Updated September 2026 · both apps now carry their own dated listing figures, and two lines on this page were corrected by the listings
A lot of people assume Apple Music only really works if you live inside an iPhone and a Mac, so they are surprised to find the Android app rated 4.6 stars from 748,810 reviews on its own Play listing, read 5 September 2026. Here is the honest version of what the Android app does well, and where it still trips over its Apple roots.
Setup is refreshingly quick. Search for Apple Music in the Google Play Store, install it, and sign in with an Apple Account. If you have never had one, you can create it right inside the app, and you do not need any Apple hardware to do it. New users get a free trial, and after that the individual, family, and student plans are sold as in-app purchases, which the listing, read 5 September 2026, prices at $5.99 to $199.99 per item. You can pay through the app, or manage billing from a browser if you prefer.
The first time you open it, Apple Music asks you to tap a few genres and artists you like. It is easy to skip, but it sharpens your recommendations, so it is worth thirty seconds. Once you are in, head straight to Settings and check the audio quality options. You can set streaming and downloads independently, and you can switch on Lossless or even Hi-Res Lossless if your headphones and a compatible DAC can handle it.
Lossless audio and synced lyrics on a paid plan
4.6 stars from 748,810 reviews · 100,000,000+ installs · free to install · in-app purchases $5.99 to $199.99 per item · last updated 18 August 2026 · by Apple · Contains ads: No · checked 5 September 2026
Google Play listing · 4.6 (748,810) · read 5 September 2026
The better rated app on this page at 4.6 stars from 748,810 reviews, on 100,000,000+ installs, read 5 September 2026. It is free to install and carries no Contains ads label, but there is no free tier to listen on: every plan is an in-app purchase, which the listing prices at $5.99 to $199.99 per item. Its data safety card says no data shared with third parties, that the app may collect some data types, and that data is encrypted in transit.
The first thing to say is how complete the Android app feels. This is not a stripped down port. You get the full catalog, the curated playlists, and the editorial radio stations including Apple Music 1. The Listen Now tab learns your taste from what you play and rate, and builds daily mixes from it. Search is quick, and tapping any track plays it instantly with no shuffle restriction, since there is no ad supported free tier to nudge you toward.
Two things stand out. The first is audio quality. Lossless streaming is included at no extra cost, and it takes wired headphones to hear it, since Bluetooth cannot carry a lossless stream. The second is the lyrics view. Time synced lyrics scroll line by line as the song plays, and you can tap a line to jump straight to that moment, which is wonderful for learning the words. If you love that feature, it pairs well with our roundup of apps that sync lyrics on screen.
A few small habits make Apple Music much nicer on a phone. Long press any album or playlist and choose Download so it is ready offline before you head out. Add the home screen widget by long pressing your wallpaper, picking Widgets, and dragging the Apple Music one into place, so you can skip tracks without unlocking the phone. It supports Android Auto too, with large in car controls built for a glance rather than a stare.
If you are arriving from an iPhone, your entire library, playlists, and likes sync across automatically the moment you sign in. Use the Love and Suggest Less buttons too, because the more honestly you rate songs the sharper the recommendations get. One last tip, turn on Crossfade in Settings if you like your playlists to flow without gaps between tracks. It is off by default and easy to miss.
Apple Music is sensible about Android permissions. It asks for storage so your downloads can live on the device, notifications so playback controls show on your lock screen, and optionally Bluetooth and nearby device access only when you connect to a speaker or car. There is no demand for contacts or location just to play music. You can decline anything optional and the core player still works fine. Its Play data safety card, read 5 September 2026, says no data shared with third parties, that the app may collect some data types, that data is encrypted in transit, and that you can request deletion.
The rough edges are mostly about Apple being a guest on Android. Big updates occasionally land later here than on iOS. There is no free ad supported tier, so it is subscription or nothing once the trial ends; the listing, read 5 September 2026, carries no Contains ads label and sells every plan as an in-app purchase. The design clearly follows Apple's own style rather than Material You, so it never quite matches the rest of Android. None of these are dealbreakers, but they are worth knowing.
