Despite how you might personally feel about
downloading vs. streaming music, it’s abundantly clear that
streaming is the way of the future.
Just look at how many popular services there are: Spotify, Pandora,
SoundCloud, and even YouTube is now officially embracing the goodness of
music streaming.
But a lot of these services are Web-centric, and as far as their
Android
counterparts are concerned, it’s very hit-or-miss. A couple of them are
spectacular, but most are flawed in some way or another.
So if you mainly stream music on Android, here are the apps you need to consider.
Spotify is the reigning king of streaming music. Its library is
absolutely massive, spanning everything from mainstream goodies (
except for Adele and
Taylor Swift, unfortunately) to some of the most obscure artists you’ve never heard of.
In terms of popularizing the notion of streaming,
Spotify is very much the Netflix of music, and there’s a reason for its excellent reputation:
the service is high quality, and there aren’t any competitors that can play at Spotify’s level yet.
User Experience
Overall, there’s a lot to love about Spotify’s Android interface.
Whether you’re on a tight-screened smartphone or a big-screened tablet,
everything is cleanly laid out and intuitive to follow — no hidden
long-press menus for basic functions, which is a relief — and absolutely
no clutter.
What’s particularly nice is that you can play Spotify on multiple
devices, and they’ll stay synced up: if you move onto the next song with
your smartphone, so will your tablet.
My only real complaint is that everything is on the cloud (unless you
have a paid account, which we’ll discuss in a bit), so pages and songs
can be slow to load at times. Switching between playlists takes a few
more seconds than you might expect, and over time, this can be annoying.
Be sure to heed these
amazing Spotify tricks and tips to get the most out of it, especially if you bounce between the Android and desktop/Web versions.
Free vs Paid
The Free version of Spotify is quite unrestricted, but it does play
audio ads every few songs. Premium accounts have no ads at all, allow
for unlimited skips, and give you the ability to download songs for
offline playback.
Don’t forget to take advantage of the
offer for 3 months of Premium for $1 while you still can!
In late 2015, Google launched a new mobile app called YouTube Music,
designed for users who love using YouTube as their main source of music.
In fact, music is the
most common content type of all YouTube traffic. Not too surprising, is it?
What
is surprising is just how useful this app actually is. I
immediately wrote it off as a gimmick when I first heard of it, but
having given it a try, I have to say I’m impressed.
One downside is that it requires you to log into a YouTube account
before you can start using the app. An anonymous (or guest) option would
be really nice, but considering how
Google likes to force app logins, I don’t expect that to change.
Note that the first time you use YouTube Music, you’ll be signed up for a free 14-day trial of YouTube Red. No payment information is required, so don’t worry. Just something to be aware of.
User Experience
The best feature of YouTube Music is that it lets you listen in
audio-only form (not available for free accounts). For users on slower
connections or those who are tight on data, this feature is a
game-changer over the regular YouTube app.
The interface is pretty straightforward — nothing fancy about it, but
it never gets in the way either. One thing that I’m glad exists is the
Liked Songs list, which is based on all the liked videos on your
account.
But the selling point of this app is that it dynamically generates
stations of similar songs whenever you play something. As you listen and
like, it learns your tastes and the recommendations become more
accurate.
And of course, the app allows you to cast the songs you’re listening to onto
any Chromecast-connected device.
Free vs Paid
The app is completely free, but ad-supported. With a YouTube Red
subscription — $10 per month — you can get rid of ads, download music
for offline playback, and listen in audio-only mode. Though there have
been some
criticisms of YouTube Red since its launch.
Google Play Music comes pre-installed on most Android smartphones
these days, but if you don’t have it, you can always get it for free
right on the Play Store. And you should! Play Music is oft-considered to
be
one of the best Android music players.
It’s a two-in-one kind of deal: there is streaming music radio that
you can listen to, or you can upload your own music and stream it on the
Web or Android no matter where you go. It’s really convenient and the
closest competitor to Spotify.
User Experience
The interface is modern and easy to navigate — the same kind of
experience you’d expect from any of Google’s other apps. It’s very fast
and responsive, even on a last-gen device like mine, so you’ll rarely be
frustrated by lag.
While it’s easiest to just browse stations and libraries based on
titles, artists, or genres, Play Music can curate music for you based on
decades, activity, or even your current mood. Want happy, uplifting
songs? Google can deliver.
