YouTube Music is laden with features which help it take on its competitors. You can leverage YouTube's vast library of covers, watch videos, and listen to personalized playlists.

However, underneath the surface, there are other handy features which you may not be making use of. Here are some YouTube Music tips and tricks you really should be using.

1. Use Lyrics to Search for Songs

search lyrics youtube music

Every music streaming service has a search option so that you can specifically look up a track. But there are times when you can't quite remember the title. You might have heard it in a pub and are only able to recall a few lyrics. Fortunately, YouTube Music has got you covered as it takes the standard search function to the next level.

On YouTube Music, you can type in the lyrics you can remember and there's a good chance the song you're looking for will be in the results. So for instance, if you search for "Jerusalem bells are ringing," YouTube Music will promptly fetch Coldplay's Viva La Vida. The feature works both on the mobile apps and web apps.

2. Enable Offline Mixtape for Automatic Downloads

No one likes being stranded without their music in places where there's no connectivity. On flights, for example. Forgetting to download your library for offline use is something that can happen to the best of us. YouTube Music has a solution for this.

It comes with a feature called Offline Mixtape which can automatically offload a handful of tracks based on your past listening history. You can configure it to download between one and 100 songs it thinks you might like.

The option to enable Offline Mixtape is available under Library > Downloads on the service's Android and iOS apps. There, you can switch it on and employ the slider to set the number of songs it should download on its own.

3. Customize the "Double-Tap to Seek" Shortcut

On the YouTube Music app's Now Playing screen, you can double tap on either side of the album art to skip or rewind quickly. By default, it's set to jump by 10 seconds. You can, however, customize that to your liking.

To do that, head over to the Library tab and click your avatar present at the top right corner. Now, go to the Settings and you'll find the Double-Tap to Seek option. You can alter it to a maximum of 60 seconds and a minimum of five seconds.

4. Pause Your Search History and Play History

In order for smart recommendations to work accurately, YouTube Music needs to track what you listen to and search for. But if you don't feel comfortable with this, Google has put in security options to opt out.

To turn these off on your phone, head into the Settings. Scroll down until you locate the Privacy & Location menu, and from there, disable the trackers.

Do note that Google tracks your activity on both YouTube and YouTube Music. Hence, turning off the watch history option also means you will have not access to your YouTube history either. You can also deactivate location- and activity-based recommendations.

On the web app, the process is largely identical. Begin by clicking your profile picture situated at the top-right corner and enter Settings. You'll find the same array of options in Privacy.

Do you want to perform a thorough review of how much data you're feeding to Google? Here are the ways Google can track you and how to stop it.

5. Start a Radio Station From an Individual Track

YouTube Music's own set of curated radio stations and playlists aren't tuned to individual users. So while listening to them, you might end up skipping a lot of songs. A better alternative is to start a personalized radio station from a particular song you like.

YouTube Music lets you create custom radio stations from any track. The service predicts the queue based on what albums you've listened to and upvoted in the past. To try this, tap the three-dot menu available beside any song or album and hit Start Radio.

6. Use YouTube Music Playlists as Alarms

Are you tired of waking up to the same jarring tunes? Then you should consider setting a YouTube Music playlist as an alarm specifically designed to rouse you from sleep.

Yes, you can link YouTube Music with the clock app. However, this is restricted to Android and Google's own Clock app. If your phone doesn't come preloaded with Google Clock, download it from the Play Store.

Once installed, fire up the app and create or edit an alarm. Tap the ringtone field and the app will pull up a couple of new tabs. One of them will be titled YouTube Music.

Under YouTube Music, you'll have all your recently played tracks and playlists. If you cannot find the one you're looking for, you can also search by hitting the blue floating button. Select the item and return to the previous screen to save.

You can also set a Spotify playlist as your alarm on Android.

7. Parents, Turn On the Restricted Mode

If you're a parent with a shared family subscription, you are probably worried about your kids coming across explicit content. Fortunately, YouTube has built a restricted mode for videos, and you can use the same on its music streaming platform as well. The Restricted Mode can be activated from Settings.

8. Choose a New Set of Favorite Artists

When you sign up for YouTube Music, it asks you to pick your favorite artists to help it recommend new music. But if you feel like they're slightly off or that your tastes have changed, you can go through that process again. At the bottom of the Settings page, there's an Improve Recommendations option.

Why You Should Switch to YouTube Premium

YouTube Music is a fantastic music streaming service. And by utilizing these YouTube Music tips and tricks, you should be able to get the most out of your subscription. But for even greater value, you should consider upgrading to YouTube Premium.

Here's a step-by-step guide detailing how to switch from YouTube Music to YouTube Premium which also includes a rundown of YouTube Premium's many benefits.