Retail News CRM

Tag: music

  • Apple Music plans on challenging Spotify

    Apple Music plans on challenging Spotify

    Last week, Spotify announced that during the first quarter of this year, the number of its paid subscribers rose 21% to 158 million. During that quarter, Spotify HiFi was unveiled which will give subscribers the option to listen to lossless streaming music in select markets later this year. Spotify says that the feature will allow subscribers to “listen to their favorite songs the way artists intended,” and that this is “consistently one of the most requested new features.”

    Apple recently released iOS 14.6 developer beta 1. Code found in the release mentioned things like “Dolby Atmos,” “Dolby Audio,” and “Lossless.” The references do not appear in iOS 14.5 and in iOS 14.6 beta 2 which means that Apple could be trying to make this a secret.

    Besides Spotify, whose high-quality stream will be available later this year, Amazon Music HD offers a higher-quality stream at 320kbps for $14.99 a month ($12.99 for Prime members), $5 more a month than its standard plan. Tidal has a lossless service priced at $19.99 monthly that streams at 1,411 Kbps.

    Apple could introduce the lossless streaming tier for Apple Music during virtual WWDC 2021 which is scheduled to kick off on June 7th. Additionally, some believe that Apple will announce the new Apple Music tier at the same time that it introduces new AirPods which might include the AirPods 3, the AirPods Pro 2 and two other possible models. However, TF International analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said back in March that the third-generation “earable” won’t see the light of day until the third quarter (July-September) of this year.

    Speaking of AirPods, if you can’t wait for the next generation models to launch, check out the best sales and deals on the most popular TWS earbuds in the world.

  • Google Play Music’s last update helps users get rid of the Android app

    Google Play Music’s last update helps users get rid of the Android app

    Google’s Play Music service is officially dead, but it seems that the Android app needed one last update that will allow users to completely get rid of it. Even those who have already migrated to YouTube Music are required to download the update since this is the only way to permanently hide the app.

    Most likely the last update for the Play Music app enables users to hide the app and all data associated with it. Many Android smartphones come preinstalled with the Play Music app and Google still hasn’t found a way to let people uninstall it, even though the service has been discontinued.

    If you don’t own a smartphone that doesn’t allow you to uninstall the Play Music, then this update is of no use since you probably already removed the app after switching to YouTube Music. The rest of you who can’t do that though should update the Play Music app and then tap the “Hide app” and/or “Delete all local data” options.

    Once both options are selected, the Play Music app should no longer appear in the app drawer. On top of that, you will no longer be able to run the app on your Android phone.

  • iPhone users finally getting the YouTube Music Now Playing redesign

    iPhone users finally getting the YouTube Music Now Playing redesign

    It took Google nine months to bring the redesigned Now Playing UI to YouTube Music users on iOS. iPhone owners probably don’t remember, but redesigned Now Playing UI was first released on Android back in June.

    The new redesign makes it easier to access various controls by putting them on the same page. For example, the shuffle and repeat buttons show up on the Now Playing page instead of being hidden in the queue. Some of the buttons have been moved around to make room for the new ones, but the important thing is that it’s now easier to access them.

    There’s one important feature that’s hidden behind the artwork displayed while a song is played, so make sure to tap on it if you want to share, download, start listening to a radio station, or cast. iPhone users who received the new UI will also notice that there’s a smaller Song/Video toggle at the top of the cover art.

    The new Now Playing UI redesigned is rolled out to iPhone users in waves. There’s no way to manually download this yet, as YouTube has decided to make it available via a server-side update.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Apple’s AirPods held sway over all competitors in the TWS Bluetooth Headset market

    Apple’s AirPods held sway over all competitors in the TWS Bluetooth Headset market

    According to research firm Strategy Analytics, Apple’s AirPods dominated the market for True Wireless Stereo (TWS) Bluetooth headsets in 2020. Overall, the accessory remains one of the hottest products in tech as the category saw sales soar 90% last year. Even after last year’s growth, there is room for more.

    Ville-Petteri Ukonaho, Strategy Analytics’ Associate Director, notes that globally, only one in 10 people own a Bluetooth headset. Ukonaho says that with companies like Apple and Samsung no longer including wired earphones in the box with new handsets, Strategy Analytics sees “huge potential” for Bluetooth headset sales.

    Ken Hyers, Director at Strategy Analytics, said, “TWS headsets drove global sales volumes in the Bluetooth headset segment. While the pandemic slowed demand briefly during the first half of the year, sales rebounded strongly during the second half. The Work From Home shift benefited the entire Bluetooth headset category in terms of sales volume growth.”

