Internet of Things (IoT) refers to a network of physical devices, vehicles, home appliances, and other items that are connected to the internet, enabling them to communicate with each other and exchange data. This technology has the potential to transform the way we live, work, and interact with the world around us. In this article, we will explore the various IoT devices and applications that are currently available and how they are changing the world.

Types of IoT Devices

IoT devices can be categorized into three types: sensors, actuators, and controllers.

Sensors are devices that collect data from the environment, such as temperature, humidity, light, and motion. Some examples of sensors include temperature sensors, motion sensors, and gas sensors. These devices are often small and low-cost, making them ideal for use in large-scale deployments.

Actuators are devices that act on the environment, such as turning on a light, opening a door, or starting a motor. Some examples of actuators include motors, relays, and solenoids. These devices are often used in industrial applications where precise control is required.

Controllers are devices that manage the communication between sensors and actuators. They are responsible for processing data from sensors and sending commands to actuators. Some examples of controllers include microcontrollers, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), and gateways. These devices are often used in complex IoT deployments.

5 Major IoT Applications

IoT technology has a wide range of applications across various industries, including healthcare, manufacturing, transportation, and smart cities. Here are some examples of IoT applications:

1. Smart Homes

Smart homes are homes that are equipped with IoT devices that allow homeowners to control various aspects of their home remotely. For example, homeowners can use their smartphones to turn on lights, adjust the thermostat, or lock the doors. Smart homes can also include security systems that use cameras and sensors to detect intruders and alert homeowners.

2. Healthcare

IoT technology is transforming the healthcare industry by enabling remote monitoring of patients. Wearable devices, such as smartwatches and fitness trackers, can collect data on a patient’s vital signs and send it to healthcare providers in real-time. This allows healthcare providers to monitor patients remotely and detect health issues before they become serious.

3. Manufacturing

IoT technology is being used in manufacturing to improve efficiency and reduce costs. For example, sensors can be placed on manufacturing equipment to collect data on performance and predict maintenance needs. This allows manufacturers to schedule maintenance proactively, reducing downtime and increasing productivity.

4. Transportation

IoT technology is being used in transportation to improve safety and efficiency. For example, sensors can be placed on vehicles to collect data on driving behavior and send alerts to drivers when they are driving recklessly. IoT technology can also be used to optimize routes, reducing travel time and fuel consumption.

5. Smart Cities

Smart cities are cities that use IoT technology to improve the quality of life for residents. For example, sensors can be placed throughout a city to collect data on traffic flow, air quality, and noise levels. This data from the IoT devices can be used to monitor and manage city infrastructure such as traffic lights, streetlights, and waste management systems.

Benefits of IoT Applications

Benefits of IoT Devices and Applications: IoT devices and applications offer a range of benefits, including:

1. Greater Convenience: IoT devices and applications can make our lives more convenient by allowing us to control our homes, track our fitness, and perform other tasks from anywhere.
2. Improved Efficiency: IoT devices and applications can improve efficiency by automating tasks and optimizing processes in industrial settings, logistics centers, and other environments.
3. Enhanced Productivity: IoT devices and applications can enhance productivity by providing workers with real-time data, insights, and recommendations.
4. Cost Savings: IoT devices and applications can help to reduce costs by improving efficiency, reducing downtime, and optimizing resources.

IoT devices and applications have the potential to transform the way we live and work, offering greater convenience, efficiency, and productivity across a range of industries. As the number of connected devices continues to grow, it is important for individuals and organizations to understand the benefits and risks associated with IoT technology.

To learn about how to take screenshots in computer you can check the link How to take screenshot on computer

After 7 years if someone plans to buy it, will the iPhone 6S or iPhone 6S plus worth buying in 2022? We had a long post regarding this topic in 2020- “iPhone 6S or iPhone 6S Plus worth buying in 2020?”. You can check that out for details. We will just go through briefly if the iPhone 6S Plus worth buying in 2022.

