Is cloud music on Android?
Cloud music services allow users to store and stream their music libraries remotely via the internet, rather than locally on their devices. With a cloud music service, users can upload songs from their personal collection to the cloud and then listen to that music on any device with an internet connection, be it a smartphone, tablet, computer, or smart speaker (Ballmer 2020). The key benefits of cloud music services include access to your music library anywhere, not needing large amounts of device storage for songs, and the ability to discover and stream new music through curated playlists and radio stations. According to an analysis by Lee et al., cloud music services provide added value to users through features like social networking, playlists, and unlimited access to large catalogs of music (Lee 2016).
Cloud Music Services Available on Android
One of the most popular cloud music services previously available on Android was Google Play Music. Launched in 2011, Google Play Music allowed users to upload up to 50,000 songs to the cloud, stream music, and create playlists. It came pre-installed on many Android devices and integrated with other Google services like YouTube and Google Assistant.
In 2020, Google announced that Google Play Music would be shutting down and replaced by YouTube Music. As stated on the Google Play Music homepage, “Google Play Music is no longer available. All the best Google Play Music features live on in YouTube Music.”
YouTube Music is now Google’s premiere music streaming service on Android. According to the YouTube Music app page, it provides access to over 100 million official songs, live performances, covers, remixes and more. The app comes pre-installed on many Android devices today.
Spotify
Spotify is one of the most popular music streaming services available for Android devices. According to the Spotify app page on the Google Play Store, the Spotify app is compatible with Android 5.0 and above.
Spotify officially supports Android phones and tablets running Android 5.0 Lollipop or later. This covers most modern Android devices, including phones from Samsung, LG, Motorola, Google Pixel, OnePlus, and more. Older Android devices may have compatibility issues running the latest version of Spotify.
The Spotify app can be downloaded for free from the Google Play store. Spotify offers both free ad-supported and premium paid subscription options on Android. The premium subscription unlocks features like offline listening, improved audio quality, and no ads.
Overall, Spotify has excellent availability across the vast majority of modern Android smartphones and tablets. With over 422 million monthly active users, Spotify is one of the top choices for streaming music on Android devices.
Amazon Music
Amazon Music is available on Android devices through the Amazon Music app, which can be downloaded from the Google Play store [1]. The app allows Android users to stream music from Amazon Music, including ad-supported streaming of a limited catalog for free and unlimited access to over 90 million songs for Amazon Prime members or Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers [2].
In addition to the main Amazon Music app, there is also a separate Amazon Music app just for Android TV devices, available on the Google Play Store [3]. This provides an optimized interface for accessing Amazon Music on televisions.
So in summary, Amazon Music is widely available across Android smartphones, tablets, and TVs through official apps provided by Amazon.
Apple Music
Apple Music is available on Android devices, allowing Android users to access Apple’s catalog of over 100 million songs and thousands of playlists and radio stations [1]. The Apple Music app can be downloaded from the Google Play Store on Android 5.0 Lollipop and later [2].
Apple also provides instructions for manually downloading and installing the Apple Music .apk file on Android devices [3]. Once installed, Android users can access the same Apple Music features as iOS users, including unlimited song streaming, personalized recommendations, exclusive content, and offline listening.
YouTube Music
YouTube Music is a popular music streaming app available on Android devices. It is developed by Google and allows users to stream both official music content as well as user-generated content from YouTube (“System requirements & availability – Android – YouTube Music Help,”). YouTube Music is available as a free service with ads or as a paid subscription service without ads called YouTube Music Premium.
YouTube Music is available to download for free from the Google Play store on Android devices running Android 7.0 or newer (“System requirements & availability – Android – YouTube Music Help”). It offers access to millions of official songs, albums, playlists, and music videos. The app also provides recommendations based on a user’s listening history and subscriptions.
