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YouTube, despite its flaws, is one of the most robust music streaming services out there. It’s been making changes recently like the new Explore Section in the main feed and being able to add the queue as a playlist. According to 9To5Google, YouTube Music just added new features like Wear OS Shuffle and Family Shelf.
For starters, YouTube Music introduced Wear OS Shuffle
This is one thing that’s bothered people who use a Wear OS device: you want to shuffle your downloaded music using your smartwatch but can’t. The app didn’t allow people to do that. You could only shuffle your music in playlists. Well, with this new update, YouTube Music added Wear OS Shuffle.
With this feature, YouTube Music will let Wear OS users shuffle the music they have downloaded on their devices. This will be good for people who just want to listen to the music and not worry about selecting a playlist.
Family Shelf is for those who listen as a family
Sometimes, you’re not the only one listening to music on your YouTube Music account. There are times when you have kids or other family members tuning in. For this, YouTube introduced the Family Shelf. This section of the UI will house all of your family-friendly music.
If you listen to a lot of music that’s family-friendly, you’ll see the shelf pop up with a bunch of music appropriate for the family. At the top of the feed, you’ll see a mix of music called the “Family Mix”.
The Radio stations and auto-generated playlists will be more diverse
Aside from the music you choose to add to your collection, there’s also a ton of auto-curated content in the form of radio stations and auto-generated playlists. The company made some changes to the algorithm that distributes music. It’s done this to “increase artist diversity in these playlists”. So, it seems that YouTube is promoting a wider range of artists in the playlists and radio stations.