What to Expect from iPhone 6S or 6S Plus in 2022

• You can still be happy with the premium display & the stylish look of this model. As it offers a pretty standard display quality & the design was loved because of its slim & classy looks. Still, in 2022, the phone lover’s expression would not change. But if you are planning to buy one now beware of the phones with the replaced display as they most probably are not the original quality display.
• Don’t forget iPhone 6S or 6S Plus was a flagship phone in 2015 from Apple. So the premium feel is still there & its Aluminium Design is still hard to match to date.
• To discuss the Performance & Capability of the iPhone 6S in 2022 is a bit tricky. Because it will depend on the person and the type of use which you expected from the device. If you wish to is it for the primary role of a cellphone which is to communicate & stay connected, iPhone 6S will serve you, first class. All the latest features are still supported as this phone is now using Apple’s latest software release iOS 15.
• iPhone 6S camera was the biggest upgrade for any mobile camera of that time in 2015. So, it is definitely a good camera. But the technology has advanced a lot and the majority of the 2022 phones have a much-more advanced camera installed in the phone. But if you just think about serving your purpose of taking pictures for record-keeping or scanning documents, iPhone 6S plus worth buying in 2022
• The battery life of the iPhone 6S Plus will just be enough for you to do the day’s work. That will make iPhone 6S plus worth buying in 2022. But if you do heavy work like Gaming, Videography, etc, the backup will not be that good.

What not to Expect from iPhone 6S or 6S Plus in 2022

• First of all, don’t expect iPhone 6S series to play your latest games in 2022. Though it can play heavy games like PUBG or GTA 5, these heavy loads will drain the battery too fast & the phone will be very hot soon. But liter games like the strategy games might be played with smooth performance still. That does make the iPhone 6S plus worth buying in 2022 in this price range.
• Don’t expect it to be your primary camera. As the video quality is not the best considering the present day’s camera technology, also the photo camera is no way near to the latest iPhones.
• iPhone always had that issue with the Battery back up which they solved somewhat in the later models but in iPhone 6S you will most probably have to keep a close eye on the Battery level every now and then.

Key Features Of iPhone 6S & iPhone 6S Plus In 2022

3D Touch: iPhone 6S introduced the 3D touch feature for the iPhones. With this feature, you can choose different options by putting different levels of pressure on the touch screen. This increased sensitivity option was a surprise back then in 2015.

NFC: Both the iPhone 6S & 6S plus include the NFC chip. But the use of this chip is still limited to use only Apple Pay. The majority of high-end Android handsets with NFC support a large range of profiles. Also, NFC can be used for short-range radio technology. But NFC on iPhone 6S series will not support anything except Apple pay.

3.5mm Audio Jack: This is the last model of the iPhone which supports a universal 3.5mm audio jack. So, you can use your old loving headphone on this phone without the need for an adapter.

Second-generation Touch ID: This small update actually made the fingerprint much more secure. While bringing much more pace and smoothness in operation.

Compatible with Apple Watch & Airpod: So far all the devices released by apple are compatible with iPhone 6S series including the Apple watch and the Airpod.

ARKit: Apple introduced its augmented reality platform ARKit recently. And as expected iPhone 6s series is not left out of this platform also.

Missing Key Features Of iPhone 6S Or 6S Plus In 2022

Though the phone is from 2015 and brought the biggest ever upgrade for S addition of the iPhones. Still, many consider a few limitations of this iPhone 6S series. Like some basic features which should be in all the flagships of that time. Even the mid-ranger does have these features in 2022.

Quick Charging: Nearly every midrange smartphone in 2022 does support quick charging options. So, you might miss this feature since the battery backup of the iPhone 6S might not be enough for heavy use throughout the full day.

Wireless Charging: The iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus don’t support wireless charging. Since Wireless charging is been around for years, you would find this effortless feature in many phones in 2022. But considering the price, you should accept that.

Limited Internal Memory: This phone starts from 16GB where the users will get the chance to use around 12 GB of space. And you can not use any external memory card. So both the 16GB & the 32GB version of the iPhone 6S might make you feel cramped with this limited storage.

iPhone 6S & 6S plus Buying Guide In 2022

After reviewing all the facts and specifications, there must be a question in mind. What is the worth of the iPhone 6S & 6S plus in the present market in 2022? And where can we buy them? Since Apple is no more selling this model in their store. The answer is dependent on quite a few factors. It will much depend on the source from where you are buying.

