Google Play Music is a music-streaming service like Spotify and Apple Music and as with those services, it offers the options of listening to music for free with adverts, streaming without adverts for a monthly fee and a family plan subscription for multiple users.
You can stream free radio stations based on your mood, activity, or your favourite popular music, as well as skip songs up to six times per hour if you don’t have a subscription. If you have an individual subscription to Google Play Music, you can stream millions of songs in the Google Play catalogue ad-free, skip songs as much as you like, and listen to music offline – and access YouTube Music Premium from the same account.
This feature is all about Google Play Music’s Family Plan though. Here is everything you need to know about the Family Plan on Play Music, including how much it is, what features it offers and where it is available.
What’s the Google Play Music Family Plan and how much is it?
Like Apple Music’s Family plan and Spotify’s Premium for Family plan, Google’s Play Music Family Plan offers up to six family members ad-free, unlimited access to millions and millions of songs for one monthly fee.
The monthly fee is $14.99 in the US and £14.99 in the UK, which again, is the same as Spotify and Apple Music equivalent subscription plans. An individual subscription costs $9.99/month or £9.99/month so you save money opting for the Family Plan even if only two of you use it.
Users all need to live in the same country as the family manager to be added to a Google Play Music Family Plan. A member must also not be part of another family group.
What does the Google Play Music Family Plan feature?
Apart from ad-free streaming access to millions of songs, the Google Play Music Family Plan includes the ability for each member to stream simultaneously on any device, keep their listening experiences separate, and get music recommendations tailored to what they like. In other words, your favourite Adele tracks won’t ever show up in your husband’s account.
Each user will also be able to store their music collection (upload up to 50,000 of your own music files to the cloud for free), as well as create playlists, listen to radio and download any song, album or playlist to listen offline.
Access to YouTube Music Premium is also included in the Google Play Music Family Plan and we suspect that at some point in the future it might all move under the umbrella of YouTube Music.
How do purchases work with the Google Play Music Family Plan?
After a Family Plan manager sets up a family payment method and everyone has joined, each member of the plan can purchase music, apps, games, movies, shows, ebooks, and magazines. You can read more about this at Google’s FAQ page.
Members of your family group can make purchases on Google Play using the family payment method without the manager’s approval, and the payment method is the main family plan one rather than the payment method on their individual accounts. You’ll see the family plan as a payment option when checking out.
Every time a family member makes a purchase, the family plan manager will get an email. The manager can also require approval for in-app purchases and see a history of all purchases.
Where is the Google Play Music Family Plan available?
Google Play Music’s Family Plan is available in the following countries: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Czechia, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom and the United States.
The Family Plan works on Android and iOS devices, as well as the web.