    Hyers also touched on Apple’s current domination of the TWS Bluetooth headset market while also pointing out that the tech giant’s share is shrinking thanks to competition this year from Samsung, Huawei, and Xiaomi. Hyers said, “Apple maintained a commanding lead in the TWS segment in 2020, but its commanding share is shrinking as competition intensifies. Strong competition is expected from Xiaomi, Samsung, and Huawei in 2021. The TWS headset market is already hugely overcrowded and despite a strong sales outlook, there will inevitably be consolidation in the years ahead.”

    Apple is expected to unveil two new AirPods versions this year, the third-generation AirPods and the second generation AirPods Pro. The new models could see the light of day this March. The first generation AirPods were released on December 13th, 2016 with the second-generation model launched last March. On October 30th, 2019, the AirPods Pro hit the market with new features including Active Noise Cancellation to remove ambient noise, and the Transparency mode to allow outside noises to be heard.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Tesla Working On Amazon And Apple Music Integration

    Tesla Working On Amazon And Apple Music Integration

    One of the biggest influences for the massive in-dash display for the Tesla Model S was the iPad. But even though Teslas have offered this sophisticated in-car infotainment experience, what’s strange is that lack of native Apple Music and Amazon Music integration. Instead, Tesla’s offer native Spotify integration. But this is set to change.

    Tesla notably doesn’t support phone mirroring options like Apple’s CarPlay and Android Auto so if you use Apple Music or Amazon Music as your streaming service of choice you can only play music via Bluetooth but not enjoy the advances of a deep user interface integration.

    Elon Musk has already stated that Tidal, lossless high fidelity audio streaming service will be integrated into the dashboard experience of the Teslas. However, now Electrek is reporting that the world’s largest automaker is also integrating Apple Music and Amazon music into the dashboard.

    The Electrek report cites a hacker called “green” who has spotted early versions of the integration in Tesla’s UI which he has also shared in a post on Twitter. He noticed this update in a recent software update which has enabled Tidal, Pandora, SiriusXM, and Audible. TuneIn Radio, Amazon and Apple Music remain disabled. But they should be coming soon as Audible is also owned by Amazon.

    There is no timeline as to when this will become official but considering Tidal is already active, it seems to be the furthest along in development. Apple Music and Amazon Music will almost certainly have a more delayed official release.

    Lees ook:

  • Amazon Music Unlimited users are getting a surprising new feature

    Amazon Music Unlimited users are getting a surprising new feature

    Amazon has been competing for years against music streaming services like Google Play Music, Spotify, and Apple Music, hence the large number of resources the US giant has been pouring into development.

    Lately, Amazon Music Unlimited has been gaining a lot of new customers to the point that the service is now just 5 million subscribers away from Apple Music, which recently revealed a 60 million subscriber count.

    But Amazon isn’t stopping here, so the next step is yet another important new feature that only Music Unlimited users will benefit from. Starting this week, Amazon Music Unlimited users will have access to a database of music videos they can watch.

    There’s little information about the new feature, although Amazon does mention that “paid subscribers can start with videos from a favorite artist or a video playlist.” At the moment, music videos can only be watched in the United States, and it’s unclear whether or not the feature will be introduced in other countries too.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Apple Music update brings some iOS 14 features to Android devices

    Apple Music update brings some iOS 14 features to Android devices

    Apple briefly tested some iOS 14 features for its Music app for Android devices last month, but they were only available for those able to access the beta version of the app. Starting this week, just about all the important changes that were spotted last month are now making it to the stable version of the Apple Music app.

    If you’re using Apple’s music streaming service on an Android phone, here is what you’ll get in the latest update. First off, the update adds Listen Now, a new section that replaces the For You tab, a brand-new search experience, which involves relocating the search icon to the bottom bar, and, finally, an enhanced playback experience.

    Under the “enhanced playback experience” tag, you can include important new features like Autoplay, Crossfade, as well as the possibility to share on Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat Stories. All of these new features are now available to all Apple Music users on Android devices.

    Besides the most obvious stuff, Apple mentions that the update also improved the app’s performance, which means a lot of under-the-hood changes were made too. To get the most out of your Apple Music app, you can download the latest update right now via the Google Play Store.

    Lees ook:

  • Apple’s environmentally-motivated decision is boosting sales of its new wireless earphones

    Apple’s environmentally-motivated decision is boosting sales of its new wireless earphones

    The new iPhone 12 series, as well as older models that Apple continues to sell, don’t come with a power adapter or EarPods. Apple claims it took this step to cut down on environmental waste. Although rivals like Samsung, Xiaomi, and OnePlus have mocked the company for removing these accessories, a new precedent may have been set. Apple is already benefiting from the removal of the EarPods from the iPhone 12 retail box.

