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 favorite music streaming services 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, hi-res audio, and other premium features behind a subscription-based 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.
Best for Live Satellite Radio
SiriusXM
Why We Picked It
When it comes to radio services, SiriusXM is unrivaled. It is home to excellent live shows across numerous genres, including comedy, sports, news, and whatever Howard Stern is up to these days. SiriusXM also offers unique features to make listening more accessible, including a beefy one-hour buffer that lets you rewind streams and unlimited skips for certain talk channels. It also has a massive music catalog that features channels based on decade or genre.
Who It's For
Radio will always have a place within the die-hard music-listening community, and SiriusXM is the best service you can subscribe to for live internet radio. There are other freemium radio contenders out there, but SiriusXM’s exclusive, top-tier broadcasts put it ahead of the curve.
Best for Apple Fans
Apple Music (for iPhone)
Why We Picked It
It may seem strange to install an Apple app onto your Android device, but don’t sweat the details: Apple Music is an impressively robust music player that works brilliantly on the platform. It offers more than 100 million songs, a curated Apple Music 1 and algorithmic Discovery Station, video content, and a 24/7 music video channel. You even get lossless audio and Dolby Atmos support. It also inherits iTunes' robust library management features
Who It's For
If you long for the olden iPod days, check out Apple Music. Create your personalized music archive and organize it with folders and Smart Playlists. You can also upload and integrate local music files, which sync with your streaming library and all your Apple devices via iCloud.
Best for Podcasts
Spotify
Why We Picked It
Spotify is a streaming music behemoth that sits at the top of the mountain despite fierce competition from other services. Quite simply, its 100-million-song music catalog, collaborative playlists, speeches, radio dramas, audiobooks, poetry readings, and podcasts are too attractive to overlook.
Who It's For
Although you can’t go wrong with any of Spotify’s musical content, its non-music extras truly elevate the service. Spotify is the unofficial home of podcasts, as it features more than four million shows, including The Bill Simmons Show and Hideo Kojima's Brain Structure.
Best Audio Quality
Tidal
Why We Picked It
Tidal’s greatest strength lies in its excellent music audio quality. Tidal's HiRes FLAC can deliver audio at up to 24-bit, 192 kHz, and its streamlined subscription model does away with the confusing quality tiers and consolidates everything you love about the service into a single, Individual plan. Tidal rounds out its package with themed playlists and excellent, music-focused editorials.
Who It's For
Audiophiles. If you’re serious about music, and have the listening equipment to leverage the company's hi-res audio streams, Tidal should be your first choice.
Best for Amazon Devices Owners
Why We Picked It
Amazon is a virtually inescapable e-commerce company, so it should surprise no one that its musical offerings are feature-dense and highly popular. With a catalog that has more than 100 million songs, excellent podcasts, and convenient Amazon device compatibility, Amazon Music Unlimited is an ear-worthy player in the streaming music industry.
Who It's For
This service is ideal for Amazon subscribers and device enthusiasts. You get a slight discount on Music Unlimited when subscribed to Prime, and Amazon’s devices provide excellent additional functionality (such as voice commands). Nothing quite tops turning Alexa into your personal DJ.
Best for Curated Channels
LiveXLive (for Android)
Why We Picked It
LiveOne has endured several rebrands (it was formerly known as Slacker Radio and LiveXLive) but remains a top-tier music player. It features a rich library of 30 million songs, more than 600 curated listening channels, and 300 podcasts (including Court Junkie and True Crime All The Time Unsolved). In a nice touch, LiveOne also features live performances throughout the year that you can order via Pay Per View, which is a relatively unique feature among streaming music services.
Who It's For
People who want a curated musical experience will get the most out of LiveOne. With its excellent Slacker Radio framework in place, LiveOne stands out from the pack with smart DJs and innumerable curated music channels, including Sample City (a hosted series that highlights the musical snippets that have built popular, contemporary songs).
Best for Music Videos
YouTube Music
Why We Picked It
YouTube is known for its video, and the brand's music division leverages that library. YouTube Music distinguishes itself from other streaming music services with community uploads and the cool ability to jump to a song's music video without losing a step. In fact, YouTube Music has added a new Samples tab for snappy vertical video recommendations. Live lyrics round out the package.
Who It's For
As Google's premier streaming music service, YouTube Music is an easy and robust listening choice for Android users. As a bonus, It comes bundled with a YouTube Premium subscription.
Best for MP3 Uploads
Why We Picked It
While not revolutionary, Deezer has a few tricks up its sleeve that set it apart from other streaming services. Deezer blends traditional streaming music, live radio, podcasts, and exclusive video content. It also lets you upload your own MP3s from your PC.
Who It's For
Use Deezer if you have lots of audio files you want to upload and listen to via a single handy streaming service. Adding your own music or podcasts ensures that you have plenty of supplemental listening to complement your favorite Deezer tunes.
Best for High-Resolution Music Downloads
Qobuz
Why We Picked It
Qobuz not only delivers excellent quality audio, but it also lets you buy and keep your favorite high-quality tracks. It has a catalog of more than 100 million tracks, all available in lossless FLAC (with select releases available in hi-res audio).
Who It's For
High-quality audio streams are commonplace, but hi-res downloads are decidedly less so. Qobuz is the streaming service to beat when it comes to purchasing and owning hi-res audio, which makes this slick Android music app an enticing choice.
Best for Live Terrestrial Radio
iHeartRadio
Why We Picked It
As the name suggests, iHeart Radio focuses on radio services rather than general music streaming. Nonetheless, if you do in fact heart radio, you can enjoy a robust selection of live streams, curated artist streams, and music news for free. Premium subscriptions give you unlimited skips, offline listening, and on-demand listening.
Who It's For
People who want simple radio listening options will be delighted by iHeart Radio’s offerings. The service lets you explore local radio, radio from across the country, and even curated listening, without the need for a monthly or annual subscription. Just create an account and tune in.