The obvious rival is Spotify, and the choice really comes down to what you value. Apple Music wins on included lossless audio and on those gorgeous synced lyrics, and it is the natural pick if you own an iPad or Mac alongside your Android phone, since everything stays in step. Spotify counters with a free, ad supported tier (its listing, read 5 September 2026, carries the Contains ads label), a slicker recommendation engine for some people, and broader podcast features. The Spotify Premium guide breaks that side down if you are torn between the two.
Switch to Apple Music if you want high quality streaming without paying extra for it, if lyrics matter to you, or if your devices are split across Apple and Android and you are tired of two separate libraries. To weigh it against every major streaming and local player option, start with our best music player apps for Android pillar, then browse the wider Music and Audio hub for podcast, equalizer, and recorder picks. For a lot of listeners, Apple Music on Android is an easy recommendation: 4.6 stars from 748,810 reviews on its own listing, read 5 September 2026, with no Contains ads label and lossless included.
A free, ad supported tier and podcasts
4.3 stars from 36,245,380 reviews · 1,000,000,000+ installs · free to install · in-app purchases $6.99 to $203.88 per item · last updated 2 September 2026 · by Spotify AB · Contains ads: Yes · checked 5 September 2026
Google Play listing · 4.3 (36,245,380) · read 5 September 2026
The obvious alternative, and the one with a way in that costs nothing: its listing, read 5 September 2026, is free to install on 1,000,000,000+ installs, carries the Contains ads label, and sells Premium as in-app purchases of $6.99 to $203.88 per item. It sits at 4.3 stars from 36,245,380 reviews, below Apple Music, and its data safety card says the app may share data types with third parties, where Apple Music's says none is shared.
Yes. Its own Play listing, read 5 September 2026, sits at 4.6 stars from 748,810 reviews on 100,000,000+ installs. The Android app gives you the full catalog, curated playlists, lossless audio, and synced lyrics, with quick search and instant on demand play.
No. You only need a free Apple Account, which you can create right inside the app on your Android phone. No iPhone, iPad, or Mac is required. If you do own other Apple devices, your library and playlists sync across all of them automatically once you sign in with the same account.
There is no permanent free, ad supported tier the way Spotify has one. New users get a free trial period, and after that you choose a paid plan. The upside is that with no free tier there are no ads and no shuffle only limits, so every track plays on demand from the start. The listing, read 5 September 2026, carries no Contains ads label and prices its plans as in-app purchases of $5.99 to $199.99 per item.
It asks for storage so downloads can save to your device, notifications for lock screen playback controls, and optionally Bluetooth or nearby device access when you connect to a speaker or car system. It does not need contacts or location just to play music, and you can decline the optional prompts and still use the app fully.
Apple Music has the higher rating, 4.6 stars from 748,810 reviews against 4.3 stars from 36,245,380 for Spotify, both read 5 September 2026, and no Contains ads label where Spotify carries one. Spotify has the free tier and the bigger install base at 1,000,000,000+ installs. Both sell their paid plans as in-app purchases: $5.99 to $199.99 per item for Apple Music and $6.99 to $203.88 per item for Spotify.
Checked 5 September 2026: the page named Apple Music and Spotify, linked neither, and carried no rating, no ads label, no in-app purchase band, no table and no dated line. Both now carry fact lines read today, in a table and in their own cards, and the setup step links the Play listing directly. Two lines were corrected by the listings: the plans cost the same as they do on iPhone is withdrawn because the Play listing publishes only an in-app purchase band, $5.99 to $199.99 per item; and Spotify's free tier now carries the Contains ads label its listing shows. The catalogue size stands: the listing's own description, read 6 September 2026, says "Get unlimited access to over 100 million songs", and it also names lossless audio up to 24-bit/192 kHz. Claims about our own use are withdrawn and replaced with listing facts: when we tell them the Android app is one of the most polished streaming apps on the Play Store; We almost skipped this; took us about four minutes; What surprised us most; after a week our daily mixes were genuinely good company on the commute; Two things stood out in daily use; through good wired headphones the difference is real; made Apple Music much nicer on our phones; were easy to glance at without taking our eyes off the road; We also lean on; The app can feel a touch heavier and slower to open than some rivals; We also miss a proper home screen experience; We break that side down in our; one of the easiest recommendations we made in 2026. The FAQ question Do I need an Apple device now reads Do you need, and a fifth question compares the two listings side by side.