You might buy from someone you personally know and upgrade to another model. Or you can buy from some of the certified suppliers of refurbished iPhones with the included warranty. You can search and find a certified supplier in your country and buy it from them.

Another big source of the iPhone 6S & 6S plus can be online markets like Amazon, eBay, or Alibaba. The prices for iPhone 6S would range from around $100 to $200. And for the iPhone 6S Plus, the prices are from approximately $150 to $250.

But you have to be really careful about reading all the details given by the sellers. As they can be tricky and some tricky descriptions might cheat you. While buying from these online shops we recommend buying from certified resellers like SWAPPA & Best Buy in the USA. So, the iPhone 6S plus worth buying in 2022 only if you can get a really good deal in terms of price & quality.

iPhone 6S plus Worth Buying In 2022

Overall both the iPhone 6s & the iPhone 6S Plus are still pretty much good phones, but an important fact is a budget here. Especially if you want a phone as a start for the Apple phones, this phone is the deal cracker for you. If you can manage iPhone 6S at around $200 in good condition, you can still consider it a very good deal.

For iPhone 6S plus you might have to spend around $250. You might check the refurbished iPhones from certified sellers also. You might even get a phone like new with 6 month warranty for half of the real price. Definitely, both iPhone 6S & iPhone 6S Plus are still worth buying with your money and will not frustrate you in 2022. And most importantly Apple’s support for the iPhone 6S Series will Continue till 2022.

Another most popular model of the iPhone was the iPhone SE with a 4-inch display. In April 2020, Apple brought back the iPhone SE with a 4.7-inch display and a very powerful A13 Bionic chip with an extraordinary camera configuration too. The new iPhone SE (2nd Generation) is considered the 1st ever budget iPhone by Apple as the price is starting at $399.

If you can manage the extra bucks, our advice would be to go for this budget superstar. In 2022 you can easily get a used iPhone SE (2020) at a very reasonable price like around $200. Also, Apple recently declared the iPhone SE(2022) version which will be a budget phone too but will offer all 2022 latest features & performances.

iPhone 6S or 6S plus Would Still Worth Using In 2023?

Though iPhone 6S plus worth buying in 2022, what about 2023? Since the year 2022 is almost halfway through, there is another question coming to the mind of iPhone 6S users. Would iPhone 6S still be worth using in 2023 or would become obsolete? The answer is not a straight Yes or No. It actually will depend on why and how you are planning to use that phone.

We don’t recommend buying the iPhone 6S series in 2023 as an upgrade from iPhone 5S or earlier. But if it is your first iPhone to start with and if you can get that very cheap like less than $100-$120 in a good condition, you might give that a try. As we mentioned in the above report the iPhone 6S series phones are very durable and constant performers. The phone can fulfill your day-to-day expectations completely if you can get a phone with an updated battery.

If you don’t wish to play the latest games, iPhone 6S or 6S plus will be able to serve you even in 2023 as iOS 15 is released recently and it supports the iPhone 6S series. That is very promising news for the iPhone 6S series users. That means you can still continue the phone for general purposes like checking your office mails and other activities required from a smartphone. The performance of the phone is much increased after the iOS 15 update. There is an addition of interesting features too.

But as there are other competitive models like the iPhone SE (2020) and the refurbished or renewed version of the models like the iPhone 7 or 8 is available in the market, it would be a hard choice to select to buy an iPhone 6S series.

So, for the existing users or recommendation is, “Keep using your iPhone 6S or 6S plus till 2023 without any performance issue.” And for those who are interested in buying a new iPhone 6S in 2022 or in the later 2022, we recommend, “Look out for the price difference of the later models of iPhones and then decide if you are really securing the best deal or not. If the price is not much attractive then it might be better to go for the later version of iPhones with more value for money options.”

Airpods 2 is still in the sale even after the release of Airpods 3. On the other hand, there is the Airpods pro in sales too. The interesting part is the price for Airpods 3 is in between the Airpods 2 & Airpods pro. It is obvious that the price of Airpods pro is much more expensive than both the Airpods 2 & Airpods 3 but the features are exclusive too.

