Don't be evil......

crunchman

Maybe Google could live up to their marketing blurb.

We went with Google Play music instead of Spotify or Amazon because it allowed under 13s on its family plans.  They then tell us all to switch over to YouTube Music, and that Google Play Music is being switched off.  No mention at all that it will not work for my daughter.  I only find out when my daughter complains that she can't play music any more.

Removing paid for functionality like that, and telling you to move over, without even warning you that you are losing services is totally out of order.

I would probably switch back to Spotify just on principle because of how annoyed I am at Google. Spotify have now launched a kids app, so it looks like a no brainer. Having said that, they probably aren't any less evil than Google.

monquixote

YouTube have a kids app.

crunchman

monquixote said:

YouTube have a kids app.

Youtube music doesn't though.

Edit:  the bigger issue is not whether or not they have the app, but them removing functionality that you have paid for without telling you.

Kittyfrisk

Yes, Google really is treating customers like you, like shite.
Not only do you lose the facility that you have had, you will apparently have to have a monthly subscription to YouTube Music account in order to maintain streaming functionality...
https://www.extremetech.com/internet/312083-youtube-music-charges-you-to-play-your-own-music-on-your-own-speakers

Brize

Don't be evil?

I think that ship sailed a long time ago.

webrthomson

Brize said:

Don't be evil?

I think that ship sailed a long time ago.

^ This

TheOtherDennis

crunchman said:

Spotify have now launched a kids app, so it looks like a no brainer. Having said that, they probably aren't any less evil than Google.

I think there are a lot of musicians who would agree with you on that.

Cranky

Google is losing me.  Unfortunatley, Microsoft is no less evil, and Apple is too restrictive.  Got my eye on this pinephone thing: https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2019/11/pinephone-specs-price-release-date

strumjoughlamps

I've tried and tried to get on with YT Music but I cannot get on with it so switched back to Spotify, shame as I really liked GP Music

yocky

I genuinely think about that "don't be evil" thing most days.

Somehow a bunch of entrepreneurs have stolen all the loot and managed to make the world a world a much crappier place and were encouraged all the way until it was too late. A kind of piss on your leg and tell you it's raining on an epic scale.

fob

I always thought that motto gave them away for who they really are. It's the sort of thing a psychopath writes on his bathroom mirror with the blood of his latest victim.

Adi

Download all the mp3s from the internet FOR FREE and stop paying those robbing b****. Problem solved:)

Kittyfrisk

Adi said:

Download all the mp3s from the internet FOR FREE and stop paying those robbing b****. Problem solved:)

Yeah, I hear you brother !! Righteous call! Smash the system, fight the power, grab it all & screw all those err... musicians?  

guitartango

Cranky said:

Google is losing me.  Unfortunatley, Microsoft is no less evil, and Apple is too restrictive.  Got my eye on this pinephone thing: https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2019/11/pinephone-specs-price-release-date

Looks good, like to see KDE plasma on it.

underdog

Adi said:

Download all the mp3s from the internet FOR FREE and stop paying those robbing b****. Problem solved:)

Hell yeah, why stop there, see a painting you like, steal it, fancy a car, take it, f**k it, everything is free.

sev112

I’m not an Apple fanboy, it took me ages to swap to an iPhone and only switched because I use(d) a simple ipad for work.   The system works really well for me and I am hardly a real user, and I’m pretty IT illiterate compared to most.  The only apple stuff I have bought into is cloud storage because it works really well for lots of photos and all my working notes on the ipad, pdf documents I edit, storing all sorts of electric stuff.  I don’t use iTunes, Apple Music, Apple TV etc etc and £2 is a good price per month for the iCloud storage.
yet I “hear” that they are going to “bundle” ALL apple stuff into a single monthly subscription For circa £15!  Now that is frustrating.  And it is that kind of behaviour that would make me want to switch on principle.  

I guess in reality £3.75 a week is hardly huge, and the impact of having to move everything from the cloud to some other storage feels me with dread.
But like the OP I think that’s not very ethical  moan over

goldtop

I think the "don't do evil" bit is a logical follow-on from the fact all of these tech companies eventually become about returning maximum value to shareholders, and exploiting the near-monopolies they have. They all started small and full of optimism and enthusiasm for the tech itself and what it could do for users. Not being evil was easy.

But now they are all mega corps and the optimism is about dominating the market (a la IBM of old), turning everything into a subscription and trying to hand-cuff people into an ecosystem.

TimmyO

sev112 said:

I’m not an Apple fanboy, it took me ages to swap to an iPhone and only switched because I use(d) a simple ipad for work.   The system works really well for me and I am hardly a real user, and I’m pretty IT illiterate compared to most.  The only apple stuff I have bought into is cloud storage because it works really well for lots of photos and all my working notes on the ipad, pdf documents I edit, storing all sorts of electric stuff.  I don’t use iTunes, Apple Music, Apple TV etc etc and £2 is a good price per month for the iCloud storage.
yet I “hear” that they are going to “bundle” ALL apple stuff into a single monthly subscription For circa £15!  Now that is frustrating.  And it is that kind of behaviour that would make me want to switch on principle.  

I guess in reality £3.75 a week is hardly huge, and the impact of having to move everything from the cloud to some other storage feels me with dread.
But like the OP I think that’s not very ethical  moan over

You don’t HAVE to take it up - you can continue to just pay for iCloud 

Danny1969

I just my iphone and back my stuff up manually. I pay for YT Premium which is £12 a month because I think the sheer amount of quality content is worth paying for. For music I just type in something like 2020 indie playlist and just let it play what it wants as that's how I discover new music. i have got hard drives filled with albums but if I do want to listen to a whole album it's on YT anyway so just listen to it on that. 

Google used to be a good search engine but nowadays the tope results are there because they are paid for, not because they are the most relevant to your search. Is AWS gonna do a search engine, seems an obvious move considering their massive infrastructure 

soma1975

Google actually removed the don't be evil motto a few years back. Clearly in full anticipation of some upcoming evil. 

Axe_meister

Ok I will come to Google defence given I work for them. At the end of the day this was a business decision. Google play music did not get any traction and YouTube was the bigger brand, why have two teams working on what is essentially two product doing the same thing.
Google is far from Evil, if anything it can be far too woke.
It is recently offset all of it's carbon emissions with a goal of being carbon free by 2030, with massive investment in green energy and energy efficiency.
I've worked for big evil corporations and the difference is massive.