Apple has released the Android avatar of Apple Music (AM) globally, after it was much appreciated by iOS users. Available to users free of cost for the first three months, Apple Music will cost Rs 120 per month for consumers in India – much less than the $9.99 US users pay to stream, play and listen to music.
Much to everyone’s surprise, Apple decided that AM has the power to become everyone’s favourite, including Android folks. But is it worth the download?
1. Apple Music on Android Is BETA
With applications and software, it is important to understand that their first iterations are usually buggy and lack features that end up on the final release. Beta versions are meant to serve users with tangible services and can also be used by the developers for feedback. Chances are you might not like the version available on Google Play right now, and quite sensibly we would recommend you to skip this one.
2. One-User Subscription Allowed Right Now
What this basically means is, for an inidividual subscription to AM users can sign up from their Android phones. However, for a family subscription, priced at Rs 180 in India, you will need to create and account and log yourself in from a Mac or iOS device. If you’ve got one of these then brilliant, but for others confined to Windows PCs now, wait is the four letter word you need to memorise.
3. Can’t Store Music on Memory Cards
If there’s one thing Android users have an edge over iPhone users, it is the ability to expand storage. With the help of memory card slots, Android phones are storage friendly, letting anyone store data up to 128GB right now, which is a boon for users. But AM on Android does not let you store music onto memory cards. Hopefully we’re going to see that happen with updates in the coming weeks.
4. Works With Siri but Sorry for Google Now
AM has the ability to read your voice via Siri on iPhone and play tracks from the playlist or even library. And this is where the difference shows up, since Android functions with voice-control support via Google Now. So unless Apple decides to break AM from the confinement of Siri, Android users are stuck to manual controls right now.
5. Youtube Red Might Be the Apple Music-Killer Worth Waiting For
Apple folks would like to see AM succeed on non-Apple platforms but we’re not sure if Android guys are going to let that happen. But you might be in for a treat with the Youtube Red (YR) that is about to hit the market in the coming months. YR is being seen as the perfect Apple Music-rival, and in all probability will offer you the features on Android that AM fails to do right now. We’re not sure about the pricing of YR but if priced right, then it will without a doubt be the AM killer on Android.
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