So, if the consumers are up for the exclusive Airpods experience, they will go for the Airpods Pro. Whereas, those who want to save a bit of money & still go for an Apple product, have the option of Airpods 2. End of the day, Airpods 3 is in between and losing sales. Thus, making a well-balanced product Airpods 3 is a failure.

Apparently, there is a big possibility that Apple will discontinue the Airpods Pro before releasing the Airpods Pro 2. It is very important for Apple that, they learn from the mistakes & don’t make the same mistakes over & over again. Though Airpods 3 is a failure for Apple, it taught a good lesson for all the other high rollers in the market.

If you want to learn about the best apps for healthy habits you can read this article.

List of the Best performing Android Keyboards in 2022

Over the last few years, quite a few keyboards have done amazing improvements. And there are regular updates with the features and services. Among those keyboards, we will share some best android keyboard apps which people love for their excellent benefits.

GBoard

Google keyboard was renamed as GBoard and released as iOS & Android app in 2016. This multifunctional app can work as your translator, search engine & many more along with the major functions of typing keyboard. Moreover, by using the Gboard keyboard app you will get a huge lot of extra features for typing along with those other services. In short, please find the below key benefits why we think GBoard is the best android keyboard –

• There is a google search option in your GBoard keyboard word suggestion bar. For example, you can write down any organization name, a song, a hotel, or other terms & instantly you will see a lot of suggestions for that word. Subsequently, you can select the right option & tap the share button. Instantly that will paste the link into the conversation.
• There is an option for searching and using GIFs and emojis. There are a lot of funny & interesting options to choose from. All you need to do is search, select & send. There is the Google search bar on top of that there is the option- search emojis. Type the search term, select from the options, and send it. It is so easy.

• Selecting the text for editing or copying could be another issue. Hence, there is an option for trackpad mood in the Google Android Keyboard.
• Alternative words or synonyms are readily available to use during typing. No need to check in the web or dictionary.
• Google Translator is also added to this keyboard. All you need to do is – type the word/sentence, select the word/sentence you want to translate, press the G icon and choose translate.
• If you use your Android phone for work-related communication, you might end up typing the same thing multiple times. Create your own text expansion shortcuts for these phrases in Gboard, and you’ll end up saving a lot of time.
• There is a one-handed mood to type with just one hand whenever you are busy with another hand.
• Moreover, you can change the theme & choose from a wide range of variety. You can choose a background from the Google suggested pictures. Even you can choose your own picture collections to set as the keyboard background. Tap on the G button, select the Theme button (the one that looks like a paint palette), select your theme, and you’re good to go.
• Most importantly, all the other features like voice typing, gesture typing, capitalization shortcuts & many more are readily available in the Gboard keyboards to make it the best android keyboard of our choice.

Microsoft SwiftKey for Android

Microsoft also has its own keyboard app for android & apple devices named Microsoft SwiftKey. It gives you more accurate autocorrect and predictions by learning your writing style – including the words, phrases, and emoji that matter to you.

SwiftKey is an old competitor for smartphone keyboards and a fan favorite. Like GBoard Keyboard, SwiftKey uses gesture typing for easier and faster input by the user. It also has an aggressive and artificially intelligent autocorrect engine that learns the way you type and gets better at correcting your typos over time.

Moreover, one very special feature that sets SwiftKey apart is its floating keyboard. Also, you can undock the keyboard, resize it and drag it anywhere on the screen to type. You can even enable a one-handed mode or turn it into a split thumb keyboard. These features are particularly useful on a larger device, such as a tablet or an iPad.

There are plenty of themes to choose from and customize, along with all of the features you would expect, including a built-in GIF search. While it’s difficult to find a third-party keyboard that doesn’t have auto-correction. Another benefit is if you sign in with a Microsoft account, your settings and preferences will be saved. Everything can be synced across whatever devices you own and use SwiftKey with.

