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Spotify Car Thing review: Just use your phone
Your phone can do the job better, and you need it around anyway
I’m a big fan of music, and finding new jams is so important to me that I can’t help but use Spotify. I wish the service paid artists better and would stop trying to shove podcasts down my throat, but its recommendations and dynamic playlists have been second to none, and I can thank it for most of the music I’ve discovered in the last half-decade, and my co-workers can thank it for my regular playlist Slack spam. But, my love for Spotify doesn’t extend to its new hardware. A Spotify-only in-car remote control for your phone is, frankly, pointless — but it doesn't have to be.
Spotify's new site charts top songs in more categories than we know what to do with
If you can't find something you like in here, you're out of luck
Spotify users have long been able to browse playlists of top songs, but what if you were looking for even more information about the latest trending tunes? Last year Spotify announced new Twitter and Instagram accounts called Spotify Charts to share its top music streams for the week, both in the US and around the world. Now Spotify is launching a new website “to go deep on all the data and see what music is moving listeners around the world” as a massive expansion to Charts.
Discord is getting a replacement for those music bots YouTube killed
Watch Together is a poor substitution for Groovy and Rythm
Discord was undoubtedly popular pre-pandemic, but in the time since, it's become a go-to application for virtual hangout sessions among friends who can't get together in person. One of the things that makes the app stand above similar services is third-party bots, which add new features to your servers to enhance your time in the app. Groovy and Rythm were two of the most popular bots online until they were killed by YouTube a few weeks ago, and now the video giant has returned with a "replacement" of its own.
Android Auto may get multitasking on the navigation screen, and somebody will surely complain
But it's just the split-screen mode for non-widescreen head units
Android Auto has gone through quite a few revisions over the years, with many changes aimed at making the interface easier to use while people are driving. With the latest update, a new interface is in development that may promise to keep the navigation screen in view all the time so drivers never have to switch screens just to check notifications or control music.
Android Auto starts suggesting music, news, and podcasts, so you can keep your focus on the road
Google is probably also trying to subtly fix your listening habits
We've heard it all along, Android Auto is designed around keeping your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road. While that doesn't always work out in practice, many of the changes to the Auto interface are at least intended to streamline your interactions with the screen. It looks like Google may have identified people were spending too much time browsing for music and podcasts, because a new shortcut now provides automatic suggestions that can get you listening without a lot of tapping.
Shuttle Music Player returns with a complete app rewrite and a snazzy new interface
For those of us who don't love streaming services
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Local audio players have become a bit of a niche app category, with streaming services taking over most of the market. But that's also an opportunity — many beautiful players have been created in recent years, like Phonograph, Plexamp, and more. One of the older apps on the market is Shuttle, first launched all the way back in 2012, and it's been getting a little long in the tooth. But following an extensive beta phase, its developer has now finally released the stable version of the follow-up — S2 Music Player.
The latest VLC beta freshens up the audio player interface
Along with some usability tweaks and a couple of new bugs to discover
VLC is a favorite among fans of digital media, at least those that haven't transitioned to streaming full time. Its flexibility is unmatched, thanks in no small part to the fact that it's been under continuous open source development for over twenty years. The latest Android beta version is available now, and it shakes things up a bit.
Google I/O features the triumphant return of 2020's hottest blob-based music act
Blob Opera returns, backed up by some boring humans
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Don't call it a comeback ... actually, yeah, it's a comeback. Google's Blob Opera digital experiment, a curiosity that became a brief sensation last December, will be back for tomorrow's Google I/O keynote speech. Google took to Twitter to make the announcement:
Spotify now lets you skip right to the good part when sharing podcasts
Canvases now work with Snapchat as well as Instagram
Over the last few months, Spotify has been redesigning and improving its app to make it easier to find the music you're looking for. These improvements are continuing as the company announces changes to the way music and podcasts are shared.
This cheap adapter replaced my car's crappy Bluetooth connection
Twenty bucks was all it took to give my old car decent music controls
A few weeks ago I bought a used Kia Soul. (Please, no comments from the peanut gallery.) I'm pretty pleased with it overall, and my dog Marty freakin' loves having the spacious back all to himself. But it's a 2013 model, made in that awkward period when pretty much all cars had Bluetooth, but they sucked at it. The Soul's built-in Bluetooth stereo can't play, pause, or change tracks on my phone, which is a bummer.There are a few ways to fix this. I could replace the stereo with a fancy Android Auto head unit… but if I was the kind of guy who would drop $500 into his car on a whim, I wouldn't be driving a used Soul. There's an AUX input on the dash and I could just directly connect it, but the Pixel 5's lack of a headphone jack complicates this, and my whole goal is not to need to touch a screen to control my music.I searched for a cheap solution for my cheap car. And I found it on Amazon: a little Bluetooth-to-AUX adapter for . It's tiny, it can be powered by the USB port in my car (which is so old that it's labelled "iPod"), and it comes with a little hockey puck of physical control buttons.
