YouTube Music hits 5 billion Play Store downloads
The streaming platform reaches a major milestone, but is it really that popular?
YouTube Music joins the 5 billion club
YouTube Music has officially surpassed 5 billion downloads on the Google Play Store, making it the 21st app to hit this impressive milestone. This achievement comes nearly seven years after its initial launch and five years after Google transitioned from Google Play Music to YouTube Music as its default streaming service.
The app’s steady growth aligns with YouTube’s broader push into the audio space. In recent years, YouTube has cemented itself as a major player in podcasting, even overtaking Spotify in the video podcasting marketing in 2024. To highlight its dominance, over 400 million hours of podcasts were streamed on TV devices last year alone, showcasing YouTube’s expanding presence in the digital audio space.
Perhaps not the full picture?
While 5 billion downloads is an eye-catching number, it doesn’t necessarily translate to active users or dedicated subscribers. Several factors contribute to YouTube Music’s high download count, including:
- Pre-installation on Android devices: Since the discontinuation of Google Play Music, YouTube Music has become the default streaming service on many new Android devices, automatically inflating its total download numbers.
- YouTube Premium Bundles: YouTube Music comes bundled with YouTube Premium, which boasts over 100 million subscribers. Many users may have downloaded the app simply as part of their subscription, without actively using it.
Despite being impressive, it is clear that looking at engagement metrics rather than download figures would give a clearer picture of the app’s true popularity. For comparison, Spotify has over 1 billion downloads on the Play Store, yet only 252 million paying subscribers across all devices as of Q3 2024.
Technicalities aside, YouTube Music’s inclusion in an exclusive 5 billion downloads club is an achievement worth noting. The impressive milestone reflects YouTube doubling down on its audio offerings, cementing its position as a key player in the streaming industry.