Grammarly Keyboard for Android

Those who write professionally on websites, or work on any project reports for educational or professional purposes might be already well acquainted with Grammarly. For instance, Grammarly is an online service that checks your grammar as you type in any text field in your browser or on any writing pad. But when they introduce a keyboard app for you to write the most correct & influential content right from the keyboard app, that must be an amazing thing.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re an English professor, writer, or somebody who writes occasionally, Grammarly Keyboard can come in handy for everyone. The keyboard keeps track of what you’re typing while you’re typing to ensure that your grammar and spelling are correct. And a recent update brought swipe typing, a feature that is already available on just about every other popular keyboard.

Which Android Keyboard App is the Best?

There are so many android keyboards available to choose from. Some have unique themes, some have unique features, some try to mix & match everything. But, as per our observation, the above three Android keyboards have it all. Eventually, you can easily choose the best option from the above based on your requirement. You can share which one you prefer in the comment section below.

If you want to learn about the best apps for healthy habits you can read this article.

Uses for Old iPhones as the Music Player Like the iPods

A most obvious but very effective way of keep using your old iPhone can be this. That is to say, you can use iTunes on your old iPhone and store the music you love there. Your old iPhone will work as an excellent iPod with an additional big touch display. It does not matter if you are using old models like the iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, or the iPhone 5S. In any of those old models, you can get all the best features to enjoy amazing songs through wired headphones or AirPods.

Uses for Old iPhones as Apple TV Remote

If you have an Apple TV then you might love your old iPhone as a TV remote. All you will have to do is to use the Apple TV Remote App. You will definitely love this newly improvised remote over your physical TV remote. As there will be enough functionality to help you with your desired action on Apple TV. Moreover, it will offer a smooth keyboard function to search or find anything from the internet.

Though the charge will not last much longer like your actual TV remote. So, you will need to find a suitable place in your drawing room to keep it on the charge. Specially when you are not using that.

Uses for Old iPhones as Car Appliance

Nowadays, it is kind of a trend to mount your phone on the car dashboard. It can help you with the direction by using the MAPS & the GPS. Also, you can use the phone to control the music system in your car. Many times, it can be a hassle to mount and unmount the phone from the car dashboard. Even in times of hurry, you even might forget to pick up your phone.

Your old iPhone can come to your rescue. You can just keep your old iPhone in the car for these purposes only. You will not need to mount or unmount the phone anymore from your car every time.

Uses for the Old iPhones as Your Bike Companion

Similar to the Car, many mount their phones to bikes for the GPS and direction. Also, you can use your old iPhone as the Go-Pro camera on the bike. Though the video quality will not be as premium as the modern age-built super stabilized Go Pro cameras. But if you just don’t want to spend that much money right now, old iPhones can be an option. You can track your movement or distances through various tracking apps used for biking. And the option to use as the music buddy wherever you go is always there anyway.

For the phone or bike applications, you might want to consider getting a data-only SIM. That will allow you to use the up-to-date mapping data and stream the music while you’re on the go. Downloading everything ahead of time on your home Wi-Fi will only get you so far.

Use The Old iPhones as Your Home or Kitchen Companion

You can use your phone for controlling your home appliances as well. The latest electronics have these remote controlling abilities using Wi-Fi connections. You can use your old iPhones for this purpose dedicatedly. Also, you can use Siri’s simple alarm-setting capabilities and other basic activities like calculators or reminders for your favorite shows and events.

Also, you might wish to use a phone for recipes or to watch a cooking tutorial video on the internet. For that reason, you might wish to use a phone in the kitchen. By using your old iPhone in the kitchen for these purposes, you can be less stressed about the danger of your phone. Also, you can use the old iPhone as the music buddy in the kitchen anyway.

Can Be Used as Kid’s Entertainment Device

Here is another interesting way the old iPhones can be used. It does not matter if the model is as old as iPhone 4 or 4S even. You can just add some kids-friendly games and gift it to your kids at home. You should give the phone without a cellular connection. So, all the content you need to preload in the device before. You can even add your favorite cartons or other programs that the kids like to the device. So, the kids can use that device for easy games or cartoon watching.

Sell Or Donate the Old iPhone

As the last option, you can decide to sell your phone or donate it. It is much better than just holding on to a phone that you will never gonna use again for anything. Also, the infatuation with the phone you used for a long will fade away soon and by that time the phone will lose its ability to function in any direction. So, it is better to sell straight after you update to another version rather than wasting a running phone inside a drawer.