    Beats, which is owned by Apple, announced the new neckband-style $49.99 Beats Flex on October 13, the same day the iPhone 12 series was revealed. The release of the neck-mounted headphones was also perfectly timed – they went on sale on October 23, which is when the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro hit the shelves.

    According to supply chain insiders, the Beats Flex is off to a good start, and the sales momentum is expected to continue well into the first half of the next year.

    The report also claims that the AirPods, which had 35 percent of the True Wireless Earphones (TWS) market in the second quarter of 2020 per research firm Counterpoint, continue to do well.

    Usually, TWS sales peak in the third quarter, before edging down in the fourth quarter. The case is different this year, as demand remains strong, probably because many people continue working from home.

    Supply-side sources also believe that other vendors will also stop bundling headphones with their new smartphones. Needless to say, this would further boost wireless earphone shipments.

    According to a forecast by research firm Canalys, TWS sales will grow 29 percent in 2020.

    Lees ook:

  • Google shuts down Play Music Store, users advised to transition to YouTube Music

    Google shuts down Play Music Store, users advised to transition to YouTube Music

    Despite repeatedly announcing the upcoming closure of Google Play Music, there are probably a lot of people who are still using the music streaming service. Google has been adamant that regardless of whether or not YouTube Music will reach the parity of Play Music feature-wise, those using the latter will eventually have to switch to the former.

    Today, Google took one important step toward the deprecation of Play Music. The search giant announced that the Music store on Google Play is no longer available. If you’re one of the many music lovers who are still using Google Play Music, you have three choices as of today.

    First off, if you wish to continue listening to your Play Music library, discover new music with personalized recommendations, you must transfer your library to YouTube Music. Secondly, if you don’t want to transition to YouTube Music, you can keep your purchased music via Google Takeout. This option allows you to download previously purchased music from Google Play Uploaded tracks, your music wishlist and reviews, a list of the tracks, playlists, and radio stations in your library.

    Finally, there’s also the option to delete your Play Music library and recommendations history from the Google Play Music account settings. No matter which of the three options you choose, you must act by the end of the year, since that’s when the Google Play Music app will no longer be accessible and all data will be lost.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Spotify’s newest feature finally puts it on par with Apple Music

    Spotify’s newest feature finally puts it on par with Apple Music

    Spotify is the leading music streaming service and the company is continuously trying to improve its platform. Today, it has rolled out a useful new feature to Android and iOS users around the world.

    The feature hasn’t been given an official name but it essentially upgrades in-app search with support for lyrics. Once enabled, Spotify users can search for a song by typing in some of the lyrics.

    That comes in handy when you don’t know the name of the song or artist. It should also reduce the dependence on third-party apps such as SoundHound and Shazam, the latter of which is owned by Apple.

    Speaking of the Tim Cook-led company, this new search feature finally puts Spotify on par with arch-rival Apple Music, which has supported the in-app lyric search for a couple of years now.

    The news comes less than a week after Spotify updated its Collaborative Playlists feature to make it easier to add friends and family members while also introducing user avatars in the playlist header and alongside each song of the episode.
    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Shazam! Apple releases public beta for iOS 14.2

    Shazam! Apple releases public beta for iOS 14.2

    Last week, just the day after it released iOS 14, Apple introduced the developer beta for iOS 14.2. Today, the first public beta version of both was launched by Apple and it allows for the addition of the Shazam music recognition feature to the Control Center. To do this, you must first have the iOS 14 public beta installed. That can be accomplished by signing up with the Apple Beta Software Program. Then, go to Settings > General > Software Update to install the iOS 14.2 beta.

    After you’ve installed the beta, you will need to go to Settings > Control Center > More Controls and add Shazam to the Control Center. For those unaware with what Shazam does, it listens to and identifies music playing in the background, in apps, and even though a user’s AirPods. Apple, in one of its typically strategic acquisitions, purchased Shazam in December 2017 for a reported $400 billion. In iOS 14, you can even use Shazam with the new picture-in-picture feature to discover the music playing inside a video.

    Also coming to the iOS 14.2 beta is a People Detection feature that measures the distance between two people; this is found in the Magnifier app. There are also some other changes including a new icon for the Apple Watch app that shows the new Apple Watch Solo Loop. And a new Now Playing widget will be available for the Control Center that lists recently played albums that you might want to listen to again when nothing else is playing.

    If you’re wondering what has become of iOS 14.1, Apple could be planning to install it on the new iPhone 12 models just before release. That should happen sometime next month.

    Lees ook:

  • Waze announces partnership with Amazon Music, adds new features

    Waze announces partnership with Amazon Music, adds new features

    During its first major virtual event suggestively called Waze On, the navigation company owned by Google revealed a slew of new features coming to the app, as well as an important partnership with another big name – Amazon.

