Google Play Music

Google Play Music is the alternative to Spotify that allows us to purchase songs in MP3 format and access an online catalog with millions of songs.

A catalog of over 40 million songs to listen to

If you're not my grandma, you probably know that online music streaming has turned the way we listen to our favorite songs and bands on its head, knocking MP3s off their pedestals and making CDs a thing of the past belong.

With Spotify at the forefront, there are various services that offer millions of songs in their catalogs, accessible with a simple Internet connection: the aforementioned Swede, Apple with Apple Music, Deezer, Pandora, Rdio, Tidal (the audio in Hi- Fi quality offers) and last but not least Google.

What started as Google's music store...

The Google Play Music app started out as a clone of iTunes, i.e. an online music store where you could buy and download any song or entire album in MP3 format. But of course it has evolved into a streaming business model in line with the times in order to offer all users a broad music catalogue.

So, to its music store and file manager functions, we must add the functions to listen to music on the go on Android devices, whether mobile or tablet. All this by simply downloading the APK file. All of this is one of the most important properties:

• Catalog with more than 40 million songs.
• Ability to play music offline without internet connection.
• Fast access to your favorite songs: With Google Play Music you can put your entire music collection online and access it from different devices.
• Easy visualization of your music collection, with the possibility to see the album covers and thumbnails in the lists.
• Sync songs from your personal collection.
• Shuffle function and play songs without gaps, also available offline.
• Automatic creation of mixes with your favorite tracks thanks to the Instant Mixes function.

Google Play Music vs Spotify: Which is better

We knew you'd be asking that question soon... well, to be honest, we prefer Spotify. The price is similar, but the Swedish app has the option to be used for free in trial mode, which Google doesn't. In terms of prices, they are roughly comparable: around 10 euros for a single subscription and 15 euros for a family subscription that supports up to six users at the same time.

Another aspect that speaks in favor of Spotify is the desktop app for the PC, because it offers versions of the player for Windows and Mac (and of course for iPhone and iPad), but Google does not. However, you can open the service through the browser to listen to your MP3 music collection anywhere.

What's new in the latest version

• Application stability has been improved and bugs have been fixed.

Requirements and further information:

• Minimum operating system requirements: Android 4.1.