If you have a premium subscription, you can download songs, albums and playlists from YouTube Music to listen to offline. Hits and clips tell you how to do this on both Android and iPhone.
YouTube offers separate subscriptions for videos and music. The YouTube Premium Membership includes access to the YouTube Music Premium, but no other option. While the first subscription is an all-in-one subscription that includes the benefits of videos and music, the second is a music streaming subscription, which is an alternative to Spotify, Deezer or Apple Music.
However, both subscriptions give users access to a number of benefits, including the ability to listen to music without advertising, play music in the background when using other apps on mobile, and enable audio-only mode to listen to music without loading video. Stream music on the speaker or connected device and download music to play offline. A subscription to the YouTube Music Premium costs up to € 9.99 per month for the basic Classic option, € 4.99 / month for students and € 14.99 / month for family planning up to 5 users. Currently there is also a one month free trial offer.
There are two ways for YouTube Music Premium users to download music for offline playback. The first is to enable smart downloads, the second is for users to manually download a song or playlist. Smart downloads will automatically download music based on the user’s listening history.
Download music from YouTube Music with Android
To enable this feature on Android, open the YouTube Music app and tap your profile picture in the top right corner. Tap Downloads and then the Settings (Gear) icon. Run the checkbox next to Smart Downloads. Users can remove specific albums or playlists from Smart Downloads by clicking the three-point menu button and clicking Download. To manually download a song, playlist or album on Android, tap the menu button and then tap Download. You can click the download arrow on the album or playlist details page or on the cover of a particular track.
Download music from YouTube Music on iPhone or iPad
On the iPhone or iPad, YouTube Music Premium subscribers can enable offline mixstep, which is another version of Smart Downloads. To activate Mixstep offline, open the YouTube Music app and tap the profile picture. Tap Downloads and then the Settings icon. Run the checkbox next to Download Offline Mixstep.
Like smart downloads, the offline package will automatically download music based on the user’s listening history. IPhone users can remove a song from their offline package by swiping to the left. To download a song or playlist on the YouTube Music iPhone app, click the menu button and then click Download.
Like the Android app, iPhone users can download music by tapping on the cover art of the track or on the detail page of the album or playlist, then tap the arrow download.
Important things to know about YouTube Music Downloads
Whether it’s an Android phone or an iPhone, YouTube Music updates offline mixstep / smart downloads every night until the phone is connected to WiFi and more than 40% loaded. If this option is enabled in the download settings, you can do this via mobile data as well.
Once downloaded, you can listen to music for up to 30 days without an internet connection. Manually downloaded songs, playlists and albums can be listened to offline for 30 days, but users will need to reconnect to the Internet at least once a month to secure them. Offline downloads depend on the amount of storage available on the device.
YouTube Music users can control the number of songs automatically downloaded by going to the Settings page and clicking Offline Settings and choosing between audio and video downloads.
Beatrice Ashford is a contributor at Nintendo-power.com, covering a wide range of topics including news, politics, business, technology, sport, entertainment, and lifestyle. She focuses on delivering clear, balanced reporting and useful information that helps readers stay informed about current events and emerging developments. Her work highlights stories that matter to everyday audiences, with an emphasis on accuracy, relevance, and accessible journalism that keeps readers connected to the issues shaping the world around them.