YouTube Music hit the streaming scene two years ago, offering songs, albums, playlists, and artist radio, as well as a “tremendous catalog” of performances and videos hosted by the Google-owned company. But now that the service is set to supplant Google Play Music (shuttering later this year), YouTube is turning it up to 11 with new features like collaborative playlists.
The primary video streaming service already allows users to collaborate; turn the function on to let anyone with a shared playlist link add or remove content. Simply sign in to YouTube Studio, then navigate through Playlists > Edit > More > Collaborate. The original owner is notified any time their list is tinkered with.
A similar method appears to be coming soon to YouTube Music, though the “Collaborate” button—spotted by 9to5Google in the latest version of the Android app—is not yet active. The team dug it up by visiting a Music playlist and tapping the pencil icon.
“Regardless of what preference you set—Public, Unlisted, or Private—today, the new option cannot be launched,” according to the news site. “Rather, a ‘Navigation unavailable’ toast message appears at the bottom of the screen.” YouTube did not immediately respond to PCMag’s request for comment.
The communal feature, aimed at making the streaming music platform more social, was originally tipped in March, when 9to5Google highlighted the “Collaborate” process—specifically, the ability to get an invite link and turn off sharing. Setup, the site said, is similar to the main YouTube apps, with the choice to name playlists, add a description, and set privacy.
