YouTube Music Improves Radio Algorithm, Adds New Features

YouTube Music has improved the radio algorithm to show more artists, and added features such as Family OS and Wear OS Shuffle. The new features are a part of Google's list of developments to YouTube Music in February and March. With the new changes, selecting a song from search results will only play that track. YouTube Music has confined Family listening to a new family shelf and the Listen Again shelf on YouTube Music will stop showing duplicates. The YouTube Music Wear OS app also now lets you shuffle play all your downloaded music. A recent report also indicated that YouTube is supposedly planning to improve the podcast ingestion onto its platform.

The added improvements to YouTube Music are a part of Google's list of developments to YouTube Music in February and March. The team at YouTube Music said that it has improved the “back-end logic that nominates the music that shows up” in Song Radio to “increase artist diversity in these playlists.” This means that selecting a song from search results will now only play that track instead of also generating a radio station. You still have the option to turn on Autoplay from the Up Next queue.

YouTube Music has also confined Family listening to a new family shelf. The family shelf includes a personalised Family Mix and other playlists. Additionally, the Listen Again shelf on YouTube Music for smart televisions and gaming consoles will stop showing duplicates. The Listen Again shelf will now feature an “increased number of results.”

The YouTube Music Wear OS app now also lets you shuffle play all your downloaded music instead of being limited to ordered play and playlist shuffles.

A recent report also indicated that YouTube appears to have plans to take on industry giants of the podcast space like Apple and Spotify. An 84-page document has been allegedly leaked that is said to outline the roadmap laid out by the company. The document is believed to be intended for podcast publishers. According to this leaked document, YouTube is supposed to be planning to improve the podcast ingestion onto its platform. There is also expected to be a new podcast homepage with a familiar YouTube layout.