Apple Music for Android updated with new Friends Mix and more.

Apple Music on Android brings over 40 million songs for users to listen online or offline and the app has been downloaded over 10 million times. Which is not bad considering how antagonistic Apple and Android fans are. And the reviews in Google Play Store are quite positive. 

In case you're wondering, I had to resort to Apple Music for my music consumption for the simple reason that Google's Play Music is not available in my region. Sure I can buy or rent Movies, but no music. And now I'm deep into Apple's musical ecosystem, no matter what Google does, the chances to get me out of it equal to zero. So much for you Google.

This update includes some nice features, but my preferred one is the "Friends Mix". Basically, it compiles a list of the songs that the app thinks I'll like from everything my friends are listening to. This is cool and saves me from browsing the long list of songs available on the platform. And better yet, Apple Music also plays the top 100 songs from countries around the world. Again saving me from perusing the list for something I like. I'm kind of lazy if you haven't figured out by now.

Here are the other features in this update:

• Android Auto: The best of Apple Music in your car.
• Search by Lyrics. Use a few of the words to find a song.
• New Artist page: Play an artist with one tap, or browse all the music with the improved design.

Apple Music is free to download in Google Play Store. Subscriptions start at $4.99 per month. 

Instagram introduces Music in Stories.

Have you ever watched a movie without sound or music? And did you like it? It probably sounded weird as a soundtrack is essential to any movie and as of today, will most likely become key to your Instagram Stories.

Instagram announced the 400 million people who use Stories every day will now be able to add music to their Stories from a library of thousands of songs. Instagram added a new music icon and when you tap on it, you get access to a music library from which to browse by mood, genre or what's popular. Of course, songs can be previewed. 

Once you've found the song you like and that fits your Story, you can go even further and rewind or forward to the part of the song that best fits your Story. Instagram recognizes "that music can play an important role in how you share your moments and express yourself with friends and we're working hard to bring it to the global community in the future."

Music is available on Instagram version 51 in "select countries". However, the ability to choose a song before capturing a video is only available in iOS only, but the company says this feature is coming to Android soon. If you live in one of those "select countries", look for version 51 in Google Play Store.

Apple Music lets users watch videos while browsing the app and listen to music videos in the background.

Apple Music received an update on Android that brings some improvements to music videos within the app. The changelog contains four items, all of them related to music videos, and one of my favorite new features is the ability to continue watching videos while browsing the music app. A Picture-In-Picture (PIP) capability in Apple Music itself. Unfortunately, Apple is not enabling PIP on Android yet. A full-featured PIP on Android would allow users to continue watching videos while using other apps on Android 7.1 or 8 devices.

My second feature is the ability to listen to music videos in the background. Another nice feature which comes in handy when I want to, say, read an incoming email without Apple Music pausing the video.

The other two items in the release notes are:

• Watch them [music videos] in full screen or inside Now Playing.
• Add your favorite music videos to playlists to watch them back-to-back.

Hopefully, Apple will surprise us with full PIP support in a future update. Why not? They're close anyway or so I want to believe. Until then, check Apple Music in the Play Store and enjoy music videos.

TuneIn 19.0 for Android gets a new icon, a sneak peak into things to come.

TuneIn Radio brings the world's largest collection of radio stations to your Android device, that's over 100,000 stations for your listening pleasure with categories including songs, podcasts, shows and more. The app is also cross-platform, therefore available on Windows Phone, iOS and Windows. TuneIn also has a social touch in that you can share whatever you're listening with your followers and vice-versa. The Android version of the app is also Android Wear friendly and works with Chromecast too.

Today TuneIn has been updated with a new icon which is “inspired by the ON AIR radio signage, it’s a sneak peak into things to come.” Obviously, TuneIn refrains from revealing what is to come, but we can safely assume it’s going to be good. So, this update is more like a placeholder for upcoming new features. As of this writing, Google Play Store still doesn't display the new icon, but you'll see it on your Android device after updating.

The change log does mention an upgrade to Google Play Services 11.4.0. Google Play Services “is an extension of the Google Play ecosystem and Google automatically updates Google Play services on all supported devices via the Google Play Store to ensure API consistency across devices and versions, and to deliver fixes and new features in a timely fashion…”

This update also includes the usual bug fixes, crash fixes and improvements.

