YouTube Music
By Chris Morris,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Comprehensive music service almost has it all.
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A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this app.
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Videos and Photos
YouTube Music
Community Reviews
Based on 5 parent reviews
Can't turn off explicit content permanently
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It's just music
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Privacy Rating Warning
Privacy Rating
Our expert evaluators create our privacy ratings. The ratings are designed to help you understand how apps use your data for commercial purposes.
Pass
Meets our minimum requirements for privacy and security practices.
Warning
Does not meet our recommendations for privacy and security practices.
Fail
Does not have a privacy policy and should not be used.
Privacy Rating
Our expert evaluators create our privacy ratings. The ratings are designed to help you understand how apps use your data for commercial purposes.
Pass
Meets our minimum requirements for privacy and security practices.
Warning
Does not meet our recommendations for privacy and security practices.
Fail
Does not have a privacy policy and should not be used.
What’s It About?
With YOUTUBE MUSIC users can listen to audio selections and watch videos from their favorite artists. The app automatically uses any existing Google accounts on your device to log you in. Once you get going, it creates a daily playlist for you called "My Mix," which combines liked and listened-to tracks as well as songs it believes you'll enjoy. You can also search for artists and music you love by name or category, download playlists to listen to offline, keep music on in the background while you're using other apps, and toggle to audio only. YouTube Red subscribers get all the features, while others will have to deal with commercials and limitations on use.
Is It Any Good?
With a deep, diverse catalogue of artists and videos, this music streamer is a definite contender; however, its interface could use a little streamlining. One cool feature is the ability to toggle between audio and video seamlessly with the video picking up exactly where the song is playing, and the inclusion of fan-shot videos of live performances gives the service something its competitors can't offer. Also, videos can be "cast" to your TV using Google Chrome. That said, there's a lot going on here, and the app sometimes stumbles over itself. The user interface could use some refinement to make it more intuitive: An introductory tutorial (beyond the pop-up hints) would help. A parent's biggest concern will be the content of the music and videos, since there are no filters or a safety mode, but if your kids already have Google accounts and are allowed on YouTube, they already have access to iffy content. Parents can access recent searches and videos viewed in settings, and checking out videos by your kids' favorite artists will give you an idea of what's available.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about your rules around music and videos. What's allowed and what's not? Check out our guide to YouTube to get tips on how to manage your teen's use.
Talk about the imagery in videos and what it represents. Ask teens what they think certain lyrics or images mean.
Discuss your teen's favorite music. What do they love, and why?
App Details
- Devices: iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad , Android
- Pricing structure: Free
- Release date: November 12, 2015
- Category: Music
- Topics: Music and Sing-Along
- Publisher: Google Inc
- Version: 1.3
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 7.0 or higher; Android 4.0.3 and up
- Last updated: July 27, 2016
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