Music played a key role in the development of the modern smartphone. How many iPod owners migrated to the iPhone after it launched because they could transfer their decade's worth of iTunes songs? Likewise, millions of people now choose Android products as their mobile devices, and they have plenty of great options for listening to tunes. Whether it's curating the perfect playlist, putting your faith in the streaming algorithm, or catching up on a podcast, your Android phone can serve all your on-the-go audio needs.
Our best music streaming services picks all offer Android apps. Though the apps may be free to download, sometimes listening to everything available in them is not. Some apps are free, but force you to listen to ads. Other apps lock offline playback, improved Hi-Res Audio sound quality, and other premium features behind a subscription paywall. Some apps have no free tier whatsoever. Below, we help you learn a little more about each Android music app before you hit play.
LiveXLive
If the new LiveXLive seems a little familiar to veteran music streaming fans, that’s because the app is built off of the old Slacker Radio, a great music streaming service in its day. Fortunately, LiveXLive continues the legacy. Curated channels, smart DJ hosts, and an overall slick design make this one of our top choices for music streaming services.
SiriusXM
SiriusXM may not offer the highest audio quality compared with its music-focused rivals, but the service still packs a massive catalog of tunes. As a top-tier satellite radio service, SiriusXM also includes many live shows that feature comedy, sports, or whatever Howard Stern feels like talking about.
Spotify
Not since iTunes has a service upended music consumption more than Spotify. Subscribing to an entire library of music to enjoy as you see fit, as opposed to buying individual tracks, became the norm overnight. Even with other streaming services offering their own unique features, Spotify remains a top choice thanks to its collaborative playlists, exclusive podcasts, and capable free tier.
Tidal
Tidal truly cares about music. That makes sense considering its main creative force, hip-hop superstar Jay-Z, pitched the app as a better way for musicians to put out high-quality audio and earn high-quality royalties. The Hi-Res Audio sound quality doesn’t disappoint, and neither do supplemental features, such as themed playlists and written editorial pieces. Just be prepared to pay.
Amazon Music Unlimited
Many people want to enjoy music alongside other parts of their everyday life. Integrating a music streaming service with other commonly used household tech makes that much easier. Amazon Music Unlimited is a perfectly capable music streaming service, a better one if you opt for the Hi-Res Audio tier. But it’s even more appealing to Amazon hardware owners who can ask Alexa to be their personal DJ. Considering how these devices already use Android as a base, they play nice with the Android app. Prime accounts already come bundled with Amazon Prime Music, but that service only has 2 million songs compared to Amazon Music Unlimited’s 60 million.
Deezer
Deezer doesn’t do much that’s truly new, but it pulls off the music streaming fundamentals extremely well. The free mobile app is excellent. You can enjoy plenty of live radio, music with lyrics, videos, podcasts, and original content. We do wish that the Android app let you upload MP3s files like you can on desktop.
Qobuz
If you’re an audiophile worried that music streaming degrades sound quality, Qobuz should put you at ease. Listening to tunes on this service sounds better than listening to them on a CD thanks to Hi-Res Audio. You can also purchase downloads for something a little more permanent. The well-designed Android app is as easy on the eyes as the songs are on the ears.
YouTube Music
Your music experience on YouTube can be more than just going to the website and putting music videos on loop. YouTube Music replaces the old Google Play Music as the one true, music app for the company that also happens to make Android. Depending on your thoughts on the company, playlists that change based on tracking your location and time may be more creepy than cool. Still, everyone can enjoy the free version, excellent lyric-based search options, collaborative playlists, and the ability to switch between audio and video at will.
Apple Music
As strange as it is to download an Apple product for your Android device, Apple really did go and make an Apple Music app for phones that aren’t the iPhone. Music brings enemies together like that. Divorced from its own ecosystem, Apple Music’s flaws (minimal features, no free version) stand out more. But its strengths, from its large library to its family plan to its human-curated Beats 1 radio station, remain.
Idagio
Idagio's sophisticated song selection should satisfy classical music fans. But just because the tunes are old doesn't mean listeners can't enjoy modern features like great sound quality, effective search tools, and offline downloads for the mobile player.
iHeartRadio
As the name suggests, iHeartRadio aims to be a radio service rather than a general music streaming service. That said, if you do heart radio, you can enjoy free live streams, curated artists' streams, music news, and information on music events happening near you right from your Android device.
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