Check out TuneIn in Google Play Store.

VLC for Android gets a major update with a plethora of new features.

VLC for Android is a very popular multimedia player and in addition to that, it is cross-platform that will work on your phone, tablet and desktop. VLC can play almost about every type of multimedia file formats as well as network streaming protocols and it is also a feature-packed audio player.

Today, VLC has been updated with a major update that contains a plethora of new features.

Here’s the full change log:

·       360^o videos support.

·       Android Auto implementation.

·       More dynamic and material-compliant UI.

·       Enable Picture-In-Picture mode on Android O.

·       Refactored MediaLibrary.

·       DayNight mode integration.

·       New Search activity and integration with Google Now.

·       Resume position for audio media tagged as audiobook or podcast.

·       Double tap on screen edges in video player to seek by 10s.

·       Audio boost in video player.

·       Custom equalizer presets.

·       Improve RTL support.

·       Improve app & video player start speed.

As the developer puts it in the app description in the Play Store, “VLC is intended for everyone, is totally free, has no ads, no in-app-purchases, no spying and is developed by passionate volunteers. All the source code is available for free.”

VLC for Android is a must-have app for your multimedia needs on your devices. You won’t find a better offer in the store. Seriously, nothing beats a full-featured free app.

Get it in Google Play Store.

Apple fixes an issue that prevented users from adding to their library.

About a week ago, Apple brought an important update to Apple Music on Android. The company added a feature for users to follow their friends to see the music they are listening to and the playlists they shared. To enjoy this, users are required to create a profile to “discover music with friends.” In addition, Apple also included Voice Search powered by Google. Users can “touch and hold the home button or say “OK Google” to use your voice to play artists, albums, songs, and Beats 1 on Apple Music.” That was it for version 2.2.

Today, the Cupertino company released another update, albeit a minor one which raises the version number to 2.2.1, which fixes an issue that “may prevent users from adding to their library.”

That’s all there is to it, so head over to Google Play Store to download this update.

Apple Music for Android fixes an issue that may prevent listening to downloaded music while offline.

Tomorrow most of the world will be celebrating music day and Apple has issued an update for its Apple Music app on Android, surely unintentionally, to fix an issue that prevented listeners from listening to downloaded music while offline. The update also includes the usual “minor app and performance improvements”.

Apple Music on Android brings over 40 million songs for users to listen online or offline and the app has been downloaded over 10 million times. Which is not bad considering how antagonistic Apple and Android fans are. And the reviews in Google Play Store are quite positive. I cannot compare how Google Music fares against Apple offerings since the former is not available in Mauritius. However, Google Movies is open. Go figure.

If you’re a hardcore Android fan, or not, and would like to give Apple Music a try, go to Google Play Store to download the app and you can sign up for a free three months trial. An Apple ID account is required.
  

TuneIn introduces offline listening of audio-books for premium users.

Not everyone has unlimited data on their devices, so it is nice to see developers consider this important aspect of life when making apps for our devices. Today TuneIn, the online radio and music app for Android has been updated to allow premium users to download audio-books for offline listening. A download button is now available in the audio-book profile for users to download their favorite audio-books for listening on the go. Since audio-books are large files, the device must be connected to Wi-Fi to download. Remember, this new feature is available to premium users of TuneIn only. 

Version 18.0 of TuneIn also fixes an issue for a crash on Android TV; a fix for a crash on device rotation on Home; a fix for a bug that was occurring on deep links.

TuneIn brings over 100, 000 stations to your device for your listening pleasure. That's quite a large selection of sports, news, music and talks. Check out TuneIn in Google Play Store.

The free version of TuneIn can be downloaded here.

SoundCloud for Android now supports saving songs to a storage card for offline listening.

SoundCloud is available on Android in three packages with the first one being free and giving access to 120 millions songs "from emerging and established artists." If you subscribed to the free offering, you will not be able to listen to your music offline as opposed to SoundCloud Go and SoundCloud Go+ packages. If you subscribed to the latter two packages worth $4.99 and $9.99 per month, you will be able to download your songs to the storage card if your device supports it.  

