There’s good news for YouTube Music users. A free version of the music streaming service is now available. The caveat is that you will need a Google Assistant-powered speaker to access it.
From April 18, Google Home speakers (as well as other Google Assistant-powered speakers), will be able to stream audio from YouTube Music for free.
Related: YouTube Music review
Owners of a Google Home speaker can use voice commands to play music from the streaming service without paying for the Premium version. For example, saying “Hey Google, play Latin vibes” will cause the speaker to find a track/playlist based on your request and one that’s tailored to your tastes.
To facilitate this, YouTube Music needs to be set as the main music provider in your home. Just navigate to the account settings in the Google Home app, tap services and select Music. Once you’ve found that tab, all you need to do is select YouTube Music as the default music option. For set-up of a new Google Home speaker, YouTube Music is the default option out of the box.
The free service won’t offer access to the same features as the Premium option. If you want more control over your music, the £9.99 a month tier offers users the ability to request specific albums, songs, artists, and playlists on-demand. Other features include unlimited skips and song replay as well as the opportunity of playing background music when using other apps. Downloads for offline listening are also supported.
The free, ad-supported version of YouTube Music is now live on compatible smart speakers in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Great Britain, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Japan, Netherlands, and Austria. More countries will be added to the list soon.
Does this news make you want to use YouTube Music? Let us know on Facebook or on Twitter @TrustedReviews
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
