Groove Music has been on its way out since it ended its Groove Music Pass streaming service at the end of 2017, but it still retained the ability to stream your own tracks from OneDrive, making it at least somewhat useful for those who still preferred the app. However, that's all coming to an end soon, as Microsoft has announced OneDrive streaming will get the ax on March 31.
In a new FAQ page posted to its support site, Microsoft says that "OneDrive music streaming in Groove Music will be retired" at the end of March. And while the tracks you have stored in OneDrive will still be able to be played using OneDrive's web player, you'll no longer be able to stream them from the cloud in Groove Music.
So what will happen to your music? Microsoft explains:
Music stored in your OneDrive will stop syncing with Groove Music on March 31, 2019. Data stored in the Groove Music service will be deleted up to 30 days after that. Your music will still be available in OneDrive and your downloaded music and playlists will still be available in the Groove Music app.
Your only solution to keep playing your files in Groove will be to download your complete collection and store it locally on whatever device you're using to listen to music through Groove.
According to the FAQ, this ends the ability to stream your OneDrive-stored music for Forza Horizon 3 starting on March 31 as well.
If you'd rather keep streaming, there are plenty of other options out there. Microsoft itself has been recommending people make the switch to Spotify, and it has set up a process for making the move from Groove Music. If you've got a large OneDrive music collection and want the option to keep streaming from there, a Windows 10 app called Sonca is a great alternative that works with music you have stored in a variety of cloud services.
Thanks, Richard H., for the tip!