Check out the complete SoundCloud offers below before heading to Google Play Store to download or update the app:

SOUNDCLOUD FREE:

- Over 120 million tracks from emerging and established artists
- Get suggested tracks based on your likes and listening habits
- Discover incredible music in each genre with SoundCloud charts, from all-time greats to the newest and hottest tracks
- Connect with friends and interact with your favorite artists directly
- Create playlists for parties, workouts, on the way to work, or whatever mood you're in

SOUNDCLOUD GO:

- Discover, stream, and share a constantly expanding mix of music – anytime, anywhere
- Over 120 million tracks from emerging and established artists
- Take your collection offline, everywhere you go
- No ads, for an uninterrupted listening experience
- Support artists – a percentage of all revenue from SoundCloud Go is paid to creators on the platform
- All for just $4.99/month*

SOUNDCLOUD GO+:

- Upgrade to Go+ for a fully expanded catalog of over 150 million tracks, including superstars from major labels and indies
- Take your collection offline, everywhere you go
- No more 30 second previews — all music on SoundCloud, including premium Go+ tracks, is fully accessible to stream and save offline
- No ads
- Support artists – a percentage of all revenue from SoundCloud Go+ is paid to creators on the platform
- 30 days free, then $9.99/month**

Unfortunately, the 30 days free offer is limited to users in the United States.

Apple Music for Android gets new design and provides lyrics for you to sing along as you listen.

Having to Pay Apple to stream music on my Android device is kind of a bummer to me and I have Google to blame for not opening up their Music service to my region. The funny thing is that I've never used Apple Music app on the iPad I once owned, but with Google still denying me access, I had no choice but to subscribe to Apple's service to listen to music and I like it. Should Google finally open up their music service in the region, I'm just going to ignore it. That aside, lets look at the update Apple published to the store today.

This is a major update which raises the version number to 2.0 and the most striking change is the app design which is similar to Apple's Music app for iOS. Apple just does not give a damn to Google Material design. Anyway the latter is not a requirement to get apps published in Google Play Store, but are guidelines for developers, should they choose to use the material design. 

In addition to the design change, Apple Music will now also show the lyrics for the songs we listen to and which be be helpful as we sing along.

The Hamburger menu has also been revisited. It now shows less categories. In fact, the entire app looks less cluttered, making navigating titles fast and easier.

Here's the complete change log:

An all-new design brings greater clarity and simplicity to Apple Music:

Now Playing. Read lyrics for songs as you listen.

Library. Navigate your music easily and see the Downloaded Music you can play offline.

For You. Get recommendations for playlists, albums, and more—based on music you love.

Browse. Listen to new music first, plus playlists for any mood or activity.

Radio. Tune in to Beats 1 shows or listen to stations for any genre.

Download or update Apple Music in Google Play Store and get an individual membership for $4.99.

Apple Music for Android drops beta moniker.

Just a quick note about Apple Music app for Android that has dropped its beta moniker yesterday and thanking users for their feedback. The app already has over 5 million downloads in the Play Store. This update includes an equalizer settings and "a variety of performance, playback, and stability improvements."

Apple offers three memberships subscription you can choose from:

Individual Membership
For $9.99 per month > For less than the price of most albums, you get access to the full Apple Music library, expert recommendations, our take on the best music and on-demand radio stations.

Family Membership
For $14.99 per month > The whole world of music for the whole family. Up to six people can enjoy unlimited access to Apple Music on their devices.
Student Membership
For $4.99 per month > Get the complete Apple Music experience with personalized recommendations, the best new music, and more at a price designed for students.

Get the update from Google Play store for free.

Apple Music for Android update fixes a playback issue and albums appearing in unexpected order.

Apple Music is still in beta on Android and you might want to give it a try as Apple is still offering a free three months trial before you decide to pay for a subscription plan and enjoy all the music you like among the 30 million songs in the catalog.

Apple offers three memberships subscription you can choose from:

Individual Membership
For $9.99 per month > For less than the price of most albums, you get access to the full Apple Music library, expert recommendations, our take on the best music and on-demand radio stations.

