How to download music from YouTube Music for free on Android?

YouTube Music has become an incredibly popular way for people to listen to music online. With a vast library of official music videos, live performances, covers, and more, it offers access to millions of songs for free. However, many users want to download this music to listen offline and on other devices. There are several reasons people want to download music from YouTube Music:

Convenience – Being able to listen offline, without ads, and save songs locally makes listening easier when internet access is limited.

Accessibility – Downloading allows playing music on devices without internet access or the YouTube Music app, like MP3 players.

Ownership – While streaming is convenient, people like having a personal copy of their music.

Cost – Downloading lets people acquire music for free rather than paying per stream or buying songs.

However, it’s important to note that downloading copyrighted music without authorization can constitute copyright infringement. The legality depends on factors like whether ads play before songs. Users should be aware of associated risks before downloading.

YouTube Music Overview

YouTube Music is a music streaming service launched by YouTube in 2015. It allows users to stream official songs, albums, playlists, and music videos from YouTube’s extensive catalog (1). YouTube Music also provides personalized recommendations based on a user’s listening history and preferences (2).

While YouTube Music offers ad-supported free streaming, downloads are only available with a paid YouTube Music Premium subscription. Without Premium, users cannot download music tracks or videos to listen offline (1). YouTube Music Premium provides additional benefits like ad-free listening, background play, and the ability to save songs, albums, and playlists for offline listening (2).

(1) “What is YouTube Music? Everything you need to know.” https://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/what-is-youtube-music/

(2) “YouTube Music Review.” https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/youtube-music

Downloading Music from YouTube

Downloading music directly from YouTube violates the platform’s terms of service. YouTube’s terms state that users are prohibited from “download[ing] any Content unless you see a “download” or similar link displayed by YouTube on the Service for that Content.” Directly downloading music videos or audio rips without authorization is considered copyright infringement.

YouTube holds licenses that allow users to stream content on the platform, but downloading violates the copyright protections of rightsholders. Users do not have the right to make unauthorized copies of content. Downloading full songs or music videos without permission from the copyright holder constitutes copyright infringement and piracy, which carries significant penalties.

Using a YouTube to MP3 Converter

While there are many websites that allow you to enter a YouTube URL and convert the video to an MP3 format, it’s important to exercise caution when using these converter sites due to potential legal issues. Many of these sites operate in legal gray areas, and YouTube actively works to shut them down due to violations of their Terms of Service.

YouTube to MP3 converter sites work by first downloading the YouTube video file, then extracting the audio track and encoding it into an MP3 format. The converter site provides a user interface where you enter the YouTube URL, then it handles the backend downloading and conversion. Once the MP3 file is ready, the site allows you to download it to your computer or mobile device.

However, by downloading the full YouTube video and stripping the audio, these sites are violating YouTube’s Terms of Service. YouTube only provides licenses for streaming their content, not for downloading permanent copies. So use of these converter sites comes with some legal risks, and the downloaded audio could potentially be removed if discovered.

For more information on the legal issues surrounding YouTube to MP3 converters, see this helpful overview: How do YouTube to Mp3 converters work?

Downloading with a YouTube Music Premium Subscription

With a YouTube Music Premium subscription, users can download songs, albums, playlists and more for offline listening. This allows you to listen to music without an internet connection after it has been downloaded.

To download music for offline listening, open the YouTube Music app on your Android device and tap on the download icon next to a song, album or playlist that you want to save. The content will then be saved locally on your device and available for offline listening anytime.

YouTube Music Premium costs $9.99 per month in the US after a 1-month free trial (Source: https://support.google.com/youtubemusic/answer/6313535?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid). The premium subscription also removes ads across YouTube and allows playing music in the background.

With Premium, there are no limits on the amount of music you can download for offline listening. The downloads are saved locally on your device storage.

Using Third Party Android Apps

There are several third party Android apps that allow you to download music from YouTube Music for free without a subscription. Some popular options include:

Newpipe – An open source YouTube client that lets you download videos and audio in different formats. Downloads don’t contain metadata or thumbnail images.

NewPipe Extractor – Companion library to Newpipe that extracts media streams from various sites.