Also, there are many other organizations that collect old phones to donate to someone who needs that support. Some organizations collect and sell old phones to collect money for donations too. Below are some of the organizations working in the USA that collects used phones and donates to various noble causes. You can check the details of their activities by clicking on their website links below –

• Secure The Call – Recycling cellphones for a safer community
• Cellphones for Soldiers – Give Hero a Lifeline
• NCADV – Donate a Phone

List of Old Games for iPhones

At this time, we will reconnect you with those old games for iPhones again. On the other hand, these older games were compatible with the older models of the iPhones like the iPhone 6, iPhone 5S, or even iPhone 4S. In the same way, you can definitely play these games with the newer models of iPhones anyway. Some of those games have android versions but many don’t have any android versions. Provided that please check out the list below and check out the games again to recreate your childhood or teenager.

Release Date of iPhone 7 & 7 Plus

Both the iPhone 7 & the 7 Plus were announced on September 7, 2016, in San Francisco by Apple CEO Tim Cook. Both the iPhone 7 & 7 Plus were released on September 16, 2016, as the 10th generation flagship device in the iPhone series. Apple released these together in numerous countries worldwide throughout September and October 2016.

One year later they were succeeded by the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus on September 22, 2017. And finally, iPhone 7 & 7 plus was discontinued on September 10, 2019.

Display And Design of iPhone 7 Series

Apple is using a display in the iPhone 7 that’s 25 percent brighter than the display in the iPhone 6s. So it’s going to look brighter and clearer outdoors, especially in full sunlight. The display is also using a cinema-standard wide color gamut and end-to-end color management, for more vivid, saturated colors.

Apple has used a 4.7″ Retina HD display. And for iPhone 7 plus a bit bigger size 5.5″ Retina HD display. Resolution is 1334X750 & 1920X1080 respectively for iPhone 7 & the iPhone 7 plus.

Apple is proud of the bold move of removing the audio jack. But in pretty much every other aspect they’ve seemingly taken the conservative route. On the outside, the new iPhone looks basically the same as the iPhone 6/6s.

Another new feature found on the iPhone 7 would be IP67 certification. This protects the device against dust and water (limited protection). You can let your iPhone fall into the toilet or bathtub without having it drown. Another fact that the mechanized Home button is not there anymore. Rather it is a digitized version that delivers haptic feedback at different levels of sensitivity.

The overall design of the iPhone 7 is actually very impressive when you consider the changes that have taken place. The waterproofing always adds thickness, as the seals will need some space within the device.

The new dual speakers, which fire out of the earpiece and the bottom of the phone took space too, which starts to explain why the iPhone 7 is 7.1mm thick, the same as the iPhone 6S, and 0.2mm more than the iPhone 6.

Also to give space for the dual speakers and the other slight changes iPhone 7 is 7.1mm thick. The same as the iPhone 6S, and 0.2mm more than the iPhone 6.

Performance & Capability of iPhone 7 Series

Apple improves the processor in each iteration of the iPhone. In the iPhone 7, Apple added some impressive features for the best chip performance for that time. The A10 Fusion chipset has a four-core CPU (the first in an iOS device). It combines power and efficiency in a unique way. It is “incredibly thin” and was made on TSMC’s 16 nm FinFET+ process.

There are two high-performance cores in the iPhone 7 series. These are 40 percent faster than the A9 chip in the iPhone 6s. Even twice as fast as the A8 chip in the iPhone 6. There are also two high-efficiency cores that run at 1/5th of the speed of the high-performance cores. These preserve battery when doing tasks that aren’t system intensive.

An Apple-designed performance controller switches between the two core systems. It makes sure the correct processes are running for maximum performance and maximum battery. When doing something that requires a more powerful CPU, such as gaming, the high-power cores run. When something doesn’t require a lot of power, the high-efficiency cores get turned on to draw less power. So activities like sending a message or an email would consume very less power.

Along with the four-core CPU, the iPhone 7 features a six-core graphics chip. It is 60 percent faster than the A9 and three times faster than the A8. At the same time, it draws one-third less power than the A9 and half as much power as the A8.

