Is there a music player for Google Drive?

Google Drive is a cloud-based file storage and synchronization service. Some of its key features include online document editing, file sharing and collaboration, unlimited free storage for Google documents, spreadsheets and photos (up to 15GB), and seamless file syncing across devices.

With the ability to store many types of files, including audio files, in Google Drive, a common question is whether there is a dedicated music player app specifically for playing music stored in Google Drive. This article will explore that question in detail.

Official Google Drive Music Options

Google Drive does not natively support music playback within the platform itself. The cloud storage service allows users to upload audio files like MP3s, but there is no built-in music player to stream songs directly from Google Drive.

While Google does have its own music streaming services like YouTube Music and the now deprecated Google Play Music, these do not directly integrate with Google Drive. Uploaded music files have to be downloaded locally first before they can be played through these apps.

So officially, Google Drive lacks its own music playing capabilities. Users cannot stream audio content directly within Drive or utilize Google’s music services to play back songs stored in their cloud storage. This prompts many to seek third party apps that add music playback functionality to Google Drive.

Third Party Apps

There are a few third party apps available that allow you to play music stored in your Google Drive. Some popular options include:

CloudPlayer – This app allows you to stream music from both Google Drive and Dropbox. It has a feature called Magic Radio that creates personalized stations based on your musical tastes.

MediaFire Music Player – This Android app integrates directly with your Google Drive to let you play stored music. It has standard music player features like playlists and equalizers.

GD Audio – This simple open source Android app plays music files directly from your Google Drive storage. It has basic playback functions.

These apps provide alternative options to stream music from Google Drive. They offer useful playback features not available in Google’s own Drive music player.

Top Pick – X Player

X Player is one of the most popular third party apps for playing music files stored in your Google Drive. It is a versatile music and video player that integrates seamlessly with Google Drive to give you a powerful media playing experience.

Some key features of X Player for Google Drive music playback include:

Ability to browse, search and play music files directly from your Google Drive storage.
Support for common music file formats like MP3, FLAC, WAV, etc.
Powerful audio controls like equalizer, bass boost, gapless playback, etc.

Background play support to keep music running even when app is minimized.
Offline playback for listening to songs without an internet connection.
Chromecast support for wireless streaming to TVs and speakers.

Intuitive and customizable interface for managing large music libraries.

In summary, the seamless Google Drive integration, robust music playback capabilities and user-friendly interface make X Player one of the top choices for anyone looking to play music stored in their Google Drive account.

Pros of Using X Player

X Player stands out from other apps due to its seamless integration with Google Drive for music playback and management. Some key benefits include:

Smooth streaming even with large libraries – X Player can handle libraries with thousands of songs without lag or crashes (ONEXPLAYER 2 Review – Is this the best handheld …). This is better than the default Google Music Player.

Powerful equalizer and audio settings – The app has a 10-band equalizer, bass boost, stereo widening, and other audio tweaks for a customized listening experience. Many alternatives lack these advanced settings.

Background playback – You can minimize the app and keep listening to music like a standalone music player. The Google Drive music player stops when minimized.

Offline playback – X Player lets you save songs offline for playback without an internet connection. This is useful for trips or areas with poor connectivity.

Intuitive interface – It uses a simple, clean design that makes browsing, searching, and managing a music library easy. The interface is more polished than many open source alternatives.

Active development – The app is frequently updated with new features and improvements. Bugs get fixed quickly. This shows the developer’s commitment to support.

Cons of Using X Player

While X Player has many useful features for managing music in Google Drive, there are some limitations to consider. One downside is that X Player lacks advanced audio settings and equalizers compared to dedicated music players like ONEXPLAYER 2. This means you have less control over customizing the audio output.

X Player is also focused just on music playback from Google Drive, while some alternatives like ONEXPLAYER 2 offer additional media formats and sources. For example, ONEXPLAYER 2 can play videos, music from cloud storage like Dropbox, and even from local device storage.

Additionally, X Player has limited playlist creation and management features compared to apps like Spotify. There is no option to share playlists with others or follow playlists created by other users. The playlist functionality is quite basic overall.

Finally, some users report that X Player can be slow to load large music libraries stored in Google Drive. It may not handle collections of over 10,000 songs as well as a dedicated music app. But for more average-sized libraries, X Player performs fine.

Tips for Managing Music in Google Drive

When uploading your music library to Google Drive, it helps to keep a few tips in mind to organize your files and optimize storage:

Pick the right file format – MP3 and M4A files are ideal for music storage. They provide good audio quality while keeping file sizes manageable. Avoid uncompressed formats like WAV or AIFF which take up much more space.

Organize your music into folders – Create a folder structure to group songs by artist, album or genre. This keeps your Drive clean and makes music easier to find.

Add metadata – Include ID3 tags for album, artist, title etc. This allows you to search and sort by metadata later.

Let files sync – Don’t worry about manually uploading every song. Install the Google Drive desktop app and let it quietly sync your music folder in the background.

Use the streaming feature – Check “Available offline” in Drive to play songs directly without downloading the file every time. This saves bandwidth.

Compress folders – Select an entire artist or genre folder and use the “Compress” option to zip it up. This saves space while keeping songs organized.

With the right preparation, Google Drive can be a convenient place to store your personal music library.

Additional Features

X Player offers some great features for playing music stored in your Google Drive, beyond just being able to access and play the files.

One handy feature is the ability to download songs from your Drive for offline listening. This lets you save storage space on your device while still being able to listen to your music collection anytime, even without an internet connection. X Player makes it easy to select which songs to download straight from your Drive music library.

X Player also allows you to easily create playlists from music files stored in Drive, so you can organize your songs and listen to custom mixes. You can save playlists back to Drive as well for access across devices.

For audio quality, X Player has a built-in equalizer and volume boost to let you customize the listening experience. This can be helpful for enhancing the audio from lower quality MP3s stored in Drive.

Lastly, X Player integrates directly with the Google Drive app and files manager. This means you can seamlessly access all your music straight from the Drive app without needing to switch between multiple apps.

Summary

To summarize, while Google Drive does not have an official, built-in music player, there are third party apps available that allow you to play music stored in Google Drive.

The top recommended Google Drive music player app is X Player. X Player integrates seamlessly with Google Drive, allowing you to easily access and play music files stored in your Drive. Key benefits of X Player include:

Streaming and offline playback options
Powerful equalizer and audio settings

Playlist creation and management tools
Background audio playback

X Player provides a robust music playing experience while accessing files stored in your Google Drive account. With X Player installed, Google Drive can serve as a convenient central location to store and listen to your music collection across different devices.

FAQ

What makes X Player better than other Google Drive music players?

X Player stands out from other Google Drive music players in a few key ways:

It allows for offline listening – you can download songs/playlists from your Drive for playback without an internet connection.
The interface is slick and intuitive – finding and organizing your music is easy.

It has Chromecast support – you can cast music to speakers directly from the app.
There are customizable themes and equalizers to enhance your listening experience.

Can I access my Google Drive music if I’m offline?

Yes, one of the best features of X Player is the ability to download songs, albums, or playlists from your Google Drive for offline listening. Just tap the download icon next to any music file or playlist to save it directly on your device. Then you can access your music without an internet connection anytime!