Google Play Music gets Material Design, benefits from Songza
Google has released an update to Google Play Music that bring both their new Material Design to the app as well as functions modeled after features found in Songza, in particular the Concierge option. The update to incorporate Material Design is no surprise and we even saw a port of it get out over the weekend. This update starting to rollout today makes the new look official though. Besides the benefits of Material Design, Google is also working on making the service more useful for listeners with the new features that have been added no doubt thanks to their acquisition of Songza.
One of Songza’s claims to fame was their Concierge function. This feature provided users with a list of activities or settings that listeners could select to launch a playlist matching what they were doing. For example, listeners could choose from activities like working out or studying or trying to go to sleep. As Play Music’s product manager Elias Roman indicates, the new options give Play Music “context.”
Google makes this work by collecting data like time of day, location, or the device a user is listening on. However, the final stage is handled by real people who help put together the play lists and determine what will next. The end result for users is that they can access a fairly well put together playlist with only a couple taps.
Google hopes Play Music is a step above what Songza was offering though. To get there, Google is limiting these improvements to All Access subscribers. For those who can access the new lists, which appear on the “Listen Now” page, they will not have to deal with ads. Users also get full control over the playlists, reordering songs or cutting them out completely. Users will also be able to launch a radio station based on a song they hear or add it to their Play Library. Google is also making it possible to download the playlists, up to around 25 songs, for offline listening.
You probably already have Play Music installed on your Android device, but if for some reason you don’t, use one of the links below to grab it from the Play Store. You can also check for the update using the links.
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