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Google Play Music for Android adds ‘export local playlists’ option

By October, YouTube Music’s predecessor will stop working around the world. Ahead of that, the latest version of Google Play Music for Android introduces an “Export local playlists” capability.

Version 8.26 of Play Music for Android introduces a new capability under “General” in Settings:

Export local playlists

Allow playlists on this device to be played in other apps 

If you only have cloud playlists filled with GPM songs that are synced from device-to-device, this does not apply to you. The YouTube Music migration tool takes care of making those playlists available in the new service.

Rather, this tool is for those that primarily use Play Music to listen to local media that’s been transferred or downloaded directly to device storage and have been extensively organized via playlists. Tapping will create a titled .m3u file in /storage/emulated/0/playlist-export for every playlist. 

This format lists the location of media files on your device. Existing files in that directory are deleted/updated every time users start a new export. 

Play Music 8.26 with playlist export is rolling out now via Google Play. The service’s shutdown will start in September for users in “New Zealand and South Africa.” This specifically involves losing the ability to “stream from or use the Google Play Music app.” All other countries will follow in October. 

Google will retain GPM data until December so that the YTM migration tool can still be used.

More about Play Music:

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Avatar for Abner Li Abner Li

Editor-in-chief. Interested in the minutiae of Google and Alphabet. Tips/talk: abner@9to5g.com