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Apple Music teams up with Google Assistant

Earlier today, the Google Home app showed Apple's popular music streaming service in its list of music options, but the team-up might be limited to mobile for now.

Andrew Gebhart Former senior producer
2 min read
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Chris Monroe/CNET

This morning, it appeared  Apple Music would soon have another new home. 

Earlier today, as spotted by VentureBeat, the most recent version of the Google Home app had Apple Music listed under "More Music Services." The button to actually link your Apple Music account didn't work, but the presence of Apple Music in the app seemed to be a clear sign that an announcement was coming. We've reached out to Apple for comment, and will update this post if we hear anything.

A Google spokesperson offered the following statement over email: "Apple Music is currently only available for Google Assistant users on mobile phones. We have nothing to announce regarding updates to Google Home."

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The Apple Music listing has now been pulled from the Google Home app. Apple Music could still be coming to Google Home speakers, but it seems neither company is yet ready to make an announcement. 

If Apple Music does arrive on the Google Home, Music subscribers will presumably be able to ask Google Assistant, the smart voice control built into speakers like Google Home, to play their song of choice. We'd also expect that you'll be able to set Apple Music as your default music service, as you can with any of the other services Google offers, such as Spotify, Pandora and YouTube Music . Google Assistant would then by default search Apple Music to find and play the song you request.

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In the meantime, you'll be able to command Google Assistant in your phone to find the music you want to play. Apple's music service started to appear on smart speakers in addition to  Apple's own HomePod late last year when Apple Music became an option on Amazon's family of Echo speakers. Apple only offers the $350 HomePod, while both Amazon and Google offer numerous different smart speakers at a wide variety of prices. 

The HomePod is behind the other smart speakers in  smart home  controls and functionality -- its main advantage was its ties to Apple's services. As it loses that advantage, the HomePod will inevitably become less appealing, but Apple Music subscribers will get the benefit of choice.

Originally published Feb. 26 at 10:47 a.m. ET. 
Update, 1:10 p.m.: Adds Google's statement that controlling Apple Music will be limited to  Google Assistant  on mobile devices.