Latest news with #SpotifyJam
Android Authority
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Android Authority
I subscribe to Spotify, Apple Music, and Tidal, but keep coming back to YouTube Music for one reason
Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority Thanos has his gemstones, and I have my music subscription services. I've subscribed to practically all the major streaming services. Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal — they all have their own unique strengths and quirks. Of course, I've tried to rationalize the cost by saying that I'm keeping my options open and that different services are good for different use cases, and even moods. Spotify Jam comes in clutch when I'm throwing a party. Other days, I want Apple Music's clean interface and easy AirPlay capabilities. Some days I'm chasing the top-tier high-fidelity streaming and catalog on Tidal. You've gotta have options, yeah? No other service's radio stations fill that dialed-in radio DJ-shaped hole in my heart. But when I'm not in the mood to overthink and just want solid 80s hair metal jams to roll on their own, I end up back on YouTube Music. Not because of the app design, collaborative features, or even for the massive content library. It's the radio. No other service's radio stations fill that dialed-in radio DJ-shaped hole in my heart the way that YouTube Music does. What's your preferred music streaming service? 0 votes Spotify NaN % Apple Music NaN % Tidal NaN % YouTube Music NaN % Qobuzz NaN % I like my physical media NaN % The funny thing is, I wasn't intentionally looking to make a move to YouTube Music. The service comes as a free add-on perk with my YouTube Premium subscription and I barely, if ever, used it. However, a while back, while streaming a live concert on YouTube, the autoplay queue filled up with a consistent stream of top-tier, relevant live videos and renditions of some of my favorite, and soon-to-be-favorite tracks. The music selection felt handpicked, though obviously it wasn't. YouTube knows my tastes in media better than most, and it was quietly DJing in the background, helping me discover deep cuts, B-sides, and mixing it up with all the usual favorites. On a lark, I popped open YouTube Music and kicked off a radio stream based on a single song. Little did I know that I was in for a full day of music listening. Predictable is fine, unpredictable is exciting Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority Look, Spotify's radios are fine if you're in the mood to stay within a familiar loop. They are particularly good if you want to stick to the chart toppers. Spotify's algorithms are famous for playlists like Discover Weekly and Release Radar, but everyone will agree that the deeper you go into the radio function, the more you observe that it is recycling the same few artists and tracks. Discoverability isn't Spotify's strong suit. On the other hand, Apple Music's stations tend to be more editorially curated, and I'm not even talking about the excellent Apple Music Classical app. These playlists are highly polished with tracks that seamlessly lead you in a mood or genre-based journey. However, while Apple Music does have a radio function, it also has the same pitfalls as Spotify. They're not very reactive, nor do they encourage discovering new bands. As good as the radio is, it just doesn't feel very personal. Discovery isn't Spotify's strong suit. Apple Music is heavily editorial driven. Tidal sits on its HiFi laurels. YouTube Music's radio works differently, and not just in how it recommends music. To start with, there's the library. YouTube Music doesn't just pull from a list of official studio releases. The app taps into the sprawling catalog of YouTube itself. That means your music feed can blend tracks from studio albums with live cuts, fan uploads that never made an official release, and deep cut remixes. All of that is tied into your own watch history on YouTube, giving it an additional source of truth about your likes and dislikes. All of that combines to give you a much richer variety of source material to pull from, and an algorithm that is willing to take a chance on presenting you with something fresh and unlike what you've heard already. I can, and have, started off with a single obscure track and ended up with a playlist moving seamlessly from 90s alt-rock deep cuts to a modern indie band that I've never heard before, while still retaining that flavor. Occasionally, YouTube Music might even throw in an acoustic version or alternate take on a popular track. There's always a surprise, rarely a bad one. Why YouTube Music wins my listening time Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority Even before we get into the custom radio function, it's worth mentioning that this vast library is tapped into YouTube Music's auto-generated playlists and recommendations, which put them ahead of similar features from other streaming services. The control that you have over a radio station even before it starts is another big reason to look into YouTube Music. The service includes a feature called the music tuner that, like Pandora, lets you blend artists and genres. But not just that, it lets you decide how adventurous you want to be with your music. There's an option to adjust the artist variety to pull in a wider range of acts, a music discovery option that lets you switch between discovery and familiarity depending on how you're feeling. YouTube Music even gives you the option to filter your radio experience further by choosing between popular tracks, deep cuts, new releases, and many more options. Spotify gives you nowhere close to that level of input. You can give YouTube Music's DJ a very specific set of instructions and leave it to figure out the rest. Usually, accurately. Another YouTube Music exclusive that I have my eye on is the new AI-enhanced Ask Music feature. Google tends to do staggered rollouts across geographies and accounts, so I'm still waiting for it to show up, but what I've seen so far looks extremely promising. Positioned as an enhancement of the current radio feature, it lets you create a radio station just by describing what you want