When you play music (or other audio with art) on Android, the lock screen background changes to the audio's art. This effect was added back in Android 4.4 KitKat, but it might be going away soon. In the Android Q beta, the lock screen background switches to a blurred image when playing music.
Read MoreSpotify lets you disable 'canvas' video snippets that replace album covers
About a year ago, Spotify started testing a new full-screen album art layout for specific songs and playlists and more recently enhanced this feature to display repeating video snippets called "canvases" for certain tracks. Although the company claims these are designed to limit battery and data usage, they create an inconsistent experience when they're amongst other songs that don't have these animated images, especially because I'd rather see the actual album cover instead of an animation uploaded by the artist. However, it appears the streaming giant wants to let users choose if they want to disable these and show the regular CD cover instead.
Read MoreYouTube Music v3.03 and earlier: Device limits, personal audio library, autoplay, and more [APK Teardown]
With YouTube Music set to eventually replace Google Play Music entirely — the last GPM update with any appreciable change was a year ago — the developers are in the process of migrating features so users won't be left wanting for too much. Since the last several versions have only contained minor visual tweaks and some of the signs of feature migration, we've been waiting for something more substantial to cover, and with the version number jumping to 3.0 and adding Android Auto support, this seemed like a good time. This post will contain the collective changes and teardown topics from the last few versions.
Read MoreGet Aukey’s True Wireless Earbuds for $40 ($20 off)
Apple popularized fully cordless audio with its AirPods, but other manufacturers also offer cheaper or better alternatives. A good illustration is Aukey's in-ear buds, which are much more discreet than their counterpart — meaning they don't look like toothbrush heads — and cost $100 less. The below coupons make them $20 cheaper and therefore one of the most affordable products in their category, at just $39.59.
Read MorePopular
YouTube Music finally comes to Android Auto [APK Download]
There's probably no other feature that's more often cited as missing from YouTube Music than Android Auto support. Sure, you can manually start and control the app on your phone while it's connected to the car and get music, but this is clearly not what people are asking for. Hints about in-car support were added to the apk a few months ago, but that promise has finally come through. As of version 3.03, you can now use YouTube Music directly through the Android Auto interface.
Read MoreGoogle emphasizes Apps and Games in latest Play Store layout, hides media tabs
It was only a few weeks ago that we spotted a small change in the Play Store's tab layout that would completely separate apps and games. The modification we are seeing today takes a page out of that book, but feels more like a regression than an improvement.
Read MoreHands-on: Elegant bucket list app 'Soon' launches on Android
In a world that bombards us with things to do, it can be tough to stay on top of everything we think is worth checking out. Movies we want to see, music to listen to, books to read, restaurants to try, and places to go, there's just so much to do and almost no central way to keep track of all of this. You can use a simple list app, like Google Keep for example, but where's the fun in that? Now there's a new way to stay on top of your bucket list: Soon.
Read MorePandora app gets voice controls powered by SoundHound
The Pandora app is about to get easier to control, provided you don't mind yelling at your phone. Like everything else under the sun, the app is getting voice controls. Thanks to a partnership with SoundHound, you'll be able to ask Pandora to play different tracks, modify playlists, and more.
Read MoreSphero Specdrums are app-enabled rings that play music using colors
Toy robot maker Sphero hasn't had the best time of late, with slow sales forcing job cuts this time last year and, more recently, an end to production of some of its licensed products. There must be high hopes for its latest product, then, which is a new type of musical instrument for that responds to different colors.
Read MoreInstagram continues to absorb other platforms' features with new music suggestions in Stories and Q&A Live feature
Not content to simply absorb all of Snapchat's features, Facebook-owned Instagram is now making a play for the music recommendation/performance demographic and aiming to become a hotspot for Live Q&As. The platform has introduced a feature into Stories (the ephemeral feed at the top of the app) that lets users request, receive, and jam out to song suggestions, as well as a new, more official format for Live Q&A sessions.
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