Google Play is the centerpiece of an Android smart device. It is not merely an app store, but in reality a complete repository guiding you to various kinds of stuff from apps to movies and music. Most Android users visit Google Play to download almost all of their apps without knowing that there’s a whole lot more on offer.
If you are looking for a way out from the real world, then you will find in Google Play, a number of books, movies and music to suit different individual tastes and occasion. Though some of you may feel a bit weird to purchase movies on your phone or a music album that does not have a physical presence, you will still find them enjoyable. The purpose of this post is to assist you in being aware and taking full advantage of Google Play’s entertainment aspects.
We have organized the different facets of Google Play’s entertainment offering into categorized how-to sections to make it easy for you.
How to Search for Movies and TV
In case you have pre-decided your pick of show or movie that you’re in search for then you can simply search using the name instead of blindly browsing through the various categories of Google Play.
Step #1: Select the Google Play icon from your phone’s home screen
Step #2: Now choose Entertainment present in the green colored bar found just adjacent to Apps and games.
Step #3: Now choose the white colored search bar present on the top the screen.
Step #4: Next, type in the movie or TV show name that you desire and select the search on the keyboard.
Step #5: You will see that the search results will display all things related to your search phrase. Choose More to explore only movies and TV shows.
Step #6: The results will be neatly structured into various segments to guide you finding what you are searching for.
In case, you still do not see the movie or content you are searching for, then it could be possible that it may not be available in Google Play as of then. However, if you are not completely certain of what you are looking for, you can try exploring Google Play in a few different approaches for movies and TV content.
How to Explore Movies and TV
If you are after well-known movies, you can simply browse the top charts in Google Play.
Step #1: Select the Google Play icon from your phone’s home screen.
Step #2: Now choose Entertainment present in the green colored bar found just adjacent to Apps & games.
Step #3: Choose Movies & TV, represented by the red bubble in the carousel just the Entertainment button.
Step #4: Next choose Top Selling in the carousel present at the top of the screen.
Now you will be able to see top selling movies and TV shows. Each result will be present in a separate tab. You can also explore new releases present in the carousel adjacent to Top Selling. In case, you are seeking something more specific then you can browse movies by category or even studio name.
Step #1: Choose Entertainment present in the green bar adjacent to Apps & games.
Step #2: Choose Movies & TV, represented by the red bubble in the carousel beneath the Entertainment button.
Step #3: You can Swipe left to move the carousel and select Genre or Studio and then pick the exact one that you desire to explore.
Certain genres have sub-categories and offers for you to explore thoroughly. However, even if they all don’t have it, you will still get at minimum a Top Selling and Top Rating list for you to check out. You can explore TV shows using the same approach by just choosing the ‘TV’ option in the carousel and then explore by genre or network.
How to Purchase Movies and TV shows
After having located your desired movie or episode to purchase, you get different choices for making payments. Prior to that, in case you belong to a Google Play Family Library and want to share the media you’re looking to purchase using that Family Library, you need to firstly buy it using the family payment option or using your Google Play credit.
Step #1: Select Buy. If an SD version is there, the box will show, “Buy from $XX.XX” otherwise it will show “Buy HD $XX.XX”.
Step #2: If there is a SD version then you can choose either SD or HD, however, please remember that the HD content occupies more space.
Step #3: Then the payment window will show up. Now, you can select any means of payment as you wish and then choose the cost or title to show the Payment methods button.
Step #4: Now select the desired payment option.
Step #5: Select Buy.
Step #6: Finally select Confirm your purchase using either your Google account password, or fingerprint if available.
After this, the payment will get processed and you will notice a “Payment successful” window show up prompting you whether you wish to watch the newly bought stuff in the Google Play Movies & TV app. If you have purchased a whole season of TV show that is currently running then episodes will get added to your library promptly as soon as they become available.
How to Share Movies and TV shows with your family
After having bought a desired movie with your Family Payment facility, you can also share it, if you wish to, with the Family Library. This can be done by using the Family Library toggle present right beneath the Play button in that movie’s listing.
In case you wish to ensure whether a movie or show that you want to buy is eligible for Family Library, you can check it out below the summary. Along with the other icons such as for Rotten Tomatoes, subtitles, etc. you will find one with a house icon and this signifies that the content is eligible for Family Library.
How to Explore Music
Looking for music is easy as you can explore it using both genres and popularity. If you are interested in recently released song or if you are searching for older songs that have come back in trend, you can try looking at the top charts first.
Step #1: Select the Google Play icon from your phone’s home screen.
Step #2: Now choose Entertainment present in the green colored bar found just adjacent to Apps & games.
