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Sonos now works with YouTube Music
If you've been looking for an easier way to play weird covers of "7 Rings" through your Sonos speakers, today's your lucky day -- YouTube Music subscribers can now stream tunes directly through the Sonos app. You'll find your saved music in your library, and you can browse playlists, albums, songs and artist radio stations. There are also sections for recommendations, new releases and YouTube charts.
YouTube Music is about to get a lot better
YouTube Music launched in May to mixed reviews. Even though its song catalog matches Apple Music and Spotify's (in addition to millions of videos pulled from YouTube) it arrived missing some essential features. Something as simple as sorting out your saved albums alphabetically, for example, isn't an option. You also can't browse by genre or easily see new albums from the week. But Google, which will replace Play Music with YouTube Music, is aware of these shortcomings and plans to address them soon.
Google Play Music and YouTube Red to merge into single service
YouTube Red and Google Play Music will eventually merge to create a new service. The move comes after months of speculation following Google's decision back in February to combine its YouTube and Play Music teams. According to The Verge, YouTube Music head Lyor Cohen said the company wanted to merge the services to help "educate consumers and bring in new subscribers". Google's complicated music offering currently spans three different apps. YouTube Music is a free app open to everyone but offers an enhanced experience if you're also signed up to YouTube Red, which gets rid of adverts on videos and lets you save them offline. People who sign up for YouTube Red also get access to Google Play Music, which is basically Google's version of Spotify. At the same time, people who sign up for Play Music will also get YouTube Red's benefits -- if you sign up for one, you get the other free.
Apple CarPlay now supports Google Play Music
If for some reason you're an iOS and CarPlay user that also manages your tunes with Google Play Music, you're in luck. Google's music service is now compatible with Apple's in-car system, which means you can control things from the safety of your car's display rather than fiddle with your iPhone while on the road.
Listen to tunes in Google Play Music's search results
If you use Google Play Music on the road, we have good news: you can listen to the latest summer jams faster than ever. In a mirror of an update to the web player from several months back, the streaming service revamped search results field in its Android and iOS apps, centering around "play" buttons for every result it finds. So long as you find what you're looking for, you can start playback the moment you've finished typing instead of visiting a dedicated search results page. Just be aware that it starts a radio station when you hit that button for a song -- you may not enjoy this feature so much if you only wanted to listen to one cut.
Google's first original podcast is 'City Soundtracks'
Spotify isn't the only one experimenting with original podcasts. Today, Google is announcing its first exclusive series for Play Music users called City Soundtracks. The concept is similar to the BBC's Desert Island Discs, focusing on individual artists and the people, places and moments that have influenced their lives. The chatter will be punctuated with tracks, picked by the guest, which reflect their hometown and the stories they've chosen to tell. It'll be hosted by Hrishikesh Hirway, the voice behind music podcast Song Exploder and the self-explanatory West Wing Weekly.
Google Play Music gets prettier and more intelligent
It's long overdue but Google Play Music is getting a makeover. The search giant confirmed today that it is in the process of updating its Android, iOS and Web offerings with bright new UI that relies on machine learning to deliver what's relevant to you. Its AI-like algorithms will identify where you are and what you're doing, also factoring in things like the weather, to serve up playlists and track recommendations that you didn't know you wanted but capture your mood at the time.
Google offers four free months of Play Music for July 4th
Google Play Music is a competent streaming service, but it's always sat in the shadow of larger, more aggressive competitors such as Spotify, Tidal and Apple Music. Google has tried everything to make it more popular -- the occasional exclusive, free trials with Chromecast devices -- heck, it's even free with YouTube Red now. To celebrate July 4th in the US, the company has a new deal -- four months of free music streaming, no questions asked. Or rather, almost no questions asked. As MacRumors notes, you'll need to be in the US and a first-time Play Music listener.
Podcasts are showing up in Google Play Music for some users
Yesterday, HBO's Bill Simmons tipped the arrival of podcasts in Google Play Music this month, and the launch appears to be close at hand. In fact, Android Police reports that podcasts are showing up inside the app for a few users. Google revealed its plans to bring the episodic audio content to its app back in October, but there was no word on a launch date or how they would work with the existing software. Thanks to an apparent server issue during the test phase, we now have a pretty good idea of what to expect.
Google's group payments let anyone in your family buy apps
Yesterday, Google launched a Play Music plan that lets up to six family members listen to music for $15 a month. But it also quietly unveiled another interesting feature: Family groups and payments. You first set up a family group by inviting your kin or friends, then add a family payment method that's separate from your personal payments. From there, any member of the group can buy content without your say-so, though you will get an email confirmation for each purchase.
Google is shutting down Songza's music service on January 31st
It's been more than a year since Google bought Songza and started integrating its mood-savvy streaming into Play Music. And now, it seems, it's time for the service to ride into the sunset -- Songza has announced that it's shutting down all of its offerings on January 31st, 2016. From then on, you'll have to use Google Play Music to get those familiar features. You'll get to import your playlists and listening history before the fateful day, but there's otherwise no going back.
