Google removes Play Music subscription gifting in latest update

Google Play Music has been stagnant as of late and a new change might foreshadow its eventual replacement with YouTube Music. Google has now removed the option to gift Play Music subscriptions (h/t: Android Police).

The news comes after Google previously removed a portal through which artists could upload their songs and after a year of very minor updates to the app.

The gifting option was previously found in Settings > General under Send gift. You could gift a one ($9.99), three ($29.97) or six-month ($59.94) subscription by simply entering the user’s email address and an optional gift message. They would then receive a redemption code to activate their subscription. The option has been around for years, but is no longer available on version 8.21 of the Play Music app.

Despite this, we could still briefly gift memberships through the Play Music web page earlier today. However, Google seems to have removed that option too. When visiting the page now, a “Can’t complete your request” message pops up.

Of course, gifting Play Music subscriptions is a minor feature in the grand scheme of things. Nevertheless, it lines up with rumors that Google plans to phase out the service in favor of the newer YouTube Music and its removal could spell the beginning of the end for Google Play Music.

It’s also worth noting that YouTube Music doesn’t let you gift subscriptions yet, so hopefully Google implements this option (and other missing features) before it pulls the plug on Play Music.