Is Amazon Music free on Android phone?
Introducing Amazon Music
Amazon Music is a music streaming and online music store service operated by Amazon. It offers access to over 70 million songs and thousands of expert-programmed playlists and stations through the Amazon Music apps for iOS, Android, Mac, PC, and Fire TV (Bradshaw, 2021).
The service evolved from Amazon’s purchase of Audible in 2008, which became the provider for audio books in the Kindle store in 2011. In 2016, the streaming service Amazon Music Unlimited was launched as an upgraded version of Prime Music, which is included with an Amazon Prime subscription. Amazon Music Unlimited provides access to over 70 million songs ad-free and supports offline listening (Mott, 2019).
Some key features of Amazon Music include customized recommendations, exclusive artist content, high-definition streaming, integration with Alexa-enabled devices, and access across multiple platforms like iOS, Android, FireTV, Echo devices, and the web (Amazon.com, n.d.[1]). Overall, Amazon Music aims to provide a robust music streaming experience to complement Amazon’s diverse ecosystem of products and services.
Amazon Music on Android Phones
The Amazon Music app is available for free download on the Google Play Store for most Android devices. According to the Google Play listing, it requires Android 5.0 or later to run on your device.
Amazon states that the app is compatible with popular Android phones from Samsung, LG, Sony, Motorola, HTC, Huawei, Xiaomi, Nokia, Lenovo, Alcatel, ZTE, and other major brands. However, some older or lower-end models may not be supported.
In general, if your Android phone came preloaded with the Google Play Store and regularly receives app updates, the Amazon Music app should function properly. But occasionally certain phone models are not optimized or certified as compatible, preventing installation according to this Amazon forum discussion.
The Amazon Music app provides access to streaming music and downloaded playlists for offline listening similar to other services. It is optimized for Android with easy navigation and search. Downloading music for offline playback requires an Amazon Music Unlimited subscription.
Free Options on Android
Amazon offers a free, ad-supported streaming tier on Android devices, allowing access to select playlists and stations without a Prime membership or Music Unlimited subscription. This free option was launched in November 2019 for Android, iOS, and Fire TV (1).
The free Amazon Music app provides access to top playlists and stations in a shuffle-only mode with periodic audio and video ads. The library includes over 2 million songs and thousands of stations for free streaming (2). While the selection is limited compared to paid plans, the free tier provides a solid sampling of music and playlists to Android users at no cost.
This free, ad-supported option gives Android users a chance to try Amazon’s streaming service without commitment. However, the limited song selection and shuffled playback may leave some users wanting more. Upgrading to an Amazon Prime or Music Unlimited membership unlocks the full on-demand catalog, unlimited skips, and offline listening.
Prime Member Benefits
Amazon Prime members get access to Amazon Music Prime at no additional cost beyond their Prime membership fee. This provides Prime members with 2 million hand-curated songs and thousands of expertly crafted playlists and stations (Amazon Music FAQs). While not as extensive as the full Amazon Music Unlimited catalog, Prime members still get an ad-free experience with unlimited skips and downloads for offline listening.
Some key benefits of Amazon Music Prime for Prime members include:
- Download songs for offline listening – Prime members can download songs to their Android device to listen offline whenever they don’t have an internet connection.
- Unlimited skips – Listeners can skip as many songs as they want within playlists and stations.
- Hand-curated playlists and stations – Amazon Music experts craft playlists and stations spanning various genres and moods so listeners can easily find music they love.
- No ads – Listen uninterrupted with an completely ad-free experience.
Overall, Amazon Music Prime provides a robust music experience for Prime members without any extra fees. It serves as a nice added benefit to enhance the Prime subscription.
Purchasing Upgrades
Amazon offers several paid upgrade options for Android users looking to access additional features and content on Amazon Music. The main paid service is Amazon Music Unlimited, which provides unlimited access to over 100 million songs and thousands of expertly crafted playlists and stations ad-free.
There are a few ways for Android users to purchase a subscription to Amazon Music Unlimited:
- Open the Amazon Music app on an Android device and tap on the profile icon in the top left. Select “Amazon Music Unlimited” from the menu and tap “Try it Free” to start a 30-day free trial. After the trial ends, subscriptions auto-renew at $9.99/month for Prime members or $10.99/month for non-Prime members.
