The YouTube Music browser app offers Premium subscribers the ability to download songs for offline listening.
The details of this upcoming change come from a Reddit user who posted several screenshots of the modified service. There's not much to do at the moment. The images show that there will be a new blue Download button between Save to Library and the three-dot expandable menu above an album's song list. When you click on it, a Download window appears in the bottom left corner indicating the progress.
Downloads in the web app from r/YoutubeMusic
Once you're done, you can head to the new Downloads tab on the Library page to find the song. A line of text below states that music will remain on your device indefinitely as long as you connect to the Internet “once every 30 days.” 9To5Google in its report states that the feature will have filters that will allow users to sort content by “Playlists, Podcasts, Songs, and Albums.”
Limited release
It is important to mention that offline downloading may only be available to a handful of people. We were one of the lucky few to receive the update on our YouTube Premium subscription (YouTube has not made any official announcement). If you look closely at our screenshot, the Download button is actually white instead of blue.
Some online reports claim that people are unable to download podcasts. However, that doesn't seem to be the case because we were able to film a couple of episodes. All you have to do is click on the three-dot menu to the right of the play button and select Download. The podcast will appear in your library shortly after. This is a big deal since Google Podcasts is shutting down in April in the United States, forcing listeners to turn to YouTube Music. It seems that the platform is preparing for the inevitable flood of new people migrating.
It is unknown when this feature will be officially rolled out, although judging by its recent appearance, it may be released soon. YouTube Music users seem to be eager to receive the patch. In another Reddit post talking about the update, you'll see several comments talking about how excited they are that offline downloading is on the horizon.
In our opinion, you can't listen to music without good headphones. For recommendations, check out TechRadar's list of the best headphones for 2024.
