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Getting Started with Google Play Music for the iPhone

Google Play Music is a superior alternative to Spotify or Apple Music. This article covers how to get started with Google Play Music for the iPhone.

Music subscription services offer an all-you-can-listen-to sonic buffet for a low monthly subscription fee. If you're a music fan, music subscription services will save you money and provide access to virtually every album ever made.

Not all music subscription services are created equal. Although Spotify and Apple Music steal the limelight, they pale in comparison to Google Play Music. Google's music subscription service is robust and offers 5 million more songs than its competitors. I am constantly impressed by the rare, hard-to-find albums that are available on Google Play Music. I'm discovering new artists every day, and I once thought I had heard it all!

If you own an iPhone, Google's ecosystem is a compelling option. A lot of iPhone users tend to stick with Apple for virtually everything. Let's face it, Apple may make great devices, but their apps and services leave a lot to be desired. Few would argue that Apple Maps is superior to Google Maps. The same holds true for music subscription services. With Google's expertise at dealing with large data sets and rock solid data center operations, Google Play Music is reliable and comprehensive. Let's take a look at how to get started with Google Play Music for the iPhone.

Sign up for the Free Trial

Before you install the Google Play Music app on your iPhone, it's a good idea to sign up for the free trial. Like Spotify, Google Play Music thwarts Apple's in-app purchasing. After all, they don't want Apple to take a 30% cut of monthly subscription fees, just for hosting an app download. This makes it slightly less convenient to sign up, but with automatic payments, this isn't an ongoing hassle.

If you don't already have a Google account (such as a Gmail account) you will need to create one first. This will keep Google Play Music in sync across all of your devices. In addition to using the service on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, it works on Android and any computer with a web browser. You can create a Google account by going to www.google.com and clicking on "sign in" on the top right.

Click Sign in to Create New Google Account

Next, click on "Create account" just below the login box.

Create New Google Account

Follow the on-screen instructions to create your Google account.

Now that you have a Google account, you can sign up for the Google Play Music free trial. Although the 30-day trial is free, you will need a credit card to sign up. Don't worry, canceling is easy, but I recommend adding a calendar event or Reminder so you don't forget. That said, you'll probably be impressed with Google Play Music and continue your subscription.

Go to the Google Play Music website to sign up for the free trial. Just about any web browser will work. Scroll down and click on the "SIGN IN" button. Follow the on-screen instructions to start the free trial.

Sign up for Google Play Music Free Trial

Install the Google Play Music App

Installing the Google Play Music app is a simple and straight-forward process. First, launch the App Store and search for Google Play Music. (Notice that Google Play Music has very high app ratings.) Next, install the app. Once it has finished installing, tap Open to launch the app. Use your Google account to log in to Google Play Music.

You will be guided through a short set up process. Google Play Music will determine what kind of music you like, in order to offer better recommendations, playlists and radio stations. Don't worry too much about the initial set up process. You can always find whatever music you're interested in by searching. Google Play Music will continue to learn what you like and offer better recommendations.

Getting Started with Google Play Music

Now that you've finished the initial setup process, you can start using Google Play Music. The user interface is similar to other music subscription services, such as Spotify. When you start Google Play Music, you will either resume from where you left off or start on the Listen Now screen. As long as you don't close Google Play Music, your session will resume from where you left off.

Google Play Music Listen Now Screen

The Listen Now screen offers activity-based playlist categories, a list of recent activity and recommendations. The activity-based playlists categories constantly change and offer music for specific days, times and activities that may take place. For example, on a Saturday night, you may be offered playlists for a party. These are top-level categories and not playlists. Tapping on a category will display different possibilities which lead to different playlists. There's so many options just for one activity. (continue…)

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