How to Fully Set Up a Google Play Account

If you have an Android smartphone or tablet, you probably already use Google Play to download apps. However, you can also use Google Play to purchase songs, movies, e-books and more from your Android device or your home computer. You can even upload the songs from your computer so that you can listen to them from your online Google Play account. To take full advantage of these features, create a Google Wallet account and install the Music Manager app on your computer.

Sign in to your Google account, or create one if you don't already have one (see Resources). If you plan to use your Google Play account on an Android phone or tablet, sign in using the same Gmail address associated with the device.

Click the icon with the square dots on the Google toolbar to display a list of Google Web apps. Click the "More" button, and then select the "Wallet" app to access the Google Wallet setup screen. You can also can access this screen from Google Play by attempting to purchase an item, or by trying to download a free song or e-book.

Enter your credit or debit card information. If you prefer to link your bank account instead, select "Add a Payment Method Later."

Click "Accept and Create" to establish the account and go to the Google Wallet page. From here, you can add your bank account or other credit cards as a payment option from the "Payment Methods" tab.

Download and Install the Google Music Manager app on your computer if you want to be able to upload music from your computer to Google Play, or listen to Google Play songs from your computer (see Resources). You can't install Music Manager until after you set up your Google Wallet account, even if you don't plan to make any purchases. After you install the app, it offers to upload any songs it finds on your computer.