- Visit amazon.com/music/unlimited from any web browser and select the plan you want to purchase. Enter your Amazon account details to complete the subscription purchase.
- Android users can also purchase Amazon Music Unlimited as an in-app purchase directly from the Google Play store. Open the Play Store app, go to the Amazon Music page and tap “Subscribe” to choose your plan.
Another paid option is the Amazon Digital Music Store, where you can purchase individual albums or songs to download and own forever. This can be accessed in the Amazon Music app by searching for an album or song and selecting “Buy song” or “Buy album”. Downloaded purchases can be played offline and are saved to your Cloud Library.
Downloading Music
One of the key features of Amazon Music is the ability to download songs, albums, and playlists for offline listening when you don’t have an internet connection. This is included with an Amazon Music Unlimited subscription or for Amazon Prime members.
To download music for offline listening on your Android device, open the Amazon Music app and find the song, album, or playlist you want to download. Tap the download button next to the title – it looks like a downward pointing arrow. The tracks will start downloading to your device. You can see your download progress in the “Downloads” section of the app.
Downloaded songs and playlists are stored locally on your device and organized in the Downloads section of the Amazon Music app. According to AudFree, Android users can store up to 100,000 songs for offline listening. Downloads are saved until you delete them manually.
This offline listening functionality makes Amazon Music very convenient for situations when you won’t have an internet connection, like traveling on a plane or commuting underground. It’s a key advantage that Amazon Music has over some other streaming services.
Content Library
Amazon Music provides access to a vast library of songs, playlists, stations, and more. According to Amazon, their music catalog contains over 90 million songs from both major and independent labels (https://www.amazon.com/music/unlimited). This allows you to access popular music as well as discover more niche genres and artists.
In addition to songs, Amazon Music’s library includes thousands of pre-programmed playlists and radio stations covering many musical genres, eras, activities, moods and more. Playlists are updated regularly by Amazon’s music experts to ensure there’s always fresh content to discover. There are also playlists created by users you can browse through.
Overall, Amazon Music aims to provide extensive options so you can always find the perfect soundtrack for any moment or activity. The vast catalog gives you plenty of variety to choose from when streaming music on your Android device.
Streaming Quality
When it comes to streaming quality on Amazon Music for Android devices, there are a few things to consider. The maximum streaming quality available is up to Ultra HD, which streams at 24-bit/192kHz (Amazon Music Unlimited review). This provides excellent high-resolution audio for listening. However, your device and internet connection speed can impact the actual streaming quality you experience.
By default, Amazon Music will select the “Best Available” streaming quality based on your device and connection. You can go into Settings > Streaming Quality and choose to select the maximum available quality. For most modern Android devices from 2014 onwards running Android 5.0 or later, you should be able to stream high quality audio up to HD or Ultra HD (Poor/Low audio quality on Amazon Prime Music India Worst).
Some key factors that determine your streaming quality include your Android version, device hardware, WiFi/cellular connection speed, and Amazon Music subscription. In general, Amazon Music aims to provide high quality audio streaming for Android users, but you may need to adjust settings to maximize streaming quality based on your specific device and connection.
Ease of Use
The Amazon Music app is designed to be user-friendly and easy to navigate on Android devices. The interface features a clean layout with sections for browsing music by genres, recommendations, recent activity, playlists, and downloaded music (Amazon Music for Android). Swiping between sections is smooth, and the menus and icons are intuitive. According to reviews, the app makes finding and accessing music effortless (Customer reviews: Amazon Music for Android).
The playback screen provides easy access to shuffling songs, repeat, and queuing up music. You can also view lyrics if available. Overall, the Amazon Music app offers a seamless user experience for Android users to search, browse, play, and manage music.
Summary
To summarize, Amazon Music comes pre-installed on most Android phones and offers both free and paid options. The free tier provides ad-supported streaming access to top playlists and stations. However, Amazon Prime members can unlock additional benefits like downloading songs for offline listening. Upgrading to Amazon Music Unlimited opens the full catalog of over 75 million songs for on-demand and ad-free streaming. While not every Android user may need a paid music subscription, having Amazon Music already integrated into the phone makes it a convenient choice for many. The app makes it simple to access music on-the-go, with features optimized for mobile use. So in answer to the main question – yes, Android users can enjoy Amazon Music for free or at a paid level that fits their needs.
