The best Android music apps for 2021

SiriusXM might not offer the best audio quality compared to its music-focused rivals, but the service still packs a huge catalog of tracks. As a leading satellite radio service, SiriusXM also includes plenty of live shows featuring comedy, sports, or whatever Howard Stern wants to talk about.

Not since iTunes has a service that has changed music consumption more than Spotify. Subscribing to an entire music library to enjoy it however you see fit, as opposed to buying individual tracks, has become the norm overnight. Even with other streaming services offering their own unique features, Spotify remains a top choice thanks to its collaborative playlists, exclusive podcasts, and powerful free tier.

Tidal really cares about the music. This makes sense given that his main creative force, hip-hop superstar Jay-Z, pitched the app as a better way for musicians to deliver high-quality sound and earn high-quality royalties. The Hi-Res Audio sound quality does not disappoint, as do the additional features, such as thematic playlists and editorial pieces written. Just be prepared to pay.

Many people want to enjoy music along with other aspects of their daily life. Integrating a music streaming service with other commonly used home technologies makes this much easier. Amazon Music Unlimited is a perfectly capable music streaming service, best if you go for the Hi-Res Audio level. But it’s even more appealing to Amazon hardware owners who can ask Alexa to be their personal DJ. Considering how these devices already use Android as their base, they work well with the Android app. Prime accounts already come with Amazon Prime Music, but this service only has 2 million songs compared to 60 million for Amazon Music Unlimited.

Deezer doesn’t do much that is really new, but it does the fundamentals of music streaming extremely well. The free mobile app is excellent. You can enjoy lots of live radio, music with lyrics, videos, podcasts and original content. We want the Android app to let you download MP3 files as you can on desktop.

If you’re an audiophile worried about music streaming degrading sound quality, Qobuz should put you at ease. Listening to songs on this service sounds better than listening to them on a CD thanks to Hi-Res Audio. You can also buy downloads for something a little more permanent. The well-designed Android app is as easy on the eyes as the songs are on the ears.

Your YouTube music experience can be more than just visiting the website and looping music videos. YouTube Music replaces the old Google Play Music as a real music app for the company that also makes Android. Depending on how you feel about the business, playlists that change based on tracking your location and time can be scarier than cool. Still, anyone can take advantage of the free version, great lyric-based search options, collaborative playlists, and the ability to switch between audio and video at will.

As strange as it may sound to download an Apple product for your Android device, Apple has really made an Apple Music app for non-iPhone phones. Music brings enemies together like this. Divorced from its own ecosystem, Apple Music’s flaws (minimal functionality, no free version) stand out more. But his strengths, from his large library to his family plan to his man-curated Beats 1 radio station, remain.

Idagio’s sophisticated song selection should satisfy classical music fans. But just because the songs are old doesn’t mean listeners can’t take advantage of modern features like great sound quality, efficient search tools, and offline downloads for the mobile player.

As the name suggests, iHeartRadio aims to be a radio service rather than a general music streaming service. That said, if you do heart radio, you can enjoy free live feeds, curated artist feeds, music news, and information about music events happening near you right from your device. Android.