The battle of the free music streaming apps on Android continues. Popular music streaming app Pandora Radio for Android recently received a major update.
It’s possible this update is entirely independent of any competitor influence. It’s not difficult however to note the proximity in time between this update and Spotify’s announcement of a similar streaming service, first on iPhone in June and then for Android in August.
Whether or not this update was planned as a response to Spotify’s new mobile streaming service, there’s a lot to love about its new features.
New features
Regular Pandora users should immediately notice the updated user interface (UI) upon launching the app. The new UI is simple and easy to navigate.
In addition to the change in appearance, Pandora Radio now offers a useful feature that allows users to browse a list of songs they’ve already listened to and liked in the past. This is ideal if your primary use for Pandora Radio is music discovery. These songs can also be retroactively reviewed, rated, or bookmarked. If your hands were full or you were otherwise preoccupied when listening to the song the first time, now you can go back and vote on previously played songs whenever you feel like.
Pandora Radio now also offers more in-depth information about specific songs and artists. The app now provides a full bio of various artists that can be accessed while listening to individual tracks. Pandora can also let you know about similar tracks and artists to the song you’re currently jamming out to, which only serves to improve its focus on music discovery. Lyrics are now available to view when you’re listening to a specific song.
You can update Pandora to the newest version 1.7 directly through Google Play on your device. If you’re new to music discovery and want to give the app a try, Pandora Radio’s basic streaming service is available for free after signing up for an account.