Step #3: Next choose Music, represented by the orange bubble in the carousel just beneath the Entertainment button.
Step #4: Then you can browse by swiping left on the carousel as you come across various music categories available in the Google Play Music section. The different choices you can see are, Top Songs, Top Albums, New Releases, Genres, and Pre-Orders.
Step #5: Now choose any one of the Top Songs, Top Albums, or New Releases to find the presently trending music on Google Play Music.
Step #6: You can choose Genres to explore around all the music genres available. Certain niche genres like for instance, ‘Soundtracks’, will only display the Top Albums, New Releases, and Top Songs charts. More expansive music genres such as Pop and Rock will contain subgenres, featured collections, and albums with price discounts along with top charts.
The Pre-Orders section lets you know more about the upcoming releases that will be arriving on to Google Play Music soon. This section also lets you purchase such releases in advance; letting you to enjoy them immediately after they become available.
How to Purchase Music
After having discovered your desired album or song, you can buy it with ease. Always keep in mind that any music buys in Google Play get sent to the Google Play Music Library and are encrypted by this app. If you want to use a different preferred music player to listen to your songs then you need to download the track on a computer from Google Play Music website or you can also use Google Play Music Manager to do it.
Step #1: Select the album or song price.
Step #2: Now you will notice that the payment window will show up. Here you can select your desired mode of payment by choosing price or title to show up the Payment methods option.
Step #3: Now confirm the payment method that you want.
Step #4: Select Buy.
Step #5: Finally confirm your buy by utilizing your Google account password.
You will see a “Payment successful” window shows up after the payment is done and your bought music will get added to your Google Play Music library. You will then be invited to play your newly purchased music in the Google Play Music, by launching the app and starting a new play queue with your newly purchased track or album.
How to tell if music in Google Play is on All Access
Google Play Music All Access is Google’s music subscription service. It provides substantial value as it also includes YouTube Music and YouTube Red that does away with ads which you normally encounter on YouTube. By being an All Access subscriber, you will not have to purchase music that is already present in your subscription. It is very easy to find out which music is bundled with All Access subscription.
In case an album is present in the All Access subscription, you will notice the availability of a Listen button right next to the orange colored Buy button on that particular album’s Google Play listing. There will also be a caption just underneath the Listen and Buy button that states, ‘This album is available to stream with a Google Play Music subscription’.
How to Browse for Books
If you are an avid reader, you can look for books very easily. You get the ‘specials’ and ‘featured’ sections in the primary Books section and apart from that, you have the different categories and top trends. To check out the most popular ones currently, you can look at the top sellers.
Step #1: Select the Google Play icon from your phone’s home screen.
Step #2: Now choose Entertainment present in the green colored bar found just adjacent to Apps & games.
Step #3: Choose Books, represented by the blue bubble in the carousel underneath the Entertainment button.
Step #4: Then you can browse by swiping left on the carousel as you come across various book categories available such as the Top Selling, New Releases, Genres, Comics, Children’s Books, and Top Free.
Step #5: Choose Top Selling, New Releases or Top Free to view that particular chart of book releases on Google Play.
Step #6: You can also select Genres to browse for a book that fits your desired genre.
You also have the option to explore top free books by swiping all the way over in the top carousel. You can sort listings by type by selecting Genres in that same carousel. A number of genres will contain subgenres to further narrow down while displaying featured collections and series along with the usual top charts pertaining to that specific genre.
How to Buy Books
Having zeroed in on the right book, you can proceed to purchase it and begin reading. Just as with the music purchase, in case you are a subscriber to a Google Play Family Library and want to share the book that you are looking to purchase with your family, you will have to purchase it using the family payment option or with Google Play credit.
Step #1: Select Buy $XX.XX.
Step #2: You will notice the payment window showing up. You can then choose the payment mode by selecting the price or title to show the Payment methods button.
Step #3: Now choose and confirm the payment option you desire.
Step #4: Select Buy.
Step #5: After that confirm your buy using your Google account password.
How to Share Books with your family
If you have bought an eligible book with the family payment method and want to share it with your Family Library, then you just have to slide the Family Library toggle present underneath the Read button to the right of the book’s listing.
Ensuring that the book you are buying is eligible for Family Library is simple. Look underneath the summary and find the bubble zoom preview represented by a house icon with a heart in it along with the title, ‘Eligible for Family Library’.
This holiday season make use of our mini guide to download, browse and share your favorite TV shows/movies, music and books on Google Play. We hope you use Google Play to the fullest on your Android device like never before and have great time with your family & friends. Share your feedback with us on Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus.