Apps

5 steps to making the perfect Spotify playlist

Published

August 13, 2017

Alven Villavicencio

I’m a believer that one thing we all have in common is love for music. We may not all listen to the same songs, but I think we can all agree that music is a big part of our lives.

For me, I loved music so much that I wanted to make a career out of it. Because of that, I became a Radio DJ so I could share my playlists with the world.

If you’re like me, you listen to music that matches whatever mood you’re in. And while there are a million great playlists out there, sometimes you can’t help but think that you can make a better one yourself.

So, let’s do this: Let’s make a playlist!

There are several steps to consider when it comes to putting together a fire playlist, and the key to making sure that it’s worth the listen is that you ask yourself who this playlist is for every step of the way.

Step 1: Decide on a theme

What kind of playlist are you putting together? Is it based on a mood? Is it for a specific occasion? Did you look out the window, see it was raining and think, I’m going to make a rainy day playlist! Whatever inspiration brought you to take out your phone and open up your Spotify app, deciding on the theme of your playlist is always step one.

Step 2: Choose the first two songs

The first two songs can make or break a playlist; this is where people decide if they’ll stay and listen, or if they’ll look for something better. It’s also important to consider who you’re making this playlist for. If it’s for yourself, then it really doesn’t matter what you choose — you’ll listen anyway. But if you’re making this for other people to listen to, it’s important to pick some crowd-pleasers, so they’ll want to stick around.

Step 3: Keep it consistent

You are essentially telling a story through your song choices, and the people listening to your playlist are on it because they relate to its theme or mood. If your playlist is titled “Good Vibes” and out of nowhere Adele’s “Someone Like You” starts playing, that’s an automatic buzzkill. If it were me listening to your playlist, I’d switch to another one immediately.

Step 4: Sandwich the “unknown” songs between two popular songs

One of the best feelings ever is introducing new music to someone and seeing them love it, especially when it’s a song that no one’s heard of and you just want to gift it to them. The thing is, if you play too many songs that people don’t know, they’ll lose interest in the playlist and want to listen to something else. It’s always good to put an “unknown” song that everyone knows and loves in between two hit songs so that they don’t lose interest.

Step 5: Enjoy yourself and share it with friends

Listening to music is meant to be fun, so don’t stress yourself out too much when it comes to making your playlist. Share it with your friends and ask them what they think. Don’t be afraid to check out their playlists as well to get some ideas of songs you might want to add to yours. Remember, this is meant to be a fun experience to share with other people. No matter how good you might think your playlist might be, you won’t be able to please everyone.

And, that’s it: My tips on putting together a good Spotify playlist. What do you think? If you think you have a great playlist, leave a link in the comments and I’ll give it a listen!

[irp posts=”2332″ name=”You can now ‘Netflix and chill’ and have control over your data usage”]

Apps

New X users must pay a dollar per year to post and reply

Rolling out globally now

Published

April 16, 2024

Luigi Leonardo

New users on X might soon face a tough time on the platform. The social media website will likely start charging new accounts a small fee for the right to post on the platform.

Now, the fee isn’t a new one. Almost six months ago, the company tested the paid system in New Zealand and the Philippines. New users in those countries had to pay a dollar per year for the ability to post and reply to content.

As spotted by X Daily News on the same platform, the company might be ready to take the experiment to a larger market. New text strings have shown that the policy is rolling out worldwide.

SPECULATION: X might be expanding its policy to charge new users before they reply/like/bookmark a post https://t.co/odqeyeiHBx pic.twitter.com/EU71qlwQ0D

— X Daily News (@xDaily) April 15, 2024

The policy is designed to combat a wave of bots appearing on the platform. By preventing new accounts from creating posts, X hopes to stave off the standard behavior of bots these days. You might have noticed them as OnlyFans creators in unrelated posts, peddling NSFW content on their bio.

Though the global rollout was only just spotted, owner Elon Musk has seemingly confirmed the change. Replying to X Daily News, Musk says that it is “the only way to curb the relentless onslaught of bots.” He says that the current breed of bots can easily bypass simple checks these days.

Apps

Disney+ might get always-on channels similar to cable TV

Featuring content from Marvel, Star Wars, and classic Disney

Published

April 16, 2024

Luigi Leonardo

The burden of choice on streaming platforms is real. If you’re like us, you’ve spent hours just mindlessly scrolling through titles on Netflix or Disney+ without watching anything. Netflix, at least, has a Play Something button to fight off that irresistible urge. Now, Disney+ is reportedly trying something different: always-on channels.

If you already cut cable from your lives, you’re likely missing traditional channels or networks that have pre-determined programming. It was a flawed system that eventually ended up with mediocre content and a downpour of ads. However, cable did allow us to keep watching without deciding what comes next.

Now, according to The Information, Disney+ is working on adding those channels to its streaming service. Naturally, these channels will include content from the platform’s library such as Marvel, Star Wars, and its list of classic animated films.

Strangely, the reported feature might still have ads in between programs. Though the addition of ads does mean a better similarity with real television, users still have to be paying subscribers to access the channels. Even if you’re already paying for Disney+, you might still get hit with ads.

Disney has not confirmed the reports yet. The platform might launch a version of the feature outside of the scope included in this report. It’s also unknown when these always-on channels will launch.

Apps

Google might offer satellite connectivity soon

Starting with the Pixel 9 series

Published

April 15, 2024

Luigi Leonardo

A few years ago, Apple unleashed one of the most interesting features for the iPhone today: Emergency SOS. Designed for those who like their fair bit of the outdoors, Emergency SOS allows users to contact emergency services without network coverage. Other manufacturers, however, are struggling to adopt the same feature. Now, Google might soon join Apple in providing satellite connectivity for its users.

Despite the convenience, satellite connectivity hasn’t taken off as much as the industry expected it to. For one, a network of satellites isn’t the easiest thing to maintain. Apple is still currently offering its services for free, a gamble that may or may not pay off. Now, the iPhone maker won’t be alone.

According to Android Authority, Google might start offering the same service to Pixel 9 users. Starting with this year’s upcoming flagship, the company is reportedly teaming up with T-Mobile to create satellite connectivity for its users. The telecommunications network is teaming up with SpaceX for the feature.

The same report describes how the feature might work. Once activated, the feature will ask users of their situation: is everyone breathing, are people trapped, are weapons involved, among others. The phone will then relay this information to emergency authorities for a rapid response.

Unfortunately, pricing remains a mystery. While Apple is still offering its satellite connectivity for free, other brands might put the burden of cost on the end user. Hopefully, they won’t, but a paid version is unfortunately expected at this point.