offering a sign-up up form where you can request early access.