With a YouTube Music Premium subscription, Android users gain access to features like offline listening, background playback, and an ad-free experience. Premium is available for individual users or as a family plan, allowing up to 5 additional family members to have their own Premium account. YouTube Music is optimized for Android and integrates with Google services like Google Assistant for hands-free voice controls.
SoundCloud Availability on Android
SoundCloud is one of the most popular music streaming services available on the Android platform. As per SoundCloud’s own website, “Listen to music on your mobile by downloading the SoundCloud Mobile app, available on iOS and Android.” [https://soundcloud.com/download]
The SoundCloud app for Android is free to download and install from the Google Play store. According to the listing, “SOUNDCLOUD FREE: – Play music from independent and established artists (with ads). – Listen to albums and playlists with unlimited skips.” SoundCloud also mentions that users can “Stream music on your Android phone.” [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.soundcloud.android&hl=en_US&gl=US]
So in summary, SoundCloud’s music streaming service and large catalog of over 200 million tracks is fully available on Android devices through their free mobile app. Users can stream music, create playlists, follow artists, and more, making SoundCloud one of the top options for cloud music on Android.
Other Services
In addition to the major music services like Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music and YouTube Music available on Android, there are some other options as well. Pandora and TIDAL also offer music streaming apps for Android devices. Pandora provides an automated music recommendation service while TIDAL focuses more on high fidelity, lossless audio streaming.
Pandora has a free ad-supported tier as well as Pandora Plus and Pandora Premium paid subscriptions. The paid options provide features like unlimited skips, higher quality audio and the ability to download music for offline listening. TIDAL offers high resolution lossless audio streaming which could appeal to audiophiles. TIDAL also has different tiers ranging from a free ad-supported option up to HiFi Plus lossless streaming for $19.99 per month.
So while services like Spotify and YouTube Music tend to be the most popular and widely used on Android, Pandora and TIDAL do provide some alternative options focused on different aspects like music discovery and audio quality.
Comparing the Top Services
When it comes to the top music streaming services available on Android, there are some key differences to consider before choosing which one to use. Let’s take a look at some of the pros, cons, pricing, and catalog sizes of the major players.
Spotify
Spotify (https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/best-music-streaming-service/) is one of the most popular streaming services, known for its user-friendly interface and extensive music discovery features.
Pros: Huge catalog of over 70 million tracks, personalized recommendations, ability to follow friends and artists, extensive playlists and radio stations, integrates with multiple platforms and devices.
Cons: Audio quality limited to 320kbps even on premium tier, no lossless audio options, often criticisms around artist payouts.
Pricing: Free ad-supported tier, $9.99/month for premium ad-free tier.
Amazon Music
Amazon Music Unlimited (https://cloudcovermusic.com/blog/music-streaming-services-compared/) provides high quality streaming and download options as part of Amazon’s suite of services.
Pros: Over 75 million songs in catalog, Amazon Prime members get discounts, spatial audio and some lossless tracks available, strong Alexa integration.
Cons: Mobile interface isn’t as strong as Spotify/Apple, limited social features.
Pricing: $7.99/month for Prime members, $9.99/month for regular pricing, additional tiers for single device usage and lossless audio quality.
Conclusion
Android devices offer access to a wide variety of cloud music streaming services. As outlined in this article, the top options available include Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, YouTube Music and SoundCloud. Each service has its own strengths – Spotify offers an extensive catalog and playlists, Amazon Music provides discounted pricing for Prime members, Apple Music has seamless integration for iOS users, YouTube Music features video content, and SoundCloud spotlight rising artists.
The key benefits of using cloud music services on Android include:
- Access to millions of songs from top artists around the world
- Ability to save songs offline and listen without an internet connection
- Playlists and radio stations tailored to your musical tastes
- Synchronization across multiple devices so your music library is consistent everywhere
- New music and editorial recommendations updated continuously
With the variety quality cloud music apps available, Android devices provide a versatile and customizable listening experience for enjoying music on the go.
