Skip to main content

YouTube exec reveals Google Play Music and YouTube Red will merge

Indications are that YouTube Red and Google Play Music are going to merge, eventually. It makes sense, since a Google Play Music subscription gets you access to YouTube Red and YouTube Red subscription nets you access to Google Play Music, but Google suspects that the majority of folks out there aren’t aware that the two music streaming services are intertwined and plans to merge them together.

Google made an official statement after The Verge reported on revealing comments made by YouTube executive Lyor Cohen during the New Music Seminar in New York. The word from Google is that it will be bringing these two products together, but for now, nothing will change, and we’ll all get plenty of notice before something does change.

In the meantime, if you weren’t aware that Google offers this buy-one-get-one free deal on streaming music and ad-free YouTube videos, well, now ya do.

Finally today, Android Auto users who also happen to be fans of the real-time navigation app Waze have something to celebrate – well, sort of. As of today, Waze is officially available for Android Auto, but this early iteration of the app appears to be buggy, according to comments at the Google Play Store.

If you’re not familiar, Waze uses real-time traffic reports and user data to help route drivers around traffic snarls using alternate routes, and lets users report police presences, road hazards, crashes and more. For most folks who use Waze, it’s necessary to interact with the app using your phone, which is now illegal in 15 states due to distracted driving laws.

By integrating Waze with Android Auto, however, the interface is moved to a dashboard screen, which requires little to no interaction to function. And interactions are made simple thanks to Waze’s work to restrict certain features like Map Chat, and make the app easy to use with huge buttons for reporting accidents and such.

It’s a step in the right direction for those who don’t care to use Google Maps. But until the bugs are worked out, it might be best to hold off on using it. Oh, and Bad news for CarPlay fans: It seems Apple isn’t interested in letting third-party maps apps into its coveted walled garden. So, you’ll have to keep mounting that phone on your dash and resist the urge to touch it.

Caleb Denison
Digital Trends Editor at Large Caleb Denison is a sought-after writer, speaker, and television correspondent with unmatched…
Apple One, Ubisoft Forward wrap-up, life on Mars, and more | Digital Trends Live
digital trends live episode 457 curiosity at work on mars  artist s concept

On this Digital Trends Live, host Greg Nibler talks the top tech stories of the day, including how Twitter and Google handle preelection misinformation, Apple's accidental reveal of Apple One, an Ubisoft Forward wrap-up, the Mars Curiosity rover begins its search for life, and more.

 

Read more
Work/Life: How to remain focused during times of distraction
worklife episode 26 featured

On this episode of Work/Life, Ciara Pressler, author of Pregame and Game Plan, talks with Greg Nibler about how to remain focused during the constant distractions, chaos, and confusion of the current climate, whether it’s pandemic fatigue, protests, wildfires, the election, or any number of other things out of our control that can take our attention or bog us down.

“There’s a lot going on,” Pressler said, “so how do we focus when there’s so much going on?” The first step of gaining focus, she says, is to acknowledge what’s going on -- not just with the constant barrage of news, but with yourself. “You might not be feeling like working at 100%, and that’s ok!” she says.

Read more
Oracle eyes TikTok, Oculus 2, LG’s dual-screen phone | Digital Trends Live
The Oculus Quest 2 on a table.

On this Digital Trends Live, host Greg Nibler takes on the top tech news of the day, including Oracle’s bid for TikTok, Facebook removes false fire posts, LG’s dual-screen smartphone, Oculus 2 is coming, and more.

John Velasco joins the program to rate the various models of robotic vacuums on the market, including the Shark IQ, the Roborock S6 Max V, the iRobot Roomba S9+, and more.
Julia Daviy

Read more