Unlike Windows and Mac systems, Apple Music doesn’t offer a Chrome OS version of its app, which makes listening to music and even downloading songs for offline listening a challenge on Chromebooks. Luckily, achieving this is not difficult.
In this guide, you’ll discover two simple ways to enjoy Apple Music’s content and playlists on a Chromebook with an active Apple Music subscription. Plus, in case you decide to cancel your subscription, I’ll show you how to continue listening to Apple Music offline without a subscription.
Method 1. Enjoy Apple Music on Chromebook via Android App
Since 2016, many Chrome OS devices have been able to access the Google Play Store to install Android apps. Plus, Apple Music launched its official Android app back in 2015. In short, if your Chromebook is one of the models that supports Android apps, you can successfully install the Apple Music app.
However, keep in mind that if you're using a Chromebook in a school or work environment, this method might not work due to network restrictions, firewalls, and filters set by the administrator.
Note: You can only listen to streaming Apple Music. Purchased iTunes music is not accessible on your Chromebook.
Here's how to download Apple Music on Chromebook by using the Android app.
Step 1. Go to Google Play Store, then search for the Apple Music app to download it. If this is the first time you have used the store, you probably need to enable it first.
Step 2. Once the installation is done, open the Apple Music App.
Step 3. Then, log in with your Apple ID which is with an Apple Music subscription, and then you can easily listen to and download Apple Music on your Chromebook.
Method 2. Get Apple Music for Chromebook via Apple Music Web Player
If your Chromebook doesn’t support installing Android apps, or if you simply don’t want to install any software and just want to listen to music, you can use the Apple Music web player directly in your browser.
The Apple Music web player is pretty similar to the native music app for Android & iOS, and it will sync by default your previously saved playlists and library as long as you sign in using an Apple ID. Just follow the steps provided below.
Step 1. Open the Apple Music web player in a web browser such as Chrome and Firefox on your Chromebook.
Step 2. Click Sign in in the upper-right corner and enter your information to sign in. Now you can get a taste of your Apple music with a web-based Apple Music player.
Note:
You can also create an Apple Music shortcut to your desktop or taskbar so that you don't need to open a browser every time you want to listen to Apple Music.
Step 1. Open the Apple Music web player on your Google Chrome, and click the three dots on the top right.
Step 2. Go to "Save and share" > "Create shortcut".
Step 3. When the Apple Music window pops up, tick "Open as Window" and hit "Create".
Method 3. Listen to Apple Music Offline Without Subscription on Chromebook
Both of the methods above require an Apple Music subscription. Once you cancel, you’ll only get 30-second previews of songs, and any iTunes songs you’ve purchased won’t be playable with these methods either.
This can be frustrating, but there’s a solution: you can download your Apple Music library (including albums and playlists) or your purchased iTunes songs in common formats like MP3 or lossless FLAC ahead of time. This way, after canceling your Apple Music subscription, you’ll still be able to listen freely on your Chromebook.
To download them to common formats, you'll need a third-party tool: TuneFab Apple Music Converter. Embedded with the Apple Music web player, this software is easy to use and can effectively help you download any music from Apple Music to MP3 or other formats losslessly.
Explore more features of TuneFab Apple Music Converter:
● Export Apple Music songs to MP3, M4A(AAC), M4A(ALAC), FLAC, AIFF and WAV
● Convert Apple Music at 35X faster speed with adjustable output quality
● Easy to use and batch add and convert playlists and albums
● Preserve ID3 and metadata info such as the song artist, name, and genre
This software is only compatible with Windows and Mac. So, if you want to listen to downloaded Apple Music songs on your Chromebook for free, you’ll need to install the app on a Windows or Mac computer to download the songs first, then transfer the files to your Chromebook.
Step 1. Download and install TuneFab Apple Music Converter on Windows or Mac. Launch the program, enter the Apple Music service, and log in to it with your Apple ID. (You'll need an Apple Music subscription for music download. When all songs are downloaded, you can choose to cancel the subscription or not.)
Step 2. Directly drag and drop the songs you want to convert to the conversion list on the right side.
Step 3. Expand the conversion list and then you can adjust the output settings, including the output format and quality. Then hit "Convert All" to start the music conversion.
Step 4. Hit the "Finished" tab and you can find all the downloads. You can choose to upload them to Google Drive or transfer them to your Chromebook with a USB drive.
Conclusion
When it comes to streaming Apple Music songs on Chromebook, either having the Apple Music app on Chrome OS or using the Apple Music web player for Apple Music playback is the most common solution for an active Apple Music subscriber.
If you want to listen to Apple Music without a subscription, there is still a workaround: use TuneFab Apple Music Converter to download music to MP3 or other formats, and then you can listen to those downloads on your Chromebook freely and even keep them permanently.
