The music service of Sony Music Unlimited has just revamped its Android app in a way that its users will love: They will be able to store their music on their smartphone and play it when they are offline.. Spotify or Deezer's rival thus recovers the freedom offered by download services, but without giving up the advantages of streaming.
With the possibility of listening to music offline, you avoid, for example, the risk of overcome data limitations that operators are beginning to impose. In addition, in areas where the connection is not available, such as metro, airplanes, and wherever streaming may fail, the music will not stop playing. Finally, and this is not an unimportant detail, not connecting to the mobile network or WiFi makes the battery it doesn't end after just a few songs.
The folks at Evolver.fm asked Sony Entertainment Network's VP and GM of global digital music and video services, Michael Aragon, why they'd included this new feature in the Android app. This is what he said:
“Our initial goal for Music Unlimited was to leverage our advantages of having great living room products, like the PlayStation 3 or Bravia connected TVs to have a great music experience at home… However, we have always known that the mobility of music It is fundamental in the lives of our consumers and having it available when they are not connected, on airplanes, on road trips, is an important part of the experience…”
Music Unlimited not only works on Androids from the SonyEricsson family and for the first month it is Delivery to Italy takes one or two business days, giving access to a catalogue of seven million songsIt also allows you to manage your personal music library. After the first 30 days, the fee ranges from €3,99 to €9,99 for premium accounts. It can be downloaded from Google Play.
What exactly does offline playback bring?
Download to listen offline means you can save playlists, albums, and tracks to your device and play them without Wi-Fi or data. On iPhone and iPod touch, the Music Unlimited app enabled the download playlists, albums, and individual songs to use them offline, while on Android offline access was focused especially on playlists. On portable consoles, such as PS Vita, the cache of lists and channels to travel without depending on the network.
In sound quality, the app incorporated a high quality audio mode (AAC 320 kbps) Online playback for near-high-fidelity listening. While offline mode prioritizes stability, the balance between power consumption and quality was one of its distinguishing features.
Availability and ecosystem: mobile, living room and more
Music Unlimited was conceived as a service in the cloud with a global catalogue that came to exceed 20 million songs, accessible in a wide range of equipment: Android, iPhone/iPod touch, PC, televisions BRAVIA, players Blu-ray, home theater systems, PS3 / PS4 and devices Walkman, among others.
On Xperia mobiles, integration with the app Walkman allowed to unify music in one place local and the one that arrives via streaming, with global search to see all available albums and easy access to channels by artist, genre, or mood. In addition, features like My Channels They created personalized stations based on favorite artists and the system I like it I do not like itWhile Music sync matched your PC collection with the cloud catalog to listen to it on any compatible device.
For the living room, the function Throw/DLNA left Send music from your phone to compatible TVs or speakers on the fly, with the smartphone as a remote control, ideal for setting up meetings with the best possible quality.
Post changes and what to do if you still see the app
Over time, Sony reorganized its offering and PlayStation Music became integrated with Spotify as a primary partner on consoles, allowing for background listening during games and mobile control. If you still have an old device and need to remove Music Unlimited remnants, remember that:
- En PS3, you can delete the app from the icon's options menu.
- En PS Vita or iOS, uninstall it like any other app; the offline songs will be erased.
- En AndroidIf there are any cache files left, delete the folder sony/snei/mu after uninstalling.
- En BRAVIA/Blu-ray/SongPal, the related icon disappears automatically after a while.
Context: How the offline experience compares
Music Unlimited's offline playback competed with other platforms. For example, in Amazon Music Offline download is reserved for playlists in Prime, while with Amazon Music Unlimited is enabled for songs and albums, with quality options in HD/Ultra HD and spatial audio. In Sony's case, the proposal combined a broad catalog, full integration with devices and an emphasis on profiles and channels personalized
The arrival of offline mode Music Unlimited represented a key leap forward: more control over data and battery life, continuity in any environment, and a technological foundation that brought the streaming experience closer to the convenience of “taking your music with you.” Via Gizmodo.