The whole process of uploading is easy, too. Just
transfer your music files onto the device
— typically using a USB cable or a wireless connection — and use the
app to pick and choose the ones you want uploaded to your account. (
Or just use your PC’s browser instead.)
Free vs Paid
Free accounts are limited to 50,000 uploaded songs, which is way more
than you think it is, and they have audio ads for radio. A subscription
costs $10 per month, but it includes downloading for offline playback,
no ads at all, and YouTube Red access.
SoundCloud is a bit different from the rest of the apps here, but
this difference is what makes it a worthy mention. It’s not great for
listening to your own music library, nor is it good for mainstream radio
— it’s for the in-between: budding musicians and indie artists.
If you aren’t using SoundCloud already,
you really should. There’s an entire world of undiscovered music out there that you won’t find on Spotify, Pandora, or YouTube.
User Experience
The reason why SoundCloud is so great for indie artists is because it
makes it incredibly easy to share your own music with others. The
built-in Record feature records the audio playback of the device, and
songs can be one-button shared to Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr.
No other music service is as artist-centric as this one.
The interface is only okay, though. You’ll be able to get around just
fine, but it feels a bit cramped and cluttered on devices with smaller
screens (which is weird because it’s mostly just a case of excess
whitespace). But overall, it’s smooth and fast, so I can’t complain too
much.
Free vs Paid
Everything about SoundCloud is free. No paid accounts or subscriptions to worry about.
Pandora pioneered the modern Internet radio trend and consistently lands among the best of the best when it comes to
Internet radio apps for Android. You probably know all about it by now, but in case you don’t, just know that we think very highly of it.
User Experience
The thing to understand about Pandora is that it isn’t a source for
on-demand music. If there’s a specific song you want, there’s no way to
guarantee that Pandora will play it. However, as a way to expand your
music exposure, Pandora is perfect.
Because this app is all about dynamically-generated stations, you can
search for any song, artist, or genre, and Pandora will start spitting
out songs that are similar to your search query. I can’t even count how
many amazing songs I’ve found with my dozens of stations.
But because Pandora’s database of music is relatively small (only a
few million), you may get sick of it. After 7+ years of regular Pandora
use, there’s little left for me to explore in the genres that interest
me.
Free vs Paid
Free users must deal with audio ads every few songs, a limit of 6
skips every hour, and standard audio quality. Pandora One costs $5 per
month and removes the ads, greatly increases the skip limit, and
improves the audio quality.
In the realm of Internet radio apps, TuneIn Radio is something
special. Instead of just creating online music playlists — whether those
playlists are dynamic or hand-crafted — TuneIn actually streams
real-life radio. This instantly sets it apart from services like
Pandora.
With over 100,000 radio stations available (including FM, AM, and
digital) combined with the fact that it has talk shows, sports, and
podcasts in addition to music, it’s pretty much impossible for you to
explore everything it has to offer.
User Experience
With so much to explore, it’s amazing that TuneIn never feels
overwhelming. Everything is broken down into manageable categories, and
the search bar is great at finding relevant stations.
But the thing that truly impresses me is Car Mode, which simplifies
the interface into the bare essential functions represented by larger
buttons. Since mobile music is often played during commutes and trips,
it pleases me to know that they’re doing something to make it easier
(and safer) for drivers.
And lastly, unlike most other music streaming apps, TuneIn supports
Chromecast, so you can cast whatever station you’re listening to onto
any Chromecast-connected TV for better audio.
Free vs Paid
Free accounts can only access non-premium stations (but there are
lots of them available) and must deal with banner ads in the app.
Premium costs $8 per month and unlocks premium stations, removes banner
ads, and even grants access to 40,000+ audiobooks.
Which Music Streaming App Is Best?
If I could only choose one music streaming app to use, I would
probably go with Spotify for its massive library of music and
beautiful-yet-practical interface, but I’d also greatly miss all of the
other apps.
Do pay special attention to YouTube Music. The concept is wonderful,
and if it’s this good at launch, one can only imagine how much better it
will be given another year or two of serious development.
And whatever you do, make sure you
use this awesome smartphone trick when you’re playing music on your phone but need a bit more volume than your device can handle.
Which app do you prefer for music streaming? Is there one that we missed? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
Source:
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