Google’s YouTube-based music streaming service could be only a few months away

Even though Google Play Music and YouTube Red are far less popular than the search giant had probably hoped, a combo service of sorts is coming.

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Android games, apps, movies and books feature on Google’s list of Play Store Black Friday deals

You can get a number of "premium" Android games at up to 80 percent off from Google Play, as well as free Play Music and heavily discounted books.

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YouTube Red and Google Play Music officially eyed for ‘combination’ into one streaming ‘offering’

Confused about the differences between Google's YouTube Red and Play Music streaming services and their selling points? That's likely to change soon.

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Newbies can now enjoy four full months of Google Play Music premium service free of charge

You absolutely cannot beat the affordability of Google Play Music, with the "premium" audio streaming service yet again going free for 120 days.

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Starting with the Galaxy S8, Google Play Music is the only such service pre-loaded on Samsung devices

Google Play Music is the only audio player and music streaming service users of Samsung phones and tablets need starting with the Galaxy S8 today.

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All-new Google Play Music app rethinks the home screen, using machine learning to constantly transform

Industry leader Spotify recently went live in a very important music market, reportedly considering a key acquisition as well, rising challenger Apple Music may soon cut prices to improve competitiveness, promising rookie Amazon Music Unlimited just eliminated its US exclusivity, and now, Google Play Music gets its biggest overhaul yet.

Presumably incapable of contending Apple on exclusive content, and unwilling to race Amazon to the bottom as far as subscription fees go, the Mountain View-based search giant has wisely decided to infuse some machine learning “magic” into its cross-platform audio streaming service.

Starting this week on Android, iOS and the web in 62 countries around the world, Google Play Music has a brand new home screen look, aiming to be your “ultimate personal DJ” by listening “not only to what you like, but also when you like it, so the music that you care about now is always at the top of your screen.”

Sounds a little… invasive, and it probably is, but if you can live with yet another app permanently aware of what you do, when and where, a lot of the hassle of seeking the right tune for a specific mood, place, environment, date or time will vanish.

For instance, the updated Google Play Music app should automatically put together a relaxing playlist for after-work listening, something more alive as you walk into the gym, concentration boosters at the library, and so on. Of course, “your experience will keep evolving (and improving)” as Google’s learning bots “get to know you better”, which is both cool and creepy.

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Google Play Music comes to India, but without All Access subscriptions for now

Global music streaming competition is tightening up (not that it’s very loose at the moment), with a public Spotify beta live on Japanese shores as of today, and a similarly limited launch in India for Google Play Music.The Mountain View search giant’s Apple Music contender is technically already available across the South Asian nation as far as both Android and iOS users are concerned, but only for individual track and ...

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Google Play Family Library lets you share media with up to six people

Google’s moving beyond the music sphere and, perhaps, outdoing Apple in letting you share all sorts of media with your family and friends.The Google Play Family Library plan will let up to six people use a single Google Play Store account and have access to apps, books, music and videos bought on the account. Account holders will need to keep a credit card on the Family Library account for ...

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TripAdvisor’s free new Android app also comes with gratis 2-month Play Music pass

Google Play Music is probably not the world’s most popular online audio streaming service, and somehow, it doesn’t feel like a solid contender for second or third place either. But when it comes to bundle deals and free trials of its premium All Access subscription tier, the Android, iOS and Windows-compatible app often towers ...

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Google finally flips the switch on Google Play Music podcasts

Back in October, just weeks after the latest Nexus phones debuted, Google had another big announcement to make, as it revealed that podcasts (like our own Pocketnow Weekly) would soon be getting an official home within Google Play Music. Well, maybe “soon” wasn’t the right word, because while Google announced the coming feature, and invited content creators to apply to have their own podcasts included, it didn’t offer a start ...

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Microsoft acquires Groove Music, Canadian app similar to Songza

Consider this the answer to Google’s acquisition of Songza. This one’s a little more tricky, though, if only in name.Canadian-made iOS music app Groove is now under Microsoft’s belt. It’s not related to the latter’s streaming media service (formerly called Xbox Music and Zune Music) nor the Microsoft Office shared ...

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Google Play Music podcast support has started going live

Android offers users no shortage of ways to consume podcasts, with plenty of apps ready to connect listeners with their favorite content. But for as many options as were out there, the platform’s been missing an official central repository for podcast distribution. Last fall we saw Google begin to address this oversight, announcing plans to finally bring podcasts to Google Play Music. The company announced ...

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January 31 marks end of OneDrive and BLU promos, Songza

We’re close to, but have not quite reached January 31st, 2016. And that date, while it marks the last day of the first month for the year, also signals that the end is imminent. The end is by us for some major benies from the old guard, a fresh face and the termination of a startup gone Google.We start with Microsoft’s OneDrive — and like most cloud storage clients, it offers some free space for new users before charging them for more storage. OneDrive has been offering 15GB of base storage with an extra 15GB for those who activate the Camera Roll feature for backing up ...

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