Apple Music for Android: Things you should know

You cannot use the app to play music files on your phone Unfortunately, Apple Music for Android doesn't work as a media player to listen to music files stored on your phone. This is important because a lot of Android owners have been using their phones as an MP3 player for years, storing music files on it. Google Play Music lets you do this, so that if you transfer music files from your computer, you can play them along with streaming music. The My Music tab in Apple Music only includes tracks you've purchased from iTunes. It's not better than what's already out there Arriving years after its fellow music streaming apps, Apple Music has a lot to compete with this late to the game. Google's own music streaming service Google Play Music keeps getting better and is well-liked by many Android fans. Spotify has dominated streaming music for years and Rdio, Rhapsody and Pandora are popular choices too. Plus, Google just announced a new service, YouTube Red, which lets you listen to music through YouTube using a soon-to-be-released YouTube Music app. Getting on Android gives Apple Music the best fighting chance to uproot its adversaries, but given its lackluster launch on iOS, I'm skeptical that it will gain many more customers on Android. Especially because Apple Music doesn't offer much more than Spotify, Google Play Music or others do. It does have two significant advantages however. First, Apple Music has exclusive music you can't find elsewhere, like Taylor Swift's discography (which she famously pulled from Spotify) and Dr. Dre's latest album. Second, if you've spent years and years purchasing music from iTunes, and have been longing for a simply way to play those tracks on your Android, Apple Music gives you the simplest solution. Sure, you'll need to spend $10 per month for that luxury, but it's worth it if you have a substantial library. Apple Music didn't wow me when it first debuted and it's still unremarkable as a music streaming service. The live radio is a unique catch and streaming the long-ago purchased tracks from iTunes is great, but the app's cluttered design still holds it back. For a deeper dive into the good and bad of Apple Music, read our full review, and check out why I switched back to Spotify after testing it. Would you make the switch? Let me know in the comments below.