to listen to. So, for example, you can type something like 'moody ambient, dark academia-inspired playlist for a rainy night when I'm reading a classic gothic horror book,' and it'll create a playlist fine-tuned exactly for that. If that prompt sounds oddly specific, it is. I've previously used ChatGPT to come up with playlist suggestions like the one I mentioned above, and having a tool like that deeply integrated into the music listening experience sounds fantastic. Most services already include mood-based playlists, but those tend to be fairly static collections that don't adapt to specific tastes. Ask Music takes a conversational, hyper-tuned experience, which is something I'm looking forward to testing out. There's something to be said about YouTube Music's integrated approach to music listening and discovery. Because it's tied to my Google account and a decade or more of YouTube history, it's working with years of implicit data that doesn't just include manually tapped likes or dislikes, but also how long I listened to something, how quickly I moved back or changed to the next track. That's data no other service has, or can have. To give you an example, I recently popped open YouTube Music and started a late-night play of atmospheric music by an Icelandic artist. No, not Bjork. Over the next hour or so, the station automatically introduced me to Scandinavian folk, minimalist piano pieces, and slow-paced electronic ambient tracks that fit the vibe, but not necessarily the genre. It encourages discovery, and by the end of my listening session ,I'd saved half a dozen tracks to my late-night playlist. Discovery meets comfort Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority Of course, YouTube Music isn't perfect either. The app can come across as a bit clunky, downloading music offline is way slower, and the sound quality can vary quite a bit depending on the source of the file. And if you're coming back to the app after a while, YouTube Music too can be guilty of repeating tracks. But it's rare, and it gives you the tools to avoid that. I'm not canceling my other subscriptions just yet. Be it Spotify's collaborative playlists or Jam, Apple Music's elite-tier human-curated playlists, or Tidal's unbeatable sound quality, every app has a cool trick that keeps me coming back for more. But YouTube Music gets a lot of playtime from me for its ability to curate the perfect playlist for what I'm feeling. It's the only streaming service that values my love for music, keeps me listening, discovering, and curious. And that's honestly the best thing a music streaming service can do. Follow
Time of India
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Android Auto Spotify update: Introduced ‘Jam' to make musical journeys more fun
Android Auto Spotify Jam feature is transforming in-car entertainment by making every drive a collaborative playlist experience. Debuting after its reveal at Google I/O 2025 , this upgrade lets passengers join a shared Spotify Jam session via a QR code on the Android Auto display—putting everyone in the musical director's seat . The feature, supported on Android Auto, integrates smoothly with Spotify's updated UI, which now includes a prominent Downloaded section, floating search shortcut, and offline-playlist indicators. Whether you're commuting with family or streaming with friends, this collaborative music feature optimizes ride sharing and group drives. Stay tuned to find out why this upgrade is a game-changer for mobile infotainment. What's the new major update? Jam allows real-time collaboration in playlists, so that one person doesn't dominate the music. | Credit: Spotify The streaming behemoth Spotify has released a revised UI and a number of new features, the most notable of which is Jam, in a significant update to its Android Auto app. Spotify's collaborative group listening feature, Jam, is now officially available for Android Auto with the release of version 9.0.58.596. Jam, which was first hinted at at the recent Google I/O 2025, enables drivers to conduct a shared playback session using the infotainment screen of their vehicle. While the host maintains complete control over playback, passengers can participate by scanning a QR code, adding music to the queue in real time. According to Spotify's news release, "this makes collaborative listening seamless while on the go." With Spotify's current goal of making music more participatory, the move is an obvious gesture to road trips and carpooling. How to access? The latest version of Spotify Android Auto is currently accessible on the Google Play Store and will be made available to users globally over time. The latest version of Spotify also accommodates places with inadequate connectivity, guaranteeing that music will continue to play even in isolated locations. The in-app library now features a new "Downloaded" tab that provides faster access to offline content. In order to prevent users from inadvertently queueing tracks that require data, songs that have already been downloaded are now clearly noted. For customers planning lengthy travels without dependable internet or traveling across unreliable network zones, this improvement is especially helpful. Smarter search is now on The new Spotify Android Auto update is now available on the Google Play Store and will roll out gradually to users worldwide. | Credit: Spotify Up until recently, the only way for Android Auto users to start voice searches was with Google Assistant, which skipped the results and started playing music. The floating search button in the latest version opens a separate tab where users can peruse and choose tunes. Safety is also prioritized in the updated user interface. With its new interface designed for in-car navigation, Spotify has made it easier to browse, choose, and control music with less visual clutter. Whether you're driving alone on the highway or with pals on a road trip, Spotify's most recent upgrade positions itself as more than simply a music player—it's the soundtrack to every journey. Spotify is improving the in-car music experience and advancing Android Auto by fusing social elements like Jam with more intelligent offline access.
