Is A Google Play Music Packaged App In Development?

Currently Browser Based: Google Play Music

Are Google readying a desktop rival to Apple’s iTunes?

If the search giant were to turn Google Play Music, their cloud-based music service, into a new-fangled ‘Chrome App’ then iTunes would finally have a worthy competitor on the desktop.

Think about it: a music application that can run anywhere Chrome can; is able to play, edit and access local files, also stream back music from the cloud and offer music purchases with a built-in music store.

Sounds like some designed to slot right in between iTunes and Spotify, right?

Well, we’ve heard that it’s happening: a ’packaged app’ version of Google Play Music is being trialled by Chrome/Google developers.

Does this internal developer screenshot show a packaged Play Music app?

Being a ‘packaged app’ means the service would be able to do things that its current web-based app can’t, such as accessing music stored locally using Chrome’s Media Gallery API.

Perhaps as an indication of this rumour Google developers recently updated the Media Gallery API to allow packaged apps access (where available and permission given) a user’s iTunes library:

“A user’s iTunes music library will be available as a default media gallery, allowing apps to import and play locally stored music.”

The case for a Play Music ‘Chrome App’ is sound, and provide Chromebook users with a viable solution for playing and managing their offline MP3 collections (although apps like Remo are filling that void at present).

With no firm confirmation at present it’s best to take this rumour with a pinch of salt. But if we hear anything more we’ll let you know.

Would you use a Google Play Music ’Chrome app’?

google play music itunes

Georgi Karavasilev

Would you use a Google Play Music ’Chrome app’?
http://cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/400x/34562500.jpg
Zak Kaufman

I’d still need an iOS app before switching over, but I’d be completely willing to ditch Spotify for this. Spotify has more relevant social features, sure, but the library feature on Google Play Music is unbeatable. And a packaged app would be killer.
Ryan Sipes

Many of us already have the Google Play Music Panel Extension, which is great. So this would be the next logical step. I can’t wait.
S. Murphy

When is Google Play Music coming to Canada? I have a Nexus 4, a Chromebook and not all that Google can offer! Whatever happened to the Worldwide web?
- Keegan Choffat
  
  What? Not available in Canada yet? Why the hell not?
  - S. Murphy
    
    Something to do with the rights to music. So far the only way I can use the mp3 player of google play on my phone is by buying stuff from 7digital. Which at least is not new to me but I have a bunch of music CDs I’d love to transfer over and I don’t get that function because my phone is through a Canadian provider. App Developers!!! Hint Hint!
    - Superdan
      
      I also live in Canada and own a Nexus 4. To listen to my CDs on my phone, I have to import them with Banshee (on Ubuntu) or iTunes (on Windows) and copy-paste the MP3 files into the internal memory of the phone using the USB cable. Same process for music bought online. Hope it helps you! :)
NateCress

I would love to see a Google Play Music Chrome App. As a matter of fact I can think of several Google apps that would make great offline Chrome Apps. (Docs, Sheets, Slides, Picasa, Google Play Movies, Google Play Books, Gmail, Calendar, Maps, and even Blogger)
- Yam Borodetsky
  
  Docs run offline, but I can easily see it working better by being a Packaged App.
  - NateCress
    
    That’s my thinking.
- Dave
  
  Agreed. Google should move all of their core applications over to Chrome Apps. If nothing else, it would make Chrome OS a much nicer option for consumers. True packaged apps for Docs, Music, Pictures and everything else one would need to have a completely functional device.
- NateCress
  
  One app that I think Google should develop as a Chrome App is a great consumer level video editor. Working with video files locally is much easier than waiting for them to upload to the cloud. That and it would make Chrome OS a more attractive option compared to Windows and OS X.
  - Mehmed
    
    But there are also some people who really hate packeged apps (no, i love them, i’m thinking just like you) and google should let us choose if we want packeged apps or webapps. just like i said, there are really some people who think of packeged apps as pointless and “don’t see” a reason to use a chromebook (chrome os) anymore because they see it as another windows/mac/linux
    - Kyle Roberts
      
      my argument would be that, even packaged apps can sync across your chrombeook and desktop chrome installs. there is certainly a viable use for it.
      
      additionally, the simplicity and rapid development behind building a chrome app (packaged or not) vs a cross-platform app is obviously trivial compared to porting code natively
      
      i have formatted most of my desktop pc’s, some have linux, some have windows. but i gravitate towards my windows machines as all my chromebook work is readily available on the windows chrome (ie, packaged hangouts app etc)
http://sjsmos.me/ Stephen J. Sundberg

Hell yes!
belcanto10r

BRING IT ON!!!!!!
Boothy

Yes.
And think all the core Google apps should be Chrome Apps. Was really surprised they weren’t there for the launch of the “for the Desktop” section. Would have given the section a real boost and momentum from the beginning, rather than the spattering of apps that are currently there.
Then an Evernote Chrome App, please……………………
Boothy

someone else has made a crack at this too:
https://github.com/tdwright/PackageAllAreas

Not perfect, but decent start :)
http://blog.sudhirkhanger.com/ Sudhir Khanger

Did the apps launcher made it in Chrome’s Linux’s Dev channel?
R2D221

OMG! Chrome! asks me to like its Facebook page, which I’ve already done before. Why?
D:
Freehawk

I would like something that ties together Google music and Amazon music, where I have two huge collections.
Matthew Fiori

I stopped buying music about eight years ago. Most of the music that I owned from the decades before that is DRM locked but the stuff that I continue to want to listen to is available on GPMAA anyway.

What I am interested in seeing from Play Music is the ability to control playback on one device from another. So If I have an Android connected to my stereo and GPMAA is playing on that device, I want to be able to control it through GPMAA on a laptop or on another Android device. Similar to the Chromecast idea but not requiring any extra device like a Chromecast. This is already available in RDIO, has been for months.
Andrea Holt

Yes I w I uld purchase music from Google Play/Chrome.
robert.verdin

Great new Google
Play Mail App, it’s called Ark Mail App and you can find at
http://www.ark.com. Ark.com is for anyone who is frustrated with the standard
mail app. Super useful in terms of sending Dropbx attachments, and searching
for your contacts social media account links.
Andri Agassi

This is great news! Especially the capabilities of playing local files, since I can’t buy music from Google Play Store in my country, and there is a limit of how many you can upload.
joedoe47

I’d love to locally save/cache music on chrome. it would make google play even better for me.
Daniel Cabral

This is a great idea. Competing with Apple is going to be tough. Software is what will always bring people’s interest. Also, simple and sleek design. I think the chrome OS has got many things. They also need a variety of upper end laptops and maybe later on PCs for production purposes.

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