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(Update: Android app updated) Google Play Music now has free, ad-supported radio
August 10, 2025
Update:Google has just started pushing out the update to its Google Play Music Android application. Version 6.0 (up from v5.9) brings ad-supported radio, as well as a few user interface tweaks.
Original post:One of the mechanics that made Spotify and Pandora so popular is that they can be entirely free to use as long as you don’t mind the occasional commercial. It’s a paradigm that has seen great success and is one of the few free ways to listen to music and support the artist. Now, you can get that same experience on Google Play Music without an All Access subscription.
Previously, those with an All Access pass could get access to curated playlists or “radio stations” based on what kind of stuff they wanted to listen to. These include playlists likeBrand New MusicandDriving Music. If you’ll recall, these were added to Google Play Musiccourtesy of SongzaafterGoogle acquired them in July of last year.
Starting today, people can listen in on these hand-crafted playlists anytime they want without the $9.99/month All Access subscription. Free listeners will be subjected to occasional commercials to help pay for the content. In theofficial announcement, they have even provided a list of the top 10 stations for you to try out if you haven’t yet. Aside from those, there are a metric ton of stations that run the gambit on genre, mood, feel, and atmosphere. Most of the stations are actually very well done.
Now for the bad news. It’s only available in the United States. Starting today, anyone in the US will be able to access the free radio stationson the web. Android and iOS support will be rolling out over the course of the next week or so. If you want to continue the discussion, feel free to do so in the comments! If you want to download Google Play Music in anticipation of the new feature rollout, you may do so using the button below.
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