Google Play Music is Google's music streaming service. It has been available since November 2011 and has become one of the leading players in the industry, competing with Spotify and Apple Music. Spotify vs. Apple Music vs. Google Play Music:Which is the best? Spotify vs. Apple Music vs. Google Play Music:Which is the best? While there are a plethora of music streaming services out there, there are three main ones that stand out above the rest:Spotify, Apple Music, and Google Play Music. But which one is better? Read More
If you're thinking of jumping from one of its competitors, we're sure you'll appreciate Google Play Music's impressive range of features.
But what happens when you dig a little deeper? What features lie just below the surface? In this article, we'll introduce you to some cool things you can do with Google Play Music that beginners and veterans alike may not know about.
Recommendations are one of the most important parts of any streaming music service. With the disappearance of high street record stores, music discovery tools 7+ Easy Ways To Discover New Music You'll Love 7+ Easy Ways To Discover New Music You'll Love The depth and breadth of music to be discovered on these days is amazing. The problem is knowing where to look. We're here to help with an amazing list of resources just for you. Read More
Spotify's Discover Weekly has been the gold standard since its launch in 2015, but thanks to an update in 2016, Play Music now has a feature that can rival it.
Instead of just using your previous listening habits and favorite artists to improve your recommendations How to Get Spotify to Recommend Music You'll Enjoy How to Get Spotify to Recommend Music You'll Enjoy In this article, we offer five tips to get Spotify to know you. better. This should help Spotify's algorithms recommend music that best suits your personal tastes. Read More For example, it will know when you're at the gym or at the office and recommend music accordingly.
But did you know you can further refine recommendations? This is a feature that sets Google Play Music apart from Spotify and Apple.
To tell the app which genres of music you enjoy the most, go to Settings> General> Improve your recommendations .
You can check as many boxes as you like. When you're ready, click Next .
Now the app will show you a list of suggested artists of the styles you selected. Again, choose as many as you want and click Finish .
Users of Google Chrome and Gmail will be familiar with the concept of Labs. These are features that Google is working on behind the scenes; sometimes they end up becoming a complete part of the application, other times they are discarded in the trash.
Google Play Music offers some experimental features. To activate them, go to Settings> Labs and slide the switch next to the feature you want to enable. Currently, you have three features to choose from.
Note: All features of the lab are experimental. There is no guarantee that you will get the expected behavior on your own system.
Desktop notifications will give you a pop-up notification on your desktop every time the song changes, even if you've minimized your browser window.
The notification will include the artist name, song title, album title, and album artwork. Google reportedly hopes to add more functionality such as track skipping and a volume slider in future updates.
Google Play Music allows you to upload 50,000 of your own tracks to the app. You can then access and listen to the tracks from anywhere in the world.
Enabling this lab feature places an additional meta-field next to those tracks, allowing you to add custom notes, comments, or genres.
Fireplace Visualizer turns your TV screen into a virtual fireplace when you stream your music through a Google Chromecast device.
Desktop versions of streaming music apps tend to be more comprehensive than web-based versions. Look no further than the recent disastrous Spotify update. Everything is wrong with the new Spotify web player. Everything is wrong with the new Spotify web player. Did you know that Spotify has given its web player a makeover? Well, we say "upgrade", but this feels more like a downgrade. This is why. Read More
Unfortunately, there is no official desktop player for Google Play Music, so Mini Player is the best option.
Finding the installation link is not easy. First of all, start playing any track within the web app. You should then locate the diagonal arrow in the upper right corner of the Now Playing panel at the bottom of the window.
The app will take you to a new screen. Click Install .
Once installed, the mini player gives you a play/pause button, thumbs up/down icons, a skip track button, a way to shuffle and repeat tracks, and a link to the “I feel like it”. luck” radio station.
One of the biggest perks that Google Play Music pays for is a free subscription to YouTube Red. Red offers some cool features. Is YouTube Premium worth the money? 7 things to consider Is YouTube Premium worth the money? 7 things to watch out for YouTube Premium is making headlines and buzz, but is the paid subscription service really worth it? We look at the facts to help you decide. Read More However, one of the best Play Music integrations on YouTube has nothing to do with the paid service.
Did you know you can link to the music video of (almost) any song directly from the Now Playing bar?
Once again, the feature is not immediately apparent. When a track is playing, hover over the Now Playing panel and click the little YouTube logo.
Best of all, clicking the logo doesn't kick you out of the Play Music app. The video will appear as a separate element in the center of the screen. Clicking anywhere else on the screen will close it and return to your tunes.
Shazam Has Been The Go-to Music Recognition Tool 5 Android Music Recognition Apps Compared:Which Is The Best Song Right? 5 Android Music Recognition Apps Compared:Which Is The Best Song? We tested five music identification apps so you don't have to. What came out on top? Read More
To identify any song, turn on the app and tap the search icon. The first entry you see will be Identify what you are playing . Tap it and your phone will start trying to recognize what's playing in your immediate vicinity.
If you're on Android, you don't even need to open the Play Music app. You can create a home screen widget for the feature by going to Widgets> Google> Google Sound Search .
Note: This feature is only available in the mobile version of the app.
Who needs a mouse? They are in 1992. Manufacturers don't realize that everyone wants touchscreen laptops. The Evolution of Touchscreen Technology The Evolution of Touchscreen Technology In the technology space, time moves quickly; Just over seven years ago, smartphones as we know them did not exist, now they are the most profitable technology industry on Earth. Read more these days?
Okay, that's not entirely true. But using a mouse is slow and cumbersome compared to learning some vital keyboard shortcuts.
Want to supercharge your Google Play Music desktop experience? Learn these eight essential keyboard hacks:
Sometimes your music streaming app knows too much about you. We've all read stories about Spotify users constantly getting songs from one of the service's weirdest and most wonderful genres 20 Obscure Music Genres You Should Be Listening To On Spotify 20 Obscure Music Genres You Should Be Listening To On Spotify Join us as we browse some of the genres weirdest and most wonderful musicals on Spotify. There is a chance that you have not heard of any of them before. Read More by appearing on your Discover Weekly or Release Radar playlists.
Unlike Spotify, Google Play Music offers a way to prevent this from happening:you can force the app to delete everything it knows about your music preferences and tastes and just start over.
To start over, go to Settings>Delete recommendation history and click Delete .
Click Delete Second time on the confirmation screen to complete the process.
Note: Using this feature will not remove the number of plays or song ratings.
In this article, we introduce you to some lesser-known features of Google Play Music. Hopefully, they will help you enjoy the service even more.
Of course, there are even more tips and tricks out there. So now it's your turn. What cool features did we miss? What should all Play Music subscribers do to get the best value for money from the streaming service?
As always, you can leave your recommendations and suggestions in the comments below..