Time of India
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Android Auto Spotify update: Introduced ‘Jam' to make musical journeys more fun
Android Auto Spotify Jam feature is transforming in-car entertainment by making every drive a collaborative playlist experience. Debuting after its reveal at Google I/O 2025, this upgrade lets passengers join a shared Spotify Jam session via a QR code on the Android Auto display—putting everyone in the musical director's seat . The feature, supported on Android Auto, integrates smoothly with Spotify's updated UI, which now includes a prominent Downloaded section, floating search shortcut, and offline-playlist indicators. Whether you're commuting with family or streaming with friends, this collaborative music feature optimizes ride sharing and group drives. Stay tuned to find out why this upgrade is a game-changer for mobile infotainment. What's the new major update? The streaming behemoth Spotify has released a revised UI and a number of new features, the most notable of which is Jam, in a significant update to its Android Auto app. Spotify's collaborative group listening feature, Jam, is now officially available for Android Auto with the release of version 9.0.58.596. Jam, which was first hinted at at the recent Google I/O 2025, enables drivers to conduct a shared playback session using the infotainment screen of their vehicle. While the host maintains complete control over playback, passengers can participate by scanning a QR code, adding music to the queue in real time. According to Spotify's news release, "this makes collaborative listening seamless while on the go." With Spotify's current goal of making music more participatory, the move is an obvious gesture to road trips and carpooling. How to access? The latest version of Spotify Android Auto is currently accessible on the Google Play Store and will be made available to users globally over time. The latest version of Spotify also accommodates places with inadequate connectivity, guaranteeing that music will continue to play even in isolated locations. The in-app library now features a new "Downloaded" tab that provides faster access to offline content. In order to prevent users from inadvertently queueing tracks that require data, songs that have already been downloaded are now clearly noted. For customers planning lengthy travels without dependable internet or traveling across unreliable network zones, this improvement is especially helpful. Smarter search is now on Up until recently, the only way for Android Auto users to start voice searches was with Google Assistant, which skipped the results and started playing music. The floating search button in the latest version opens a separate tab where users can peruse and choose tunes. Safety is also prioritized in the updated user interface. With its new interface designed for in-car navigation, Spotify has made it easier to browse, choose, and control music with less visual clutter. Whether you're driving alone on the highway or with pals on a road trip, Spotify's most recent upgrade positions itself as more than simply a music player—it's the soundtrack to every journey. Spotify is improving the in-car music experience and advancing Android Auto by fusing social elements like Jam with more intelligent offline access.
Android Authority
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Android Authority
I just can't imagine using YouTube Music, so why do you?
Joe Maring / Android Authority 🗣️ This is an open thread. We want to hear from you! Share your thoughts in the comments and vote in the poll below — your take might be featured in a future roundup. Not too long ago, I was a loyal Google Play Music user. It was an app that I loved dearly, offering great usability and a wide range of music. However, when the vastly different YouTube Music arrived and Play Music departed, I sought another service. I couldn't quite get to grips with the changes, and Google didn't make it easy to adjust either. Nowadays, Spotify is my preferred music streaming service, thanks to its brilliant algorithm, Spotify Jam, and its ability to breathlessly jump over to any supported device with the tap of an icon. It's just so much more convenient for me. So, forgive me when I wonder why anyone would stick with YouTube Music in 2025. I admit that Google has ploughed plenty of development muscle into the platform and is innovating in ways that Spotify and its rivals haven't. That said, I don't see myself ever going back, not after the Play Music drama. I'm sure that YouTube Music users have their reasons for continuing with the platform. If you're one of them, I'd love to hear your views. And, if you aren't, feel free to chime in too with your reasons for sticking to your preferred offering. Here are some more questions: What is your preferred music streaming platform, and why? What is the one reason you will never quit your music platform of choice? If YouTube Music and Spotify were the only music streaming players in town, which would you pick, and why? Do you like the direction that streaming music platforms are going, especially by including more visual media and accepting AI-generated music? Do you still invest in physical media (vinyl, CDs, cassettes, etc.) or purchase digital music? What is your current music streaming platform? 0 votes YouTube Music NaN % Spotify NaN % Apple Music NaN % Deezer NaN % Tidal NaN % Amazon Music NaN % Pandora NaN % Another service (mention in the comments) NaN % 👇Sound off in the comments with your streaming music anecdotes.
Engadget
24-05-2025
- Automotive
- Engadget
You'll soon be able to start a Spotify Jam directly in your car
No need to pass the aux anymore because Spotify is bringing its Jam feature to cars with Android Auto and Google built-in. As revealed during Google I/O, Spotify Jam will be available through any compatible car's infotainment system. It's a minor upgrade, but one that saves the driver from having to manually launch a Spotify Jam session through their smartphone that's connected to the car. Instead, the Spotify Jam can get started from the car's central display and will give your passengers a QR code to scan if they want to contribute to the playlist. Spotify revealed its Jam feature in September 2023 and it's been a hit because it allows friends to smoothly share and discover new music. The natural next step is to introduce it to Android Auto since road trips and collaborative playlists pair together like peanut butter and jelly. Spotify Jam will be available in the coming months on Android Auto and its more than 500 compatible car models, later being introduced to the dozen or so car brands that have Google built-in. Beyond that, Google is also planning on introducing streaming video and browser apps as part of its Android Auto ecosystem.
