Can someone with an Android use Apple Music?
In recent years, Apple Music has quickly grown into one of the most popular music streaming services in the world. After launching in 2015, Apple Music now boasts over 90 million subscribers worldwide as of 2022 (Source). With its sleek integration into the Apple ecosystem and expansive music library, Apple Music poses stiff competition to streaming giant Spotify. But what about Android users who don’t have access to Apple devices? Can they still use Apple Music and enjoy the benefits offered to iOS users? Let’s take a closer look at how Android users can access Apple Music and how the experience compares.
Apple Music Overview
Apple Music first launched in June 2015 as Apple’s entry into the music streaming market dominated by services like Spotify and Pandora. The service evolved out of Apple’s previous iTunes Store and iTunes Radio offerings. According to The History of Apple Music: Exploring its Evolution, Apple Music was developed after Apple acquired Beats Music in 2014. Apple retained Beats Music’s key personnel and used their expertise to build Apple Music.
At launch in 2015, Apple Music offered a library of over 30 million songs available on demand, algorithmic radio stations, and celebrity-curated playlists. The service was integrated into Apple devices and available on Android shortly after. Apple Music aimed to differentiate itself through brand prestige, Beats’ reputation, and a focus on human music curation. According to The History of Apple Music, Apple Music gained over 10 million subscribers within the first 6 months, establishing itself as a major player in music streaming.
Apple Music Availability
Apple Music is compatible with a wide range of devices, both Apple and non-Apple products. The streaming service is available on iOS devices like iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touch models running iOS 8.4 or later. It can also be used on Mac and Windows computers through the Apple Music app or iTunes.
In addition to Apple platforms, Apple Music can also be accessed on Android smartphones and tablets. Users can download the Apple Music app from the Google Play store to sign up for and use the service. Apple Music is also available on smart speakers like Amazon Echo, allowing hands-free voice control.
Lastly, Apple Music can be streamed in certain cars through CarPlay integration. So overall, Apple Music offers broad compatibility across Apple devices, Android devices, computers, smart speakers, and vehicles.
Using Apple Music on Android
Apple Music is available as an app for Android devices through the Google Play store. The Apple Music app allows Android users to access the full Apple Music catalog of over 90 million songs, thousands of playlists, music videos, Apple Music Radio, and more. According to Apple’s website, Apple Music for Android comes with “features that music fans know and love” like sharing songs and playlists with friends and offline listening for subscribed members
To get started, Android users simply need to visit the Google Play store on their device and search for “Apple Music” to find the official app. It can be downloaded and installed for free. Users will then need to subscribe to one of Apple Music’s paid plans within the app in order to access the full music catalog. Membership options include the standard Individual plan for $9.99/month, Family plan for $14.99/month, or Student plan for $4.99/month.
Once subscribed, Android users have full access to stream tens of millions of songs, customize playlists, get daily recommendations, and enjoy other key Apple Music features. The Android version is designed to provide a similar user experience to the iOS version. One notable difference is that some Apple Music features that integrate with iOS, like sharing music to Instagram Stories, are not available on Android.
Overall, Android device owners can subscribe to Apple Music and utilize the app’s core functionality like playlists, recommendations, and offline listening. The app experience is optimized for Android, allowing virtually full Apple Music access. As 9to5Mac reports, Apple continues updating the Android app with new features in parallel with iOS.
Signing Up
Despite being an Apple service, Android users can easily sign up for an Apple Music subscription directly within the Apple Music app for Android. After downloading the app from the Google Play Store, simply launch it and tap on the “Start your free trial” button on the home screen.
This will guide you through the sign up process, which involves entering your Apple ID or creating a new one if you don’t already have one. You’ll also need to enter your payment information to start the free 3-month trial. The sign up process is quick and straightforward.
According to How to Join and Manage Apple Music Membership, Android users can enjoy the full Apple Music experience by subscribing directly in the Android app, just like iPhone users.
Downloading Music
Just like with the iOS version, Apple Music on Android allows you to download music for offline listening [1]. This means you can listen to your favorite songs and playlists even without an internet connection. To download music for offline use, simply tap the download button next to any song, album, or playlist. Downloads are saved locally on your device storage.
The amount of music you can download depends on how much storage you have available. Downloads work just like on iOS – you can play downloaded music offline, get notifications when new releases are added to your library, and delete downloads to save space [2]. One difference is that automatic downloads for new music added to your library is not supported on Android.
Key Features
One of the main benefits of Apple Music is the huge catalog of over 90 million songs that Android users can access. Despite not owning an iPhone, Android users still get the full Apple Music library when they subscribe. This gives Android users access to an extensive collection of music, including both mainstream hits and more obscure tracks.
Drawbacks
While Apple Music is available on Android devices, there are some drawbacks compared to using Apple Music on iOS. One key limitation is that certain features like spatial audio and lossless audio quality are restricted on Android devices.
Spatial audio with Dolby Atmos provides an immersive listening experience, but this is only available to iOS users according to Apple’s support page (https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212182). Lossless audio is also limited to 48kHz on Android devices, while iOS users can get up to 192kHz lossless quality (https://www.reddit.com/r/AppleMusic/comments/s5bro2/apple_music_android_limitation/).
This means that Android users will not get the full high-fidelity Apple Music experience offered to iOS users. The sound quality and spatial audio capabilities are reduced. So audiophiles and users wanting the best possible music experience may be disappointed with Apple Music on Android.
Comparison to Spotify
Both Apple Music and Spotify are available for Android devices. However, there are some key differences in features between the two services when used on Android.
One of the biggest advantages of Spotify is that it was designed from the ground up to be cross-platform compatible. As a result, the Spotify experience and feature set is nearly identical on both iOS and Android. With Apple Music, some features like handoff and Siri integration are limited to iOS devices.
Spotify also offers a free ad-supported tier, which allows Android users to try the service without paying. Apple Music requires a paid subscription to use. In terms of library size, Apple Music and Spotify both offer over 70 million songs. However, some users report that Spotify’s algorithms for personalized recommendations and playlists may perform better.
When it comes to audio quality, Apple Music streams songs at up to 256 kbps AAC bitrate, while Spotify uses 320 kbps Ogg Vorbis format. In blind listening tests, most users find it difficult to perceive much difference between these formats and bitrates. Overall, Apple Music may appeal more to users already in the Apple ecosystem, while Spotify offers a more robust cross-platform experience.
[1] https://www.reddit.com/r/Music/comments/v5b4yn/apple_music_vs_spotify_on_android_device/
[2]https://www.soundguys.com/apple-music-vs-spotify-36833/
Conclusion
Apple Music provides a strong and feature-rich experience on Android devices. Users are able to access Apple Music’s extensive library of over 90 million songs, create playlists, download music for offline listening, listen to recommended mixes, and take advantage of many other capabilities through the Android app.
While the core functionality works well, some minor limitations exist compared to using Apple Music on iOS. For example, Android users don’t have access to certain exclusive content, personalized daily playlists, or Apple’s live radio station Beats 1. Automatic downloading of new music added to playlists is also unavailable.
Overall though, Apple Music offers an excellent service on Android that provides a comparable experience to platforms like Spotify. The vast music catalog, social features, and audio quality make it a great option for Android users who want access to Apple’s premium streaming service.