There is an embedded M10 motion coprocessor in the A10 Fusion chip. It captures motion-based data from the compass, accelerometer, and gyroscope to power Apple’s health and fitness capabilities without significant power drain.

RAM of iPhone 7 & 7 plus

Due to the increased demands of a dual-camera system and the software necessary to process images, Apple has equipped the iPhone 7 Plus with 3GB RAM.

The iPhone 7, which uses only a single-lens camera, continues to have 2GB RAM like the iPhone 6s.

The camera of iPhone 7 & 7 plus

The iPhone 7 includes a 12-megapixel rear-facing camera with a quad-LED “True Tone” flash. It has a wide aperture of f/1.8. Also, the standard-size iPhone 7 model adds optical image stabilization – a feature that was previously exclusive to Plus models.

The iPhone 7 Plus includes a second 12-megapixel telephoto lens, which can be used to achieve 2× optical zoom, and up to 10× digital zoom. However, the telephoto camera lacks optical image stabilization.

The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus record video with single-channel mono audio. Still, photos with 6.5 megapixels (3412×1920) can be captured during video recording. The front-facing camera was upgraded to a 7-megapixel sensor with automatic image stabilization. The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus were the first iPhones to be able to record 1080p video using the front camera.

You can check some of the amazing photography by this iPhone 7 series in this link

Battery Life Of iPhone 7 & iPhone 7 Plus Compared In 2022

As always Apple releases a bigger version for each model with a bigger display and battery. The iPhone 7 Plus has a bigger battery than the iPhone 7. The iPhone 7 Plus has a 2900 mAh battery while the iPhone 7 offers a 1960 mAh battery capacity. The larger display and higher resolution of the Plus do eat up some of the advantages. But it still lasts substantially longer. You can see the comparison clearly from the below chart. By checking the below specs you can decide if the iPhone 7 or 7 Plus is worth buying in 2022.

Key features of the iPhone 7 Series

• Water-proof metal unibody with redesigned, less-obtrusive antenna strips
• 4.7″ 16M-color LED-backlit IPS LCD of 750 x 1334px resolution, 326ppi, wide color gamut, 3D Touch tech
• Pressure-sensitive Home key powered by a brand new Taptic Engine
• Quad-core (2+2) 64-bit Apple CPU, Hexa-core GPU, 2GB of RAM, Apple A10 Fusion SoC
• 12MP F/1.8 camera with a quad-LED flash, optical image stabilization, phase detection autofocus, wide color capture, 2160p@30fps video recording
• 7MP F/2.2 front-facing camera with BSI sensor and HDR mode, 1080p@30fps video
• Comes in 32, 128, and 256GB of built-in storage
• Second-gen Touch ID fingerprint sensor
• 4G LTE Cat.12 (600Mbps); Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac; Bluetooth 4.2; Lightning port; GPS with A-GPS and GLONASS; NFC (Apple Pay only)
• 1,960mAh battery

Main Shortcomings of iPhone 7 Series! What are Common Problems With iPhone 7 Plus?

• There is no 3.5mm audio jack (ships with a Lightning to 3.5mm adapter)
• microSD slot is not there as all the other iPhones
• NFC functionality limited to Apple Pay
• Still no fast or wireless charging, no IR port or FM radio
• No user-replaceable battery
• Scratch-prone Jet Black model
• Screen resolution, not flagship-grade

iPhone 7 FAQ: What Else Should I Know?

You may have even more questions about the iPhone 7 before taking the final decisions. So we have gathered a few –

Is the iPhone 7 or 7 Plus a good phone for 2022?

It still offers good features like water resistance, a quad-core processor, and a decent starting storage capacity. The overall performance will do the needful at least till 2022 without any difficulties.

When will iPhone 7 be Obsolete? How Long will iPhone 7 Plus be Supported?

The straight answer would be – No!

Apple traditionally offers support for older models for 5 years but is extending that now to 6 years. The latest iOS 15.4.1 still works on models as old as the iPhone 6S, so the iPhone 7 is far from obsolete. When will iPhone 7 stop updating? That said, Apple will continue support for the iPhone 7 through at least the Fall of 2022, which means users can invest in it as both the iPhone 7 & 7 Plus is worth buying in 2022. iPhone 7 in 2022 will not be such a bad idea if you feel confident as long as Apple keep supporting the phone.

