Pandora Gets Stutter-free Playback and Auto-pause in New iOS Update
When it comes to popular internet radio players, Pandora is king. It might not be the best internet radio player out there, but there is no denying that it is one of the most popular. This is why there is a Pandora app on just about every operating system. Regardless if you want to listen to Pandora on your Android, Windows or iOS device, you can bet that there is an app out there that makes it possible.
Now the Pandora app for iOS devices has received a huge update. This new update brings a number of great features to the table. This includes an auto-pause function as well as “stutter-free” playback. On top of that, Pandora says that this latest update improves the overall function of the app to keep it running the way it should.
This update will bring your Pandora player up to version 4.4. This launched on Monday and fixes a number of bugs. Of course it is the new features that people will notice the most. For example, whenever an iPhone user mutes a song, his phone will actually pause the song automatically. This will keep him from having to open up Pandora and pause the app manually. Another great feature is the improved playback buffering. The goal here is to buffer songs better so users can enjoy an uninterrupted listening experience.
Reviews on this update, however, have been kind of mixed. While everyone seems to love the improved buffering capabilities, not everyone is able to get the auto-pause function to work. All questions that have been sent to Pandora about the auto-pause function at the time of this writing have remained unanswered. However, if there is a problem with this function, Pandora will likely fix it soon.
The truth is Pandora needs to continue to update its player to keep it fresh. While Pandora might be the most popular internet radio out there, it is not the only one. A number of other players have been gaining in popularity, such as Slacker and Last.fm. Not only that, Apple just introduced its brand new iTunes Radio at the Worldwide Developers Conference. Needless to say, Pandora has its work cut out for it if it wants to stay on top.
It is also important to note that not all of these new features have been added to the Pandora apps on other devices. Right now, it is unclear if Pandora plans on bringing these new features to other devices in the future or if these features will stay exclusive to iOS devices. This update is still pretty recent so do not expect to hear about Pandora bringing these updates to other devices any time soon. It will be interesting to see where Pandora takes its internet radio player from here.