    First off, Waze confirmed that Amazon Music will join its audio player partner program in the coming months so that Waze users can listen to Amazon Music in the app’s audio player without having to switch between apps.

    As far as the new features go, Waze revealed a bunch of those that will be available sooner or later on all compatible platforms. Lane Guidance is one of the new features announced today that will probably make many drivers very happy.

    With Lane Guidance, drivers will receive information in real-time about which lane to be when merging or exiting a stretch of freeway or highway. This is rolling out to users worldwide starting right now.

    Traffic Notifications is another important feature that will be available to users next month. It tells drivers how traffic will impact their journey to favorite/frequent destinations, in addition to one-time planned drives.

    Another major improvement coming to Waze users in October is Trip Suggestions, which shows personalized recommendations based on trips taken in the past, as well as locations are recently driven to. With Waze Trip Suggestions, drivers will get all the information they need before leaving, including the time the trip will take and the traffic along the way.

    Finally, there are some carpool features that Waze users in some markets will get later this month. The so-called “real-time rides” feature is meant to notify Waze drivers when they leave about riders on their route that are looking to carpool. This feature will also include integration with Moovit.

    Lees ook:

  • YouTube Music introduces assistive playlists on Android and iOS

    YouTube Music introduces assistive playlists on Android and iOS

    YouTube Music has added a lot of new features and improvements in the last couple of months, but the most recent one is quite useful for those who’d like to listen to similar songs that made it their favorite playlists.

    As the title says, YouTube Music now features so-called “assistive playlists,” an easy way to provide users with suggestions of relevant songs based on playlist name, existing songs in the playlists, and listening history.

    Google’s algorithm will now know what music you like and suggests songs that are not on your playlists but you might like. The new feature offers up to seven suggestions when editing playlists, but you can add even more when you hit the Refresh button.

    If you missed any of the previous new features introduced by YouTube Music in recent months, here is a quick rundown of the most important ones. First off, we have collaborative playlists that let you create and modify playlists with other YouTube Music users.

    Then, there are the profile page playlists that allow you to browse other listener’s public music playlists and uploaded music videos from their profile page on the music streaming service.

    With the new “Mixed for You” section in the YouTube Music home feed, users can easily find playlists created by Google including Discover mix, New release mix, Your mix, and Liked songs playlists.

    Last but not least, YouTube Music has been improved with programmed mood and genre playlists for those who want to listen to specific tunes. All the new YouTube Music features are now available worldwide on Android and iOS devices.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • YouTube Music gets improved, easier to explore library on Android

    YouTube Music gets improved, easier to explore library on Android

    YouTube is making changes to its Music app that will make it easier for users to explore some of its features. YouTube Music’s changed library design was first spotted early this month by AndroidPolice, but it was only available to a limited number of Android users.

    The most important improvement is the ability to add songs and albums to your library without having to manually subscribe to the artist. An “Add to Library” option will now appear in the new menu, which will allow you to add albums and songs directly to your library, a couple of screenshots posted on Reddit suggest.

    The organization of the library has been changed too, so now the most important things like artists and songs are front and center. The previous version of the library displayed recent items and shortcuts to downloads and playlists. You had to scroll at the bottom of the list to actually find songs and artists.

    Unfortunately, the update that’s not rolling out to Android devices doesn’t include the new player UI and the Explore tab that YouTube Music announced last week. Another update will most likely enable those new features in the near future.

  • Apple Music app arrives on Samsung Smart TVs, owners get free subscriptions

    Apple Music app arrives on Samsung Smart TVs, owners get free subscriptions

    Samsung has just announced that its Smart TVs are now compatible with Apple’s Music app. If you own a Samsung Smart TV launched in the last two years, you’ll be able to download and install the new Apple Music app, but you’ll need a subscription to use it.

    The Apple Music app can be found in the Samsung Smart TV App Store and requires users to sign in to an existing account with their Apple ID. Those who don’t have an Apple Music subscription can apply for one directly from their TV. More importantly, all Samsung Smart TV owners can try Apple Music for free for 3 months. The deal applies to individual, family and student subscriptions.

    Apple Music subscribers will get access to Beats 1 radio station, a global live stream with exclusive shows by popular artists like Nicki Minaj, The Weeknd, DJ Khaled, and Elton John, as well as “At Home With Apple Music” content that offers editorial playlists, group FaceTime chats with artists and more.

    Keep in mind that besides the option to stream over 60 million songs ad-free, Apple Music subscribers can also watch original shows, trending concerts, as well as other exclusive content directly on their Samsung Smart TVs.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook: