No signal, no problem: Apple Music for Android can now save songs to an SD card

By Kris Wouk February 4, 2016

apple music android update new widget

Apple Music for Android might still technically be in beta, but the app is already full-featured and fairly polished. Now in its latest update, the app is making good use of one feature that isn’t available on Apple’s own phones.

In an update released yesterday, Apple Music added the ability to download songs to an SD card. While many phones these days offer plenty of storage, if your morning commute or afternoon run takes you into areas with spotty coverage, this is a handy way to make sure that the music doesn’t stop, no matter how long you’re offline.

MicroSD slots aren’t as common in Android devices now as they were a few years ago, but there are still plenty of recently released models that boast them. LG’s G4 and V10, the Moto X Pure, and the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 are a few examples.

The update didn’t only focus on saving songs to SD cards, however. The app now shows the full schedule of shows on Beats 1, making it much easier to figure out when to tune in. Users can now also browse music by composer and via compilations, which is a boon to those who listen to a lot of classical music or soundtracks.

The new features should help to make the app more appealing to Android users, but it will likely need all the help it can get. While the service seems to be quickly gaining subscribers, it seems that many Android users aren’t big fans of the app, which currently has a 3.3 rating in the Google Play Store. Complaints include lack of Chromecast support or the ability to stream music to an Apple TV.

The new update is available to existing users right now. If you haven’t gotten around to trying Apple Music for Android, it can be found on the Google Play Store. Apple is still offering a free three-month trial, so you’ve got nothing to lose.

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Kris Wouk is a tech writer, gadget reviewer, blogger, and whatever it's called when someone makes videos for the web. In his…

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