YouTube Music is my primary music player. Its paid tier comes with my YouTube Premium account, and I don’t want to spend on another subscription like Spotify or Deezer.
This doesn’t mean I enjoy using YouTube Music. It comes with the same issues I experienced with the YouTube Android app.
YouTube Music has more bloat than ever, thanks to its endless stacks of features I don’t need. Each new update, from the Samples tab to Recaps, has caused my app to load slower and lag more.
I just want to listen to my music without distractions, Google. I started looking for app alternatives that would let me keep the playlists I’d already invested in.
I soon found BitChord. It’s an open source YouTube Music alternative that can be used with or without a Google account. BitChord’s ad-free interface and rich settings hooked me.
BitChord looks and feels better
YouTube Music lost its charm
I initially adored YouTube Music for its simplicity and similar interface to the regular YouTube app. The UI familiarity helped when I converted from Spotify, which also became a visual mess after flooding my feed with podcasts instead of music.
YouTube Music turned into its own hodgepodge with the introduction of Samples (its version of YouTube Shorts) and the messy home screen that mixes music and podcasts. I had already found an alternative podcast player, but I needed something to replace the music player.
BitChord is the best replacement I’ve downloaded so far. It’s available on GitHub and is totally free. It uses YouTube Music’s library and Apple Music’s look and feel.
I don’t have to log in to BitChord with my Google account to maximize its features. I only need to log in to migrate my liked songs, playlists, and history. It also helps BitChord’s algorithm suggest the same genres YouTube Music provided before.
BitChord can also carry over Spotify playlists. Discord integration lets you show your contacts what you’re currently playing. These logins are optional. BitChord works on its own and is ad-free, with no sign-up required.
That’s what makes BitChord an ideal alternative. It’s much lighter than YouTube Music, and I can download songs, create playlists, and review my history out of the box.
BitChord’s interface is clean and easy to navigate. If you don’t like the default look, go to the main settings and tinker with the design under Appearance. I had fun trying out the Liquid Glass option for an Apple Music-like aesthetic.
To unlock BitChord’s full UI animation, go to Main Settings, scroll down to Performance, and turn on High Performance Mode.
It requires unrestricted battery usage, so expect your phone to heat up and the battery to drain faster with this option turned on.
It’s difficult to go back to YouTube Music
BitChord can do almost everything
BitChord’s biggest edge over YouTube Music is the customization. The main menu has a ton of settings to adjust.
I can set audio quality separately for Wi-Fi and mobile data, limit song download size, and tweak BitChord’s equalizer. I can also choose lyric sources for each song and which folders to play local music from.
I may download these settings and my listening history as a JSON file for when I migrate to another phone. This matters because BitChord doesn’t have cloud syncing.
Downloaded songs stay within the BitChord app. They don’t become local files you can share or use elsewhere.
BitChord isn’t fully devoid of fun stats. Like YouTube Music’s Recaps, BitChord shows my total minutes listened and my top songs, artists, and albums. Tapping any of these tiles reveals the full rankings. You can find these in the Library tab.
The catch with this kind of open source app using another library is the potential loss of access. If Google suddenly enforces anti-third-party measures or changes its API, apps like BitChord would lose access to the entire media library.
I still need YouTube Music to work across devices. To play music on my smart speaker, smartwatch, or Android Auto, I have to use the official YouTube Music app. BitChord stays put on my Android phone.
I’ll let YouTube Music stick around
With BitChord’s uncertain future and YouTube Music’s value in my gadget ecosystem, I can’t completely let go of one for the other. BitChord is the superior music player on Android, as long as it has access to Google’s music library; YouTube Music is my go-to music app everywhere else.
To BitChord’s credit, its developer has been active in adding features and ironing out bugs. Each time I update the app, I get a new set of UI settings and features. It recently added Chromecast support and a beta version for Windows, both of which make BitChord all the more versatile.
