Users of any Google Assistant-enabled smart speaker such as Google Home will now be able to listen to YouTube Music for free, as Google introduced today an ad-supported version of the service for that device. The music streaming offering is free to download on any smart speaker powered by Google Assistant, though there's still an option to upgrade to the premium version that costs $10 per month.
Voice-enabled commands are limited only to requests for music playback. Users can gain access to thousands of playlists and artist radios, depending on their musical preference. Premium subscribers are able to request specific albums, songs, artists, and playlists; skip songs for an unlimited number of times; and repeat a song. These capabilities mirror those of the premium YouTube Music mobile app.
Additionally, premium users can listen to songs in the background via the YouTube Music app while doing multiple tasks with other apps. Content will also be available to download for playback even without an internet connection.
The free version of YouTube Music for Google Assistant smart speakers is now rolling out in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia, the UK, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Japan, The Netherlands, and Austria. It's worth noting that YouTube Music was already made available in some of these countries earlier last year. Google promises to introduce the new offering to more markets in the future.
