Back in 2021, YouTube Music introduced free background listening of radio stations in Canada. This mobile experience was never brought to other countries and is now ending.
In short, YouTube Music is reverting the experience it trialed in Canada. Free users in that one country were able to listen to “continuous radio stations” in the background. This meant you could leave the app and/or turn the screen off. Google never expanded this offering.
In July, YTM for Android and iOS users in Canada will be able to “enjoy music on demand (instead of shuffle only)” with ads. This is the experience available in other parts of the world. Playback will stop if the app isn’t in the foreground. Also “free of charge” are music videos, the Samples tab, and “made-for-you playlists and mixes.”
To get background play and “music integrations with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto” — which is not a new limitation — in Canada, you will need a paid YouTube Premium of Music Premium subscription.
This change was announced today via email and is rolling out starting July 8.
More on YouTube Music:
- YouTube Music rolling out song identification with Hum to Search on Android
- Gemini finally lets you play YouTube Music with extension rollout
- YouTube Music rolls out Now Playing gradient redesign on iPhone
- YouTube Music hits version 7.x & updates its app store screenshots from 2018
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