LibreTube – Fork of Newpipe aimed at improving privacy and removing reliance on Google services. Allows downloading audio and video.

Vidmate – Popular third party YouTube client with option to download videos and convert YouTube videos to mp3. Contains ads.

Snaptube – App that lets you download music, videos and other media from YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo and other sites. Contains ads.

While convenient, third party apps may have limitations like ads, lack of updates, missing metadata, or legal gray areas regarding downloading copyrighted content.

Transferring Downloads to Other Devices

Once you have downloaded music from YouTube Music onto your Android device, you may want to transfer those files to a computer or another device like a tablet or new phone. Here are some tips for moving your downloaded YouTube Music files between devices:

To transfer downloads to a computer, connect your Android device to the computer via USB. Your device should show up as a drive on the computer. Navigate to the YouTube Music folder, usually located at Internal Storage/Android/data/com.google.android.apps.youtube.music/files/Music. Copy the downloaded song files from this folder to your computer.

To move downloads to a new Android device, you can use the Send Files to TV app on your old device to wirelessly send the files to the new device [1]. Open the YouTube Music app on both devices and make sure downloads are enabled. Send the files, then open downloads on the new device to access the transferred music.

You can also use a cloud storage service like Google Drive to upload the downloaded files from one device and download them on another device. Just make sure to upload the music files from the YouTube Music folder mentioned above.

Listening to Downloaded Music

Once you have downloaded music from YouTube Music to your Android device, you have several options for listening to your new audio files offline. There are many music player apps available on the Google Play Store that can play common formats like MP3.

One popular free option is Musicolet. It offers an ad-free interface optimized for playing downloads with features like multiple queues, equalizers, theme support, and playlists. Downloaded files can be accessed in Musicolet through the folders view.

Another top music player for Android is Neutron Player. It delivers excellent audio quality and support for niche formats. Import your downloaded music files by going to Neutron’s library and adding the folder where your downloads are saved.

For a more integrated option, the official YouTube Music app has an Offline Mixtape feature that lets you add downloads to a playlist for offline listening. Tap the download icon on tracks to make them available offline within the app.

Quality and Format of Downloads

The quality and format of music downloaded from YouTube Music depends on the method used. When downloading using a YouTube to MP3 converter site or app, the quality can vary greatly. Many converters default to a bitrate of 128kbps which is lower than streaming quality. According to a Reddit thread, the audio quality of downloads using YouTube Music’s built-in download feature with a Premium subscription is 256kbps AAC which is equivalent to Apple Music and Spotify’s “standard” streaming quality.

YouTube Music downloads are provided in the M4A format while most third party converters will offer MP3 downloads. M4A is generally considered a higher quality format compared to MP3 at the same bitrate. However, MP3 may provide greater compatibility with some devices. Overall, to get the highest audio quality from YouTube Music, it’s recommended to use the built-in download feature with a Premium subscription and select the “High” quality streaming setting.

Sources:

https://www.reddit.com/r/YoutubeMusic/comments/eap052/is_youtube_music_sound_quality_inferior/

https://support.google.com/youtubemusic/answer/9076559?hl=en

Conclusion

As stated at the start, downloading music from YouTube Music without permission is generally illegal. YouTube and music rightsholders could potentially take copyright action against you. The safest and most ethical option is to use an official paid streaming service like YouTube Music Premium.

However, if you still want to download music from YouTube Music for personal offline use, there are a few best practices to follow:

– Only download music you have purchased or have the rights to listen to. Don’t download full albums or discographies illegally.

– Use downloading apps sparingly and responsibly, not to build massive offline collections. Delete songs after you’re done listening.

– Download audio in standard formats like MP3 to ensure maximum compatibility across devices. Avoid niche lossless formats.

– Be mindful of audio quality and download the highest quality available, usually 256 or 320kbps.

– Properly tag your downloads with accurate metadata like song title, artist, album etc.

– Avoid sharing your downloaded music on public platforms or infringing copyright in other ways.

In summary, while downloading music from YouTube Music can be convenient, it comes with legal and ethical risks to consider.