Quite a few of you are probably travelling back home this weekend, and if you'd like some free or low-cost tunes to get you there, check out the Google Play Store. Play Music has four albums available for free, and another eight for just a dollar each, all from popular musicians and most of which have been released just this year. As usual, your mileage may vary with this deal - these album prices are valid in the United States, but may not be available elsewhere.
Read MoreInBrief
The Latest Version Of Google Play Music Adds Thumbs Up And Thumbs Down To The Notification Controls [APK Download]
Google Play's branded Music app has had Pandora-style thumbs up and thumbs down controls, applicable to your local and cloud music as well as streaming radio stations, for quite a while. But they're not all that easy to get to: aside from the "now playing" screen and the homescreen widget, the functionality isn't all that obvious. The latest update to the app puts those recommendation tools front and center, right on the notification and lockscreen controls.
We're actually looking at two Google Play Music updates here: version 6.2.2220U.2476962 and the slightly newer 6.2.2221U.2480853. Both of them are nearly identical with one notable exception.
Read MoreHands-On With Google Play Music's Family Plan – Trusting Relatives With Shared Music And Shared Payment Methods
Google announced family plans for Play Music (and YouTube Red) back in September alongside this year's Nexus lineup. The very competitively priced group subscription was made official yesterday and can be activated through the Play Music app. As it turns out, this isn't just a regular standalone subscription, but it's actually part of Google's new Family Groups that will ultimately bring app and media sharing to the Play Store.
A pair of APK Teardowns from both the store and Play services gave away most of the details about how this system will eventually work. Read MoreYes, sharing your music subscription means you're also sharing a credit card.
Google Play Music Family Plans Launch In The US, UK, Canada, And Three Other Countries — YouTube Red Included
It's official. Google has announced that Play Music family plans are arriving in the coming days in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the UK, and the US. They will let account holders share music with up to five other family members for a cost of $15 a month.
Read MoreFree Ad-Supported Google Play Music Radio Streaming Option Makes The Journey North To Canada
Canada and the US may be neighbors, but that northern border is quite a ways away from most of the contiguous 48 states. It takes a bit of time to drive up from a place like California, and as we know, all Google services must make the trip from San Francisco. Well after nearly half a year of driving, the ad-supported version of Google Play Music has finished the trip to Canada.
Read MorePlay Music v6.1 Adds Auto-Offline Music Caching, Prepares For Family Plans And Android Wear With Speakers [APK Teardown + Download]
With all of the activity surrounding YouTube Red, including a brand new YouTube Music app, it seems like a good time for a Play Music update. Version 6.1 just landed and aside from a mysterious new "Auto-offline" feature and a bit of cleanup in the Settings screen, it looks like a pretty typical bug fix release. However, the teardown tells a different story. It looks like this version also brings support for the recently announced family plans and Android Wear speaker support. As usual, we've also got a download link at the bottom if you can't wait for the apk to roll out to your account.
Read MoreIf You Currently Have The Discounted Play Music Plan ($7.99), You Get To Keep That Rate When YouTube Red Launches
Starting on October 28th, YouTube Red will let folks in the US start watching all the movie trailers, phone reviews, music videos, epic fails, adorable babies, cat clips, and rants they've been consuming for years, sans ads. In exchange, viewers hand over $9.99 a month instead, or $15 if they have a Play Music family plan.
Unless, it turns out, you're one of the early Play Music subscribers. Google is sending out emails to folks who hopped on board in the early summer of 2013 to inform them that when they are transferred to YouTube Red, they will get to keep their discounted $7.99 rate.
Read MoreThe Best Of AP
Ad-Free 'YouTube Red' Launching In The US On October 28th For $9.99 With Free Play Music Subscription [Update]
The day we've been waiting for is finally here—the ad-free YouTube Red service is a reality. Well, technically it will be a reality in a week on October 28th (close to the date we had before), but we've got all the details now. For $9.99 per month you'll never see another ad on YouTube, and it includes a number of other cool perks.
Read More[Update: Discounts Not Limited To Music] Some Users Receiving Offer To Save 50% Off Any Album Under $15 On Google Play
When I fire up the Play Store, I generally start searching for an app right away. But sometimes it pays to scroll through the pages. Some users are seeing an option to save 50% off any one album under $15.
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