Affiliate links on Android Authority may earn us a commission.Learn more.
Problems with Google Play Music and how to fix them
July 16, 2025
Google Play Music is a streaming app and music player that features over 35 million songs, which is impressive compared to a lot of other music streaming apps out there. A paid monthly subscription not only gets you complete access to the entire portfolio, but you’re able to also take advantage of a YouTube Red membership along with it. Of course, if you aren’t looking for a streaming service, the Play Music app is a solid music player as well, for you to enjoy any music that you have stored on your device. If you are looking for a music player and streaming service combo, the Google Play Music app is a great choice.
However, as is often the case with a lot of apps that are available, Google Play Music is not without its issues. To help you out, we’ve rounded up some of the common problems faced by Play Music users, and offer potential solutions and workarounds to address them.
Disclaimer: Not every user will come across these issues, particularly if you make sure to keep the app updated regularly.
Problem #1 – Duplicate tracks
A lot of users have come across duplicate tracks that have been saved to their Google Play Music, particularly when they have synced their music from iTunes.
Potential solutions:
Problem #2 – Payment issues
You may have come across error messages stating that the payment has been declined, cannot be processed, or that the card is “not eligible,” either when setting up the subscription for the first time and when renewing it.
Problem #3 – Tracks missing on phone but available on web player
Some users have found that tracks that have been downloaded on the web player don’t show up on their smartphones.
Problem #4 – Songs not uploading
You may have come across some issues with uploading songs to the Music Manager from your own collection.
Problem #5 – Downloaded stations are not playing
Many users have found that downloaded stations are no longer playing when the device is in “play downloaded music only” mode. Downloaded playlists and songs seem to play as expected though. This is one of the Google Play Music problems that affected users a couple of years ago, but seems to have made an unfortunate return now.
Problem #6 – 2-Factor authentication causing problems with logging in to the Music Manager
Many users have found that they cannot log in to the Music Manager because they have 2-factor authentication enabled for their Google account. The prompt that is supposed to appear on your phone does not.
Problem #7 – Issues where the only option is to wait for an official update
There are some issues that users have come across where the generic fixes don’t seem to work at all, and the only option left is to wait for an official update for the Google Play Music app.
So, there you have it for this roundup of some common issues faced by Google Play Music users, and potential solutions and workarounds to address them. If you have come across any other problems, do let us know in the comments section below, and we’ll try our best to find a fix for you.
Read Next:How to use Google Play Music
Don’t let this small list of problems deter you from taking full advantage of Google Play Music. Most of these issues have simple workarounds, and given that it is a Google app, you can expect regular software updates that will continue to improve the experience.
Thank you for being part of our community. Read ourComment Policybefore posting.
