The Apple Music app for Android has gotten a new update, and the new design looks similar to its iOS counterpart. Along with the visual makeover, segregating the content in a few sections such as Radio, Browse, Library and For You, the Playing screen now looks similar to the iOS screen and has lyrics integration as well.
Bringing Android on par with iOS
The revamped design is clear and simpler to use, and the user can read the lyrics as they play a song. In the library, users can navigate the music and also download it to play offline. Further, a user can get recommendations for playlists, albums and music. Under the revamped interface, Android users can browse, listen and also create playlists based on a mood or activity.
Apple has only three apps on Android, including the Beats Pill+ speaker, a migration tool for transferring data to iOS, and its Music app. The company prefers not to make its service available on other platforms, but to compete against rivals such as Spotify, it had to bring its Music app to Android. Users also would have been reluctant to sign up for the service if they sensed any limitation in switching devices, notes AppleInsider.
Apple, however, appears not very keen to invest much time in Android even though it is looking to compete with rival services such as Spotify and Pandora, notes TechCrunch. There are a few reasons for this. First, the Android app is getting what the iOS app got last fall.
Second, despite the update, the new version does not address the complaints that some reported about the sign-in bug. Users were prompted to feed in their Apple ID verification code to go though the sign-in page in order to complete the process after entering their Apple ID and Password. The user never gets to where they need to enter the code, and an alert simply flashes on the screen, notes TechCrunch.
What’s next for Apple Music?
After claiming 20 million paid subscribers, the iPhone maker has new plans for Music apps and looks determined to go ahead with them. Along with the maiden original content and TV shows on Apple Music, the company is also keen to expand Beats 1 and amend the Apple Music app to highlight video content.
Trailers for the first two original pieces of content, Carpool Karaoke and Planet of the Apps, are already out, giving insight into Apple’s plans. The company stated in February that there could be a standalone app the Planet of the Apps show with interactive content for fans and something more than the regular episodes.
It also said, “What it’s also going to be is an app…how do you take all of this incredible content and this deep educational immersive experience we have within the show and go into different elements of it for longer and have parts of the show be controlled by the consumer watching it not just in its linear representation.”
