In our previous videos, we take a look at some of the best music streaming apps for Android and iOS. If you haven’t check that out, click on the YouTube cards after the end of this video. Now, in this video, we’ll take a look at music streaming that works on Android TV. Most of the apps like Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal are the same on both platforms, however, today we’ll focus on how well they are optimized for a TV interface, the features like playback streaming in the background, remote control from mobile app and much more. 

So, here are some of the best streaming apps that are well-optimized for Android TV.

Spotify

For starters, the app does everything you'd expect. When you open the app, you see a smooth interface on your Android TV where you can easily log in even from your phone and push it onto your TV. Once you are in, you can search by for your favorite artist, album, genre, and, over the course, your playlist.

But of course, my favorite feature is Spotify connect which lets you control the music from your mobile device - just make sure you have both devices under same Wi-Fi network. 

You don't need to be a paying subscriber to use the app either, though you will have to sit through all the usual adverts like you do with the smartphone app. And, of course, the app will also work in the background on your Android. TV. Go check it out.

Overall, if you are looking for best TV interface music app, Spotify is one of the best. It’s not only optimized for TV interface but also you can also use Spotify Connect to control the music from your mobile device.

Pandora

Next up, we have Pandora, which is only available on the US, Australia, and New Zealand as of now. However, you can use Smart DNS Proxy on your Android TV to bypass geo-restrictions. We have done a separate video on how to get Smart DNS Proxy VPN on a smart TV so check that out. But once you enable the VPN, install the Pandora app by sideloading the apk and log in. And that’s it, now you can listen to your favorite music with ease. 

Like Spotify, Pandora’s has an ad-supported free version or you can pay $4.99 a month for the plus version and you get access to unlimited skips, replays, and higher quality audio.

Google Play Music 

One of our favorite things about Google Play Music is that you can upload up to 50,000 of your own songs to Google Play Music for free.

When you open the app, you will find that the app is not only optimized for Android TV but the interface also offers a refreshing change with the dark theme. 

You can either listen to free, ad-supported songs, or like I said earlier, you can upload your 50,000 of your own your personal music collection; then you can listen to them across Android, iOS, and the web, for free. And of course, the option to play on-demand music from 35 million songs is always there, which will cost you $9.99 per month.

One small little trick if you cast music from your phone to a TV using Chromecast or Android TV. Simply, go to the settings page of the Play Music desktop website. Scroll all the way down to the Labs section and flip the toggle next to "Chromecast Fireplace Visualizer."

Now, whenever you cast music to a TV, you'll see a cool crackling fireplace on the screen instead of the album art. Pretty cool?

Kodi

Now, Google Play Music is fine for uploading your music to cloud, but if you have a huge library of music stored on a hard drive or network, then we recommend giving Kodi a try.

Now, I’m pretty sure most of you know what Kodi is, but for those who don’t, well, it’s is a media player which can play your video, music and pictures on any device possible, be it your smartphone, computer, NAS or even Android TV.

And it not only plays music, but encodes them on the fly. The interface also lets you create your own customized look or pick a community-created skin.

And of course, one of the biggest reason to get Kodi are add-ons, you can use community-created add-ons like lyrics and radio stations to get the most out of it. Check it out.

TuneIn Radio

TuneIn Radio has the largest selection of free radio content, but the biggest reason it made into the list is podcasts.

To start with, TuneIn has 100,000 radio stations or should I say, you can tune into your favorite radio station and the app creates a personalized live feed of your favorite station.

And not just that - you can also listen and subscribe to your podcasts like NPR, This American Life and Joe Rogan etc., directly from within the app. 

So, these were some of the best music apps handcrafted for your Android TV interface. Our favorite one is Spotify, not only for its interface but also for the fact that you can control it with your smartphone. What about you? Which one do you like? Let us know in the comment below.

Also, check out Smart DNS Proxy, to unblock geo-restrictions on streaming sites like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video Pandora and Disney+. It just $5 a month and comes with 14-day free trial.

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Thank you for reading and watching.