Apps

Spotify is now available in India with ad-supported free usage

The Premium pricing is unbelievable

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India is a very content-hungry market thanks to its huge mobile-savvy population and recent 4G connectivity revolution. Every company wants to make a mark, especially content delivery platforms. Amazon, Hotstar, Netflix, and other regional platforms are fighting for supremacy in the video streaming segment.

For music streaming, local players like Gaana and JioSaavn have a pretty good hold of the market, followed by Apple Music. One big player who’s been missing is Spotify. The Swedish streaming company has made inroads to almost every other developed, as well as developing, market — but not India.

For more than a year, we’ve been seeing reports and rumors about the company’s arrival in India. Every quarter, the delay would extend and fans would continue using the service via VPN. All this comes to an end now. The service is available in the country and all you need to do is download the app from the Google Play Store or App Store.

You can also go to the website and start your account. Spotify allows users to listen to the music for free but that comes at the cost of seeing ads. Subscribing to the Premium plan will entitle you to an ad-free experience along with better sound quality.

The Premium plan starts at just INR 119 (US$ 1.67), while the same costs US$ 9.99 in the US. New users can avail of a 30-day Premium trial and Spotify is offering an array of payment schemes. This includes a prepaid package wherein you can pay for just one day, one week, or a month in advance and use Premium offerings on demand. A one-day plan costs INR 13 (US$ 0.18) and the yearly subscription costs INR 1,189 (US$ 16.7).

For India, the payment can be made using credit or debit cards, UPI, and PayTM. Students get a further discount on the subscription after authentication from a third-party service.

Apps

Reddit might force third-party apps to close

One developer is being charged US$ 20 million

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Though the platform works differently, Reddit is much like other social media platforms. For one, it relies on users signing up for the service to interact with one another through threads. However, Reddit is also similar by offering its API to third parties. If you’re not happy with using the original website or app, developers can create apps tailored to optimize the experience. Unfortunately, those might soon go away.

Recently, Reddit announced a round of changes coming to its API rules. Starting June 19, the platform will charge third parties for access to their API. In a nutshell, any developer who wants to continue offering a tailored Reddit experience must pay up to access the website.

According to the company, the changes are a result of emerging AI technologies which leverage Reddit for language learning. Naturally, the company isn’t happy with being used for free, resulting in a paid scheme coming soon.

Unfortunately, the pricing scheme isn’t affordable for smaller developers who just want to offer a cleaner experience of the website. Apollo, one of the most popular third-party alternatives to Reddit’s main app, recently announced that Reddit is charging US$ 20 million per year to keep the app running as is. Christian Selig, the app’s developer, confirms that the figure is just too much.

Other apps have not disclosed their discussions with the platform. However, their users have already lamented the impending doom of third-party apps and their involvement with the platform as a whole.

For their part, Reddit says that Selig’s figure only reflects a standard rate, rather than a specialized one as discussed with Apollo. The company remains adamant that it wants to be equitable and civil towards third-party apps.

SEE ALSO: Reddit acquires Dubsmash

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MOVE IT improves motorcycle taxi app

Integrates Grab support

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MOVE IT

If you’re wondering why MOVE IT is visible on the Grab app, it’s because the homegrown motorcycle ride-hailing app has undergone a massive overhaul.

Already a TNVS player in the Philippines before the COVID-19 pandemic, MOVE IT received support from Grab for a better overall experience.

The upgraded app has improved safety, reliability, and user experience. This includes a 99.95 percent uptime for seamless booking, especially during peak hours.

Coverage areas currently include the following cities:

  • Paranaque
  • Pasay
  • Taguig
  • Makati
  • Pateros
  • Pasig
  • Mandaluyong
  • Manila 
  • San Juan
  • Southern Quezon City 
  • Marikina

The app also features a built-in calling feature, eliminating the need for messaging apps or mobile load to make calls.

Grab’s map and navigation data have also been integrated into the app. When in transit, MOVE IT has a Share-My-Ride feature, ensuring that loved ones are constantly updated about one’s trip.

As for payments, MOVE IT accepts cashless options, including credit and debit cards, with e-wallets soon to follow for further convenience.

MOVE IT is available to download via the App Store and Google Play.

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Apple Music Classical is now on Android

Before an iPad app can come out

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Apple Music Classical app

A few months ago, Apple released Apple Music Classical. Though it caters only a specific genre, the app made a lot of waves because of what its existence implies for the future of music streaming. Now, if you’re a classical fan but living on Android, the new app is now available from the Play Store.

As long as you subscribe to Apple Music, you can download and install Apple Music Classical to make the most out of Apple’s tailored algorithm. While the app won’t offer anything new in terms of content, it boasts of a better algorithm to sort out the exact performance you want of a musical piece.

The app allows users to search based on a lot of different parameters including composer, performance date, and venue, among others. Besides the advanced algorithm, the app also offers high-fidelity audio for the discerning classical fan. While the regular app already offers the latter, Apple Music can also benefit from an advanced algorithm to help curate its mountain of content.

Now, the same experience is available for Android users. Of note, the Android version arrives before an optimized version for the iPad and the Mac. However, since Primephonic (the base app underneath Apple Music Classical) is already available on Android, it should be a no-brainer that it comes as easily to Android.

SEE ALSO: Why is Apple Music Classical a big deal?

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