Listen to music, news, and podcasts on your Pixel Tablet

You can listen to music, news, podcasts, and radio on your Pixel Tablet with a variety of apps and services available in the Google Play Store .

You can also link apps and services to Google Assistant and control playback with on-screen controls or voice commands, even when your tablet is locked and attached to a Charging Speaker Dock.

• To dock your Pixel Tablet and use Hub Mode, you need a Charging Speaker Dock.
• You might need to unlock the tablet before you can use Google Assistant voice commands to play news, radio, podcasts, or other media from certain apps and services.

How to listen to media on your Pixel Tablet

You can listen to music, news, podcasts, and radio by installing your favorite apps or using Google Assistant.

Install your favorite apps to listen to media

You can download apps from the Google Play Store to play media from your favorite streaming apps and services. Install an app, sign in or create an account, and play media using the app's controls.

Use Google Assistant to listen to media

Some streaming apps and services are compatible with Google Assistant, so you can use "Hey Google" to play media with your Pixel Tablet.

Tip: You need to link your media services in your Assistant settings to use this feature.

Listen to music, podcasts, and more in Hub Mode

Important: To dock your Pixel Tablet or use Hub Mode, you need a Charging Speaker Dock. You can purchase the Pixel Tablet with or without a dock, or purchase a dock separately.

To listen to media when your tablet is locked and docked in Hub Mode:

1. Open your device's Settings app .
2. Tap Hub Mode Assistant.
3. Turn on Use Assistant to play music, movies, and more when your tablet is locked.
4. To turn off this setting, tap it again.

How to control media playback on your Pixel Tablet

When you play media on your Pixel Tablet, you can control media playback on your touchscreen, with Assistant voice commands, or with the Google Home app.

Control media by touch

When media is playing in Hub Mode, you can control playback on your lock and Home screens by touch. A media widget will automatically appear with buttons to control what plays.

Some media apps have widgets you can add to your Home screen for easy touch control. Place the widget on your Home screen, then tap the widget to control the volume, pause playback, skip or change songs or podcasts, change the radio station, and more.

Control media with Assistant voice commands

Once you link your streaming services to Google Assistant, you can use voice commands to control media on your Pixel Tablet.

Learn more about Google Assistant voice commands you can use to play media.

If you speak a voice command to play media before you set up a default service for it, you get a Google Assistant notification. To set up a default service, tap the notification and follow the on-screen instructions.

Control media with the Google Home app (Hub Mode only)

When you play media on your Pixel Tablet in Hub Mode, you can use the Google Home app on your phone to raise or lower the volume, control playback, and change where you listen:

1. Make sure your mobile device or tablet is linked to the same account as your Pixel Tablet.
2. On your phone or tablet, open the Google Home app .
3. Tap the current media session for:
   • Playback controls
   • Volume control
   • Playback device control

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• Listen to music
• Listen to news or podcasts
• Listen to radio