Targeted advertising is often incredibly spot-on, leading some people to believe that social networks and advertisers are using their phones' microphones to spy on them. While that's just a myth, Spotify appears to be exploring the possibilities offered from listening to its subscribers. The company filed a patent detailing how it could use microphones to determine people's "emotional state, gender, age, or accent," according to Music Business Worldwide.
Apple Music now available on Google Assistant smart speakers
It's the fifth music service to be fully supported on Assistant devices
You can already play any content with Chromecast support on Google Assistant smart speakers, like the Nest Audio or Lenovo Smart Clock Essential, but you need a phone or tablet nearby to start the process. Some services offer full integration with Assistant, allowing you to ask for specific artists or songs using only your speaker, and now Apple Music is joining in.
Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers can now stream music videos in the app
YouTube Music beware, Bezos is coming for you
Amazon Music is just one of many music streaming services out there, but the shopping giant has been pouring some resources into making its offer a viable alternative to Spotify, Apple Music, and Co. The Android app has only recently gained support for behind-the-scenes tidbits and trivia about top songs, and no serious streaming service can go without podcast support these days. Now Amazon has decided to take on YouTube Music with its own catalog of music videos, rolling out to Unlimited subscribers.
Get ready for audio ads when you're jamming out to YouTube in the background
You're not around to see those annoying video ads, anyways
If you browse YouTube to take in the visceral spectacle of music videos or just like to cruise control through randomly autoplaying tunes, you may come across more sensical commercials than in times before. Marketers are getting beta access to two new ad verticals right now which focus on audio, not video.
Apple Music 3.4 now rolling out to everyone, with iOS 14 features in tow (APK Download)
New icon, new Listen Now section, autoplay, new search, and so much more
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Apple is preparing to launch iOS 14, and that means there are updates incoming for all of its system apps, including Music. It looks like the company is working on bringing over these latest changes to Android as soon as possible, as the latest Apple Music beta v3.4 already sports almost all of the new stuff that will come to iOS 14: there's a new icon, improved search, autoplay, and Listen Now, which replaces the For You section of old.
Google Play Music vs. YouTube Music: Everything you need to know
It comes down to preference, but soon, you'll have no other choice but switching
Google Play Music is on the way out and has already become inaccessible for many. A lot of people have probably long taken advantage of the migration tool and have started using YouTube Music. But there are still some key differences between the two services, and if you haven't made the switch, there are a few things to watch out for. In this article, we're going to dive into the key differences between the two services, large and small, and why they matter.
Collaborative Spotify playlists are getting more personal
So that's who added Anastasia to the Disney playlist
As one of the top music streaming services around the globe, Spotify is always testing out new features and improvements to make sure it holds onto that market share. Making playlists with friends has long been one of Spotify's most helpful features, and now the company is announcing a list of upgrades that make collaborating on a playlist easier than ever.
The first signs of Google Play Music's impending shutdown have arrived
If Play Music was your default Assistant music source, it's switching to YouTube Music now
The phasing out of Play Music has been in progress for a while, and the whole service is set to be discontinued this month. It doesn't come as much of a surprise, then, that Google has begun to transition the default music player on Assistant devices from Play Music to YouTube Music. This also means that most users are now getting ads in between their own songs.
YouTube Music is testing charts in the Explore tab
Another Google Play Music feature getting a more prominent place in the newer streaming service
For a long time, YouTube Music featured a near useless Hotlist tab that collected a few trending music videos you may or may not care for. The developers have long replaced it with the much better Explore section that gives you a personalized selection of new albums and singles, playlists, genres and moods, and more. This experience is in for a small facelift some Redditors have spotted: Apart from a slightly revised design, the new page now features charts for them.
Spotify's winning feature is its customized playlists that offer you daily listens, commute-friendly audio, fresh releases from your favorite artists, family and couple-friendly mixes, a way to see your current or older favorite songs, and more. The service has now updated one of its seasonal playlists, Your Summer Rewind, for 2020 and released a new hotlist of the songs it expects to be this summer's hits.