Engadget Daily: a real-life hoverboard, a TV show for Vine celebrities, and more!
Yes, it's true: Our own Sean Buckley rode a real-life hoverboard. But that's not all we have for you on this fine day -- read on for the rest of our news highlights from the last 24 hours, including the Avi-on Bluetooth light switch, an app that solves math problems, and more.
Google's redesigned Play Music app offers stations that suit your mood
You know how there were hints that Google Play Music was about to get a Material Design makeover? As it turns out, that's just a small piece of what's in store. Google has updated its Play Music Android, iOS and web apps with a new Listen Now page that focuses on context-aware music stations from the company's recent acquisition, Songza. Provided you're an All Access subscriber, you'll get to stream curated playlists that fit the time of day and your likely activities -- you may get relaxing playlists to take the edge off your commute home, or uptempo tracks for morning exercise. The page also improves discovery with cards that suggest both new releases and stations based on what you like. Google's redesign should be available today in all 45 Play Music countries, so have at it if you're an avid listener.
Google celebrates Chromecast's birthday with free All Access pass
It's hard to believe that it's been a year since Google's streaming dongle arrived on the backs of TVs, bringing easy streaming chops to the masses. As a proper celebration, the folks in Mountain View are thanking both current and new Chromecasters with three free months of Google Play Music All Access -- starting today through September 30th. The company has been keen on adding new features to the accessory regularly, and in the festive announcement teased the ability to beam content while away from your WiFi and customizable homescreens as upcoming additions. Heck, with that bit of subscription savings, you'll almost have enough for a second unit.
Google Play Music for Chrome delivers browser uploads, finally
Google has finally enabled uploading tracks to its Play Music service through a browser, but for now, you'll need to flip the switch yourself. In the Labs section of the menu, there's an option for Google Play Music for Chrome. Ticking the appropriate box will allow for both drag-and-drop and manual song additions without the need to use that less than stellar Music Manger. Clicking the "Add Music" button at the top of the UI will also give you the option to choose folders that you'd like synced automatically. There's also a mini player that can be accessed by clicking the arrow at the bottom right of the web app and the ability to download songs, albums and playlists directly from the web has been tacked on, too. All of the new features are powered by Google's Chrome Apps and Native Client tech. What's more, the folks in Mountain View have also added Info Cards to Movies and TV shows for added details on the actors in a particular scene. Of course, the selection you're watching has to enable the feature for it to be available when you press pause on a mobile device. We've included a handy GIF after the break for a quick look at how it works.
Google Play Movies and Music All Access hit more countries around the world
Sounds like Google's been busy cutting international licensing deals, because the company's just expanded its Play Movies and Music services to a huge bunch of countries. Between the two, the latter touts the longer list, as the Play Movies & TV Android app has been updated to work in 37 new locations across the globe. These include the Netherlands, Venezuela and Rwanda, as you can see in the roster (that Android Police spotted on Google Play's support page) posted after the break. While residents in all these countries can watch movies they've bought or rented from Google, TV shows are still only limited to people living in the US, the UK, Australia and Japan.
Google simplifies sharing and adds microSD storage to Play Music on Android
Fresh off its world tour, Google Play Music is making it easier to store, shuffle and share your mobile tunes. For starters, Mountain View's music streaming-and-locker service now lets KitKat users with SD-equipped handsets put cached tracks on their removable storage. If you want to listen to your favorite band's songs out of order, Google has you covered there with a minor new feature that mixes an artist's All Access catalog into random playlists. What's more, there's a new option that lets you share songs, albums and acts via typical Android methods too. In our tests, however, non-GPM users get "album not found" error messages when they click through the links, our friends just may think this is a gift from Google -- guarding them from our incessant Katy Perry spam.
Google rolling out 'I'm feeling lucky radio' to Play Music on Android and the web
There's something special about that moment when you discover a new song or artists to love. Now, perhaps as a way to make more of these moments possible, Google is bringing a feature dubbed "I'm feeling lucky radio" to its Play Music website and Android app. The search giant says it "gives you music you love at the push of a button" -- essentially, it creates a radio station that chooses songs for you based on previous listening history. It's worth mentioning this instant mix tool appears to be limited to All Access subscribers at the moment. And fret not if you're not seeing the "I'm feeling lucky" option right now; it's just started rolling out and it might be a little while before it shows up on your account.
Google Play Music All Access hits Mexico, Canada jealous in most friendly way possible
Another week passes, another country gets Google's blessing for its music locker and streaming service. This time out, Google Play Music All Access is hitting our neighbors to the south, Mexico. Just try not to brag about how awesome streaming 20,000 songs from your cloud library is, amigos -- Canada is still getting the, ahem, cold shoulder from Mountain View.
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You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
