5 reasons I may not go back to Spotify after trying YouTube Music

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As is the case with millions of users around the world, I’ve been a loyal Spotify subscriber for as long as I can remember. The app works well across Android and iOS, there’s a great selection of music, and features like Jam and Spotify Connect have made my listening experience much more seamless across audio devices at home. I was happy to pay for the Premium Duo plan — until it was sneakily taken away.

Spotify removed the Duo plan in India around November 2025, but as I had subscribed to it long before, I was able to continue with it, as it should be. Then came the email, one July morning this year, saying my Premium Duo plan was canceled due to an “issue” with my payment method. Nothing had changed, so it didn’t make any sense. I figured it was Spotify forcing me to upgrade to a higher-priced plan, and as it turned out, I wasn’t the only one who got the boot. Frustrated with this move, I decided to try other options.

I’ve used Apple Music and Amazon Music in the past, but never bothered with YouTube Music. With YouTube Premium offering a three-month trial that also included YouTube Music Premium, I had nothing to lose. It’s only been a few weeks, but there’s a lot I like already.

It’s hard to shake off muscle memory so quickly after years of using the same thing, but the YouTube Music app is growing on me. Spotify prides itself on AI recommendations and ease of music discoverability, but those features never really influenced what I listened to, so I don’t really miss them. YouTube Music offers good recommendations, too.

What I love about YouTube Music’s homepage is the ‘mood’ row right on the top, for filtering music. Depending on what I’m doing — whether at the gym, commuting, or just lazing at home. I can simply tap the mood bubble, and it’ll filter only the songs from various genres that match the mood. Very neat!

I also like the idea of the Samples tab, which lets you scroll through song clips. The exhaustive segmentation of music on the Home tab based on my likes, community picks, and custom mixes is equally great.

Another neat little detail I discovered is that you can share a song from a specific timestamp of your choosing, if needed. It’s a small but thoughtful addition for when you want to share a particular moment in the track that might be meaningful to someone or to both of you.