Final Play Music update lets you hide the Android app

In mid-March, Google removed the ability for users to download the Play Music library via Takeout. With this data now gone, Google Play Music gets a latest update on Android to hide the app.

Version 8.29.9112-1.W of Play Music is being rolled out via Google Play today. It still displays the “Google Play Music is no longer available” screen asking users to “Explore YouTube Music.” However, below that, there is a new section on freeing up space:

Easily delete local data from Google Play Music from your device to free up space.

“Hide app”

; makes “Google Play Music no longer appear on your homepage or in all app views.” After confirmation, Play Music will no longer appear in your app drawer and you will no longer be able to open it. In Google Play, the only option you get is to uninstall.

There is also “Delete all local data” if you failed to remove downloads before the app was locked, and “Open app info.”

This update is intended to address how you can not uninstall Play Music if the app was pre-installed on your device. In the case of Google, Pixel 3 and earlier have it as the default application where the only option is to disable from the “Appinfo” page, which is not obvious to most users. On newer phones that have YouTube Music loaded, you can just delete like any other downloaded app.

More about Google Play:

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