Apple Music Likely Coming To Google Home Speakers

In a move that shows Apple’s softening stance on its software services, Apple Music could be coming to Google Home speakers, according to a report by CNBC.

A link to an Apple Music account was spotted this week in the Google Home app, but the sign-in doesn’t work yet. It’s possible that the app was updated with the option before Apple was ready to roll out the feature.

The new option could possibly entice some to make the move to Apple Music, especially those who don’t want to purchase a costlier HomePod speaker, which retails for between $299 and $349. The Google Home Mini is significantly less expensive at $50.

It’s not unusual for Google to add another streaming service to its platform, as it already has support for Spotify, Pandora, Deezer, Google Play Music and YouTube Music.

The fact that Google has a larger share in the market means it could be an opportunity for Apple to entice people to subscribe to Apple Music, especially since Apple is looking to boost revenue after a disappointing quarter.

There’s a version of Apple Music on Android on Google’s operating system, which gives Apple a potential two billion active devices – and those Android users are also more likely to own Google Home.

Apple also recently made a deal with Samsung TVs to allow users to buy and stream movies and TV shows from Apple, and Apple Music recently launched on Amazon Echo devices.

Apple Music has about 50 million subscribers, a number it breached earlier in 2018, but it still lags behind Spotify’s 83 million.

At the time of the Echo announcement, Dave Limp, an Amazon VP, said the move made sense because customers want to be able to listen to music in their homes, at their convenience.

“Music is one of the most popular features on Alexa – since we launched Alexa four years ago, customers are listening to more music in their homes than ever before,” Limp said. “We are committed to offering great music providers to our customers, and since launching the Music Skill API to developers just last month, we’ve expanded the music selection on Alexa to include even more top-tier services. We’re thrilled to bring Apple Music – one of the most popular music services in the U.S. – to Echo customers.”