YouTube Music glitch makes downloaded songs unplayable offline
What's the story
A strange bug has been plaguing YouTube Music for paid users, rendering their downloaded tracks unplayable. The issue, which has been reported on Google's support forum and Reddit, appears to be limited to Android devices. Streaming of songs continues to work normally despite the bug. TeamYouTube has responded in the main Reddit thread and is asking affected listeners to submit feedback from within the app so they can investigate further.
User feedback
User experiences with the glitch
The glitch has left many users frustrated, as their offline songs that played perfectly fine a few days ago are now stuck on a loading spinner. One Galaxy S24 Ultra user said they tried everything from clearing cache and data to rolling back to an older version, but playback still breaks the moment they download anything. Another user noted that disabling downloads entirely is the only way music will play.
Speculations
Possible links to Android update
Some users speculate that the issue could be linked to the latest Android update, while others have reported it on older Samsung devices. One user even noted their downloads fail on a connected watch. The timing of the glitch has led some Reddit commenters to speculate it could be related to the rollout of YouTube Music's 2025 Recap, though there is no evidence for that yet.
Temporary fixes
Workarounds and potential solutions
As a temporary fix, some users have suggested deleting all downloads and sticking to streaming. However, this isn't ideal for those who pay for offline listening. One user managed to get things working by sideloading an older YouTube Music build from APKMirror, but that's not a solution most people would want to try.