Is it possible to uninstall YouTube Music?

What is YouTube Music?

YouTube Music is a music streaming service developed and owned by Google and YouTube. It launched in 2018 as a replacement for Google’s previous music streaming service, Google Play Music. YouTube Music allows users to stream both official songs and music videos, as well as remixes, covers, and live performances that have been uploaded to YouTube. It offers both ad-supported free streaming and ad-free Premium/paid subscription options.

YouTube Music is available through a web player at music.youtube.com as well as mobile apps for iOS and Android devices. It can also be accessed through smart speakers and displays like Google Nest and Google Assistant. The service provides customized music recommendations and playlists based on a user’s listening history and preferences.

As a music streaming platform owned by YouTube, a key feature of YouTube Music is the seamless integration of songs, albums, playlists, and music videos. Users can easily transition from audio-only streaming to watching full music videos for the songs.

Is YouTube Music preinstalled on Android devices?

YouTube Music often comes preinstalled on many new Android smartphones and tablets. In September 2019, Google announced that YouTube Music would replace Google Play Music and start coming preloaded on Android 10 devices (source). This means that YouTube Music is now the default music player app included with many Android devices from manufacturers like Samsung, LG, Motorola and more.

While YouTube Music can’t be completely uninstalled on Android without root access, it is possible to disable the app to remove it from your app drawer and prevent it from running. Disabling YouTube Music essentially hides the app without deleting it from your system storage. However, this doesn’t completely remove YouTube Music from an Android device.

Can you uninstall updates to the YouTube Music app?

On Android devices, it is possible to uninstall updates to the YouTube Music app, which will revert it back to the original factory version that came pre-installed on your phone. To uninstall YouTube Music updates on Android:

1. Open the Settings app on your Android phone or tablet.
2. Tap on Apps & notifications (or just Apps on some devices).
3. Tap See all apps.
4. Scroll down and tap on YouTube Music.
5. Tap the three dot menu icon in the top-right corner.
6. Select Uninstall updates.

This will roll the YouTube Music app back to the factory version without deleting any of your downloaded music or data. You can then disable auto-updates for the app in the Play Store to prevent it from updating again. This allows you to revert any unwanted changes from recent YouTube Music app updates on Android. According to wikiHow, uninstalling app updates is one way to downgrade apps on Android.

How to disable YouTube Music on Android

One way to effectively “remove” YouTube Music on Android without fully uninstalling it is to disable the app via your device’s Settings. Here are the steps:

1. Open your Android device’s Settings app.
2. Navigate to Apps or Application Manager.
3. Find YouTube Music in the list of apps.
4. Tap on YouTube Music.
5. Tap the “Disable” button.

Disabling the YouTube Music app will stop it from running and clear its cache/data. However, it does not actually uninstall the app from your device [1]. The disabled app simply becomes hidden from your launcher/home screen. If you re-enable YouTube Music, it will return with its original state and data intact.

So in summary, disabling YouTube Music through Android Settings is a handy way to stop the app without rooting your device or using more advanced methods. But the app files do remain on your system.

Removing YouTube Music from Android Launcher

You can remove the YouTube Music app icon from your Android device’s home screen launcher without actually uninstalling the app. This simply hides the icon, preventing it from showing up on your home screens.

To remove YouTube Music from your launcher:

1. Long press on an empty space on your home screen.
2. Tap “Home settings” or “Home screen settings.”
3. Tap “Apps.”
4. Find YouTube Music in the list of apps.
5. Tap the checkbox next to YouTube Music to uncheck it.

This will remove the icon from your home screen, but YouTube Music will still be installed on your device. To open it, you’ll need to access the app drawer and find it there.

Removing the YouTube Music icon from your launcher is a simple way to hide it without going through the process of fully uninstalling the app. However, it will still be taking up space on your device.

Using ADB to uninstall system apps like YouTube Music

One method to fully uninstall system apps like YouTube Music is by using the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) tool. This requires connecting your Android phone to your computer and enabling USB debugging. You can then use ADB commands to uninstall apps from the command line.

The main advantage of using ADB is that it allows you to fully uninstall even system apps that normally cannot be removed. However, this is a more complex process compared to standard app uninstalls. It requires enabling developer options, dealing with command line tools, and understanding ADB syntax.

According to posts on Reddit (source), using the “adb uninstall” command in PowerShell can successfully uninstall YouTube Music. So for advanced users comfortable with ADB, this method can forcefully remove stubborn system apps.

But for most users looking to simply disable YouTube Music, using ADB may be overkill. Simpler options like disabling the app or restricting permissions may be preferable.

YouTube Music App on iPhone

On iPhones, YouTube Music is not a pre-installed app. It can be downloaded for free from the App Store. Unlike on Android, where some pre-installed apps cannot be fully uninstalled, apps downloaded from the App Store can easily be removed.

To uninstall YouTube Music on an iPhone, simply hold down on the YouTube Music app icon until the icons start to shake. An ‘X’ will appear on each icon. Tap the ‘X’ on the YouTube Music icon to delete it from your iPhone.

The app will be removed completely along with all stored data and preferences. The only way to get YouTube Music back is to re-download it from the App Store.

So for iPhone users, deleting the YouTube Music app is straightforward. Just long press and tap the X. The app cannot run or use storage in the background once uninstalled through this method.

Turning off YouTube Music recommendations

One option to limit YouTube Music recommendations is to turn off personalized suggestions in the app’s settings. This will stop YouTube Music from making recommendations based on your listening history and interests. However, it does not completely remove the app or its features.

To disable personalized recommendations in the YouTube Music app:

1. Open the YouTube Music app on your Android phone or tablet.
2. Tap your profile icon in the top right.
3. Go to Settings > Recommendations.
4. Toggle off “Personalized recommendations”.

This will stop YouTube Music from suggesting auto-generated playlists, mixes, and recommendations tailored specifically to you. However, you may still see some generic recommendations. The YouTube Music app itself will remain installed.

As noted in the YouTube Music support forums, you can also clear your search and listening history. This removes the data YouTube Music uses for personalized suggestions. However, this is a manual process and recommendations may gradually return as you continue using the app.

Closing thoughts

In summary, there are a few options for disabling or removing the YouTube Music app on your device:

• On Android, you can disable the app through the Settings menu, remove it from your home screen launcher, or use ADB commands to fully uninstall YouTube Music if it came preloaded on your device.
• On iPhone, you can turn off recommendations and disable the app’s ability to play audio in the background through Settings.

Fully uninstalling a preloaded system app like YouTube Music can free up storage space and stop background processes, but may cause issues or instability if the app is integrated at a deeper level into the Android OS. Doing this requires advanced use of developer tools like ADB, and could void your warranty.

The easiest and safest options are to disable YouTube Music through your device settings, remove it from your home screen, turn off recommendations, and restrict its permissions. This achieves most of the same benefits without tampering with critical system apps.

Related questions

If you’re looking to uninstall other preinstalled Google apps like the main YouTube app or Google Play Music, the process is similar to removing YouTube Music. You’ll need to either disable the updates or use ADB commands. However, keep in mind that core system apps like YouTube are more deeply integrated and removing them entirely may cause issues.

Another common question is how to get rid of preinstalled bloatware that comes on many Android devices. While you can disable or uninstall some of these apps, most are integrated at the system level and cannot be fully removed without root access. You can try disabling them, hiding them from the app drawer, or installing a custom ROM.

The only surefire way to get a completely clean Android system is to flash a custom ROM like LineageOS. However, this requires unlocking the bootloader and wiping the device, so it’s an advanced process. If you just want to remove a few annoying apps, disabling them or hiding from the launcher is usually sufficient for most users.