Keep your music app where listeners look.
ASO for music apps runs on category lines and content rights: on the App Store, Music covers discovering, listening, recording and composing, on Google Play, Music and Audio is for music services, radios and players, and both stores set rules for background playback and for downloading from third-party sources.
What makes ASO different in this category?
- 01
Where the Music category ends
On the App Store, Music is for apps for discovering, listening to, recording, performing or composing music; its examples include music creation, radio, sound editing, lyric writing and concert ticketing. On Google Play, Music and Audio covers music services, radios and music players, while concert tickets are listed under the Events category.[1][2]
- 02
Background playback has rules
On the App Store, Guideline 2.5.4 allows background services, audio playback included, only for their intended purpose. On Google Play, apps targeting Android 14 or later declare their foreground service types in Play Console; the media playback type is for user-initiated playback, and soundtracks that play automatically when the app opens do not qualify.[3][4]
- 03
Third-party content needs permission
Guideline 5.2.3 forbids saving, converting or downloading media from third-party sources without their explicit authorization; streaming those sources may also breach their terms of use, and authorization must be provided on request.[3]
- 04
Subscriptions and reader apps
Guideline 3.1.3(a) lets reader apps for content such as audio and music give access to previously purchased content or subscriptions and offer account creation for free tiers. On Google Play, music subscriptions sold in the app go through Google Play's billing system.[3][5]
- 05
Premiere and Live Event badges
Among the App Store in-app event badges, Premiere is for the first-time availability of content such as newly released audio, and Live Event is for real-time moments everyone joins at once, such as a live-streamed concert.[6]
Features that matter most
Keyword radar
Reads your rank daily for genre, mood and tool searches such as lo-fi, sleep music or tuner.
MoreDaily ping
Shows rank moves, keywords entering and dropping out of search, category charts and new 1–2 star reviews on one screen every morning.
MoreReviews and insights
Reads reviews every 6 hours, so complaints about playback stopping in the background or about ads show up as their own group after an update.
MoreRival log
Logs rivals' title, icon, screenshot, version and price changes by date.
MoreThis category's charts
The free Chart Movers tool shows this category's top 10 today, the climbers, new entrants and launches of the last 90 days.
App Store · Music
US · Chart Movers
Daily: a category's top 10 in a country, the climbers, new entrants and apps launched in the last 90 days.
Open toolGoogle Play · Music & Audio
US · Chart Movers
Daily: a category's top 10 in a country, the climbers, new entrants and apps launched in the last 90 days.
Open toolOne-Star Reasons
Sorts an app's recent 1-2★ reviews by reason: crashes, ads, price, login, speed, with the version gap.
Open toolQuestions
Should a concert ticket app be in Music and Audio on Google Play?
Google Play lists concert tickets among the Events category examples. On the App Store, concert ticketing is one of the Music category examples.
Do I need a declaration to play audio in the background?
On Google Play, if you target Android 14 or later, you declare the foreground service types you use on the App content page in Play Console; media playback is one of them.
Read more
Choosing an app category and reading top charts on both stores
How to choose a primary and secondary category on the App Store and a category plus 5 tags on Google Play, and how to read category top charts.
Read the guideIn-app events on the App Store: limits, badges, examples and a calendar
App Store in-app events: every limit (10 live, 15 approved, 31 days, 14 days early), media specs, which badge to pick, 10 example events and a 12-month plan.
Read the guideApp Store subscription offers: introductory, promotional, offer codes and win-back
The four App Store subscription offers side by side: who gets them, where they show, limits and setup steps, plus a decision tree for which one to use when.
Read the guideGuideline 3.1.1 In-App Purchase rejections: what needs IAP and what doesn't
What needs in-app purchase under Guideline 3.1.1, what may use other payment, the 3.1.1(a) link rules and US storefront exception, and 3.1.2 subscriptions.
Read the guideSources
- Categories and discoverability (Apple Developer)
- Choose a category and tags for your app or game (Play Console Help)
- App Review Guidelines 2.5.4, 3.1.3, 5.2.3 (Apple Developer)
- Understanding foreground service and full-screen intent requirements (Play Console Help)
- Payments policy (Play Console Help)
- In-App Event badges (App Store Connect Help)