Family Membership
For $14.99 per month > The whole world of music for the whole family. Up to six people can enjoy unlimited access to Apple Music on their devices.
Student Membership
For $4.99 per month > Get the complete Apple Music experience with personalized recommendations, the best new music, and more at a price designed for students.

As stated above, the Apple Music app is still beta and Apple is regularly offering updates ta make the experience as enjoyable as on iOS, the OS that powers their iPhones ad iPads. The update they published today does not introduce anything new but fixes a few things like a playback issue where songs skip over the first two seconds of music. There is also a fix "where albums added to a playlist appear in an unexpected order."

Grab the update for Apple Music Beta in Google Play store.

Source: Apple

SoundCloud introduces Stations as a new way to discover tracks.

SoundCloud today announced the debut of "Stations" which it presents as a "new way to discover the tracks you've never heard anywhere else." In other words, users will create stations based on their search term, content stream or collection to generate an endless stream of "awesome audio" from over 100 million tracks, according to SoundCloud. The Stations are then accessed in Collections along with Playlists and Likes.

The update is already available for download in Google Play Store.

Source: SoundCloud

TuneIn update lets you select your preferred stream bitrate.

TuneIn Radio brings the world's largest collection of radio stations to your Android device, that's over 100,000 stations for your listening pleasure with categories including songs, podcasts, shows and more. The app is also cross-platform, therefore available on Windows Phone, iOS and Windows. TuneIn also has a social touch in that you can share what you're listening with your followers and vice-versa. The Android version of the app is Android Wear friendly and works with Chromecast too.

The app was updated today with, among other features, the ability to select your preferred bitrate. Check the  full change log below and get the update in Google Play Store:

-Now you can select your preferred stream bitrate. Opt to always connect to high quality or low quality streams, when available.

-New setting lets you turn off blur on player

-New setting allows you do disable lock screen images

-Save your position in list on recordings

-Deep link fixes

-Fixes for Car Mode display

-Fix for 5-minute phone call interruption bug

-Chromecast bug fixes

-Additional bug fixes

SoundCloud adds Chromecast support to its Android app.

Listening to music and audio for free is great and SoundCloud serves you that on as many devices as possible while regularly updating the app. Today, SoundCloud is rolling another update that adds support for Google Chromecast, Android TV and speakers. Your listening experience can only get better with additional support of Google's popular streaming dongle. If you have been holding up on getting a Chromecast, SoundCloud brings you a good excuse to get one. The SoundCloud team also made some performance improvements and bug fixes that raises the version number to 15.08.14.

Navigate to the Play Store to update or download SoundCloud for Android.

SoundCloud picks up update that fixes resource problem on Samsung phones.

The popular SoundCloud app for Android got a minor update today that raises the version number to 15.07.28. According to the change log, the update brings some "major" playlist update which let users create private playlists, shuffle and remove tracks. Owners of Samsung phones will see a resource problem fixed.

Download the update from Google Play Store and enjoy free music on your Android device.

SoundCloud rolls out "play related track" to Android devices.

Listening to music on SoundCloud just got better today thanks to a new algorithm that lets users select a track and then select "play related tracks" from the menu overflow. This feature is meant to make "discovering your next favorite even easier", according to the company. This new feature is part of an update that raises the version number to 15.07.15, which addresses other issues as well as per the change log below:

• Uploading of files work again.
• We fixed sticky notifications for users an Android 4.x.
• For our Cyanogen Mod 12.1 and 11.x users: you should have a crash-free experience now.
• And many, many more bug fixes and stability improvements.

 Head over to Google Play store to download the update and enjoy a new listening experience.

TuneIn Radio gets playback & buffering improvements, updated widgets.

TuneIn Radio brings the world's largest collection of radio stations to your Android device, that's over 100,000 stations for your listening pleasure with categories including songs, podcasts, shows and more. The app is also cross-platform, therefore available on Windows Phone, iOS and Windows. TuneIn also has a social touch in that you can share what you're listening with your followers and vice-versa. The Android version of the app is also Android Wear friendly and works with Chromecast too.

TuneIn Radio has an update available in Play store with the following improvements and fixes:

• playback & buffering improvements.
• updated homescreen widgets.
• chromecast improvements and bug fixes.
• several bluetooth bug fixes.