Apple Music on Android – A Startling and Euphoric Finding

I will forever be grateful to Sola Adebayo for telling me about the Android version of Apple Music. Before this, I thought that Apple Music was only for iOS devices. You can’t imagine my astonishment when Sola informed me that it was on Google Play. It was like I had struck gold as, before this finding, my music came from family, friends, or the Web.

I downloaded the app on 4 January 2019. I had a three-month free trial subscription which I could renew for a fee or cancel when the trial run lapsed. I enjoyed the app so much that I opted to renew it and I remain a staunch subscriber.

There are 3 monthly subscription plans – Individual (NGN900); Family (NGN1,400); and Student (NGN450). My brother and I have been on the Family subscription plan since 5 June 2020.

Nine Features I love about Apple Music:

1. Lyrics – This is one of my favourite features as it enables me to sing along with the artist using the right words. Emphasis on the right words. Here’s a perfect example of the importance of this point. I always said “Everybody get down” when singing “Gonna make you sweat (everybody dance now)” by C+C Music Factory. I only recently discovered from the lyrics that it was “Everybody dance now”. SMH at myself!
2. Create my own playlists – I get to create my playlists which I can keep private or share on the app.
3. Curated playlists – Apple Music has many and varied playlists. The playlists get updated (usually weekly) so I keep up with the kind of songs I love.
4. Crossfade – This feature allows songs to overlap and crossfade. This comes in handy when playing from an album or playlist as the music streams harmoniously.
5. Shazam connection – Apple Music has a connection to Shazam. This allows you to play the full length of a song you “shazamed” on Apple Music and include it in your song collection.
6. Share Song – I have shared some of my much-loved songs on IG Stories through this trait. As it allows you to share a song on social media (WhatsApp, Instagram Stories, Facebook Stories) or as an SMS. You can also share the lyrics of the song.
7. Search – The search button is on point! Because you can search for a song using the name of the artist, song, or lyrics.
8. New release notifications – Apple Music notifies me when my favourite artists release new songs or albums.
9. Content Restrictions – This attribute enables me to identify songs with explicit content. Under Settings, I can also allow or restrict such songs from playing.

Five Downsides to the App:

1. No song search on Playlists – The search feature doesn’t work on songs in your playlists. You have to go through the playlist to find a song.
2. Wonky Content Restrictions – The explicit content classification isn’t always accurate. For example, the love song, “Fall in Love” by D’Banj has an explicit content symbol which is wrongly classified.
3. Not all songs are available – While I have found most of the songs I searched for on Apple Music, there are a handful that I didn’t find. An example is “Teach me how to jerk” by Audio Push. To be fair, Apple Music doesn’t claim to have all songs, rather it allows you to listen to over 75 million songs.
4. Ringtones barred – You can’t use songs on Apple Music outside the app. Hence, no room for usage as a ringtone.
5. Inaccessibility to Apple Music TV – The TV shows and Movies feature is sadly not available in Nigeria.

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Do share what your favourite music app is in the comments section and why it is your preferred choice.

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Please note that my review of the Apple Music app is not sponsored by Apple Inc. or anyone. Neither was I paid or given any form of compensation to promote Apple Music. I reviewed it of my own accord because I have had a five-star experience using it.