The Pixel 2 and 2 XL have a nifty always listening music ID feature. You can simply look at your phone and see a "Now Playing" notification that tells you if the phone has heard a popular song. Google doesn't keep a log of the songs you encounter, but you can do that yourself with IFTTT.
Read MorePlay Music v8.5 drops 2 MB of dead weight by unbundling Wear app and fixes app shortcut adaptive icons [APK Teardown]
A new version of Play Music is available this afternoon and it's making a big leap in versions from 8.0 to 8.5. This update doesn't come with the redesign that had seemed likely after last month's visual refresh to Play Music on Android TV. But cosmetic touchups were in the cards as the adaptive icons for app shortcuts were fixed in this release. Additionally, Play Music lost some megabytes after unbundling its Wear app.
Read MoreAdd history to the Pixel 2 'Now Playing' song identification feature with this app
Just before Google's Pixel 2 launch event, we learned of a great new always-on feature that listens for music and displays the song name and artist on the lock screen without even being asked to do so. Now Playing even works without an internet connection, as it keeps a local file containing identification data for nearly 20,000 songs. It won't be able to name everything you hear out and about, but anything vaguely popular should be picked up.
What if you hear a song you like, but you aren't able to look at your phone before it's finished and a new song is playing?
Read MorePlay Music v8.1 appears with dedicated Android TV app and a significantly new look [APK Download]
The Play Music app on Android TV has remained mostly unchanged since the platform launched three years ago. If you've grown tired of the wall of orange and all of the completely original Material Design components that were used when Android TV first launched, you'll be happy to see that Play Music is now sporting a new look. A new Android TV-specific variant of the Play Music app is rolling out through the Play Store with a completely redesigned look.
Read MoreAndroid Auto support arrives in Plex [APK Download]
Plex is a popular option for streaming your media collection across your network (or the internet), including music. Just like with video files, you can store all your music on a centralized server (or a cloud storage service with Plex Cloud), and stream it to any device at any time. If you've switched over to Plex for your music playback needs, like me, you'll be happy to know that the app now supports Android Auto.
Read MoreGoogle Home now has a sleep timer to turn your music off
With the introduction of the Home Mini and Home Max, there are now three types of Assistant-powered hardware from Google. The Assistant is already very capable, but that isn't stopping the team from continuing to add useful features. At Google's event earlier in the month we learned that Google Home can now easily find your phone, and it also recently added the ability to turn off your Chromecast-connected TV.
The latest addition to Google Home's feature set is a new type of timer. It's already possible to set timers for things like cooking or game time, but we can now also set a sleep timer that will stop your music playing at a given point in time.
Read MoreSpotify will soon work with all Google Assistant devices
Spotify has been making some news lately. Following on the heels of Google's hardware event today, the music streaming service has announced all users, Free and Premium, can use their voices to get tunes going on any Assistant-enabled device, meaning that it's not just limited to the Home anymore.
Read MorePixel Ambient Services app pops up in the Play Store, confirms always-on music ID feature
You're probably aware that Google is having an event in just a little bit. We've heard plenty of rumors about what will be announced, including one suggesting that Google is planning an always-on music identification feature for the new Pixels. That's looking very much confirmed right now, thanks to a new listing in the Play Store called Pixel Ambient Services.
Read MoreThe Best Of AP
iHeartRadio releases standalone app for Android Wear 2.0 [APK Download]
Internet radio app iHeartRadio is pretty popular with Android users and with good reason. It's built up an impressive feature set to go along with its attractive interface and is frequently updated with useful additions, such as Google Home support earlier in the year. The latest version brings with it a dedicated Android Wear 2.0 app, and you don't need your phone for it to work.
Read MoreSpotify’s new ‘Your Time Capsule’ playlist is a nostalgic romp through the music of your youth
I'm the sort of person that gets excited for Monday. Not because of work, but because it's when I get my next Discover Weekly playlist on Spotify. I may have a Play Music account, but Spotify's recommendations are on an entirely different level. And in a blog post today, Spotify announced yet another personalized playlist. It's called Your Time Capsule, and the songs in it are based on music from your teens and early twenties. You can see your own version of this playlist by scanning a code with the app (included above and below in the article) or by following this link.
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