Is the iPhone 7 Series battery life good?

The batteries for both models are impressive: the iPhone 7 had a 1960 mAh battery, while the 7 Plus had a 2900 mAh battery. According to Apple, the greater size was meant to increase the 7’s charge time by two hours from the 6s.

Though the iPhone 7 barely makes it out a whole with medium use. But the iPhone 7 Plus will easily make out the whole day with medium usage. Both iPhone 7 & 7 Plus is worth buying in 2022 if you consider the battery capacity.

Does iPhone 7 break easily?

With the iPhone 7, it is water-resistant, but if you drop it, it can break or crack. Most reports state that it can survive short drops, like when it falls from your hand into the floor or off the table/counter onto the floor. It can survive falls to carpeted floors, vinyl floors, even wood floors. However, there is the inner and outer screen, so if you do drop it and see signs of damage, you need to be careful. Damage to the outer screen won’t interfere with benefits like water resistance, but if you damage the inner screen, it won’t be water-resistant anymore and you will need to get the screen replaced. 

Is the iPhone 7 better than 6S?

The iPhone 7 has better features than the 6s, like the longer battery life of about 2 hours. Better chipset and the quad-core processor makes the iPhone 7 a much better phone than iPhone 6S. But you will find less difference is outside and the performance gap is not that that visible to understand in general use.

Is the iPhone 7 waterproof?

It is water-resistant. Now, most people assume that means waterproof, and if, for example, you are texting in the rain for a minute, it’s safe to assume the phone will still work just fine. But tests for waterproofing mean that splashes, water, and dust won’t bother the phone and if you drop it in the sink or in the lake, it can survive being submerged 3 feet deep for up to 30 minutes. Obviously, don’t leave your phone in the water if you can help it, and if it goes overboard, catch it before it sinks too far down. 

Is iPhone 7 or 7 Plus better?

That really comes down to what features you like best. If, for example, you want a camera for its camera experience, then the iPhone 7 Plus is better because it has the dual-camera system that is faster than previous models and more energy efficient. If you aren’t as worried about that, and prefer the ease of use, storage, and lower cost, then the iPhone 7 is just fine. 

How much does the iPhone 7 cost?

Since Apple doesn’t sell these models anymore, there are various stocks with different suppliers. You can get the 32 GB variety at around $200, and the 128GB version at around $250. The 7 Plus starts at around $250 for 32GB and around $300 for 128GB. But you can always get used phones at much cheaper rates.

Is iPhone 7 Plus Worth Buying In 2022?

In one word both the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus is worth buying in 2022 if you can crack a good deal. But the worthiness much depends on the purpose of you. If you wish to have a regular phone for your everyday work and to be that occasional heavy user then iPhone 7 series cracks you the best deal.

Since this series is almost 4 years old there are quite a lot of used phone stock is available in various online stores. Also, many offering excellent offers for even new copies of this model. If you want to start using an iPhone with a minimum amount spent then the iPhone 7 series can be your best choice. This phone was an amazing release with quite a lot of excellent features which are still being used in the latest iPhones.

This old flagship can still amaze you with its speed and camera performance. Though the outcomes are in no way comparable with the latest releases of the iPhones. And you have to tolerate the thick bezels and other shortcomings like the slow charging, missing the wireless charging features, and many other latest tech advancements which you can get on the majority of 2022 phones.

But as there are other competitive models like the iPhone SE (2020) and the refurbished or renewed version of the models like iPhone 8 or iPhone XS or iPhone XR will be available in the market, it would be a hard choice to select buying an iPhone 7 series.

So, for the existing users or recommendation is, “Keep using your iPhone 7 or 7 plus till 2022 without any performance issue.” And for those who are interested in buying a new iPhone 7 series in 2022 or in the later 2022, we recommend, “Look out for the price difference of the later models of iPhones and then decide if you are really securing the best deal or not. If the price is not much attractive then it might be better to go for the later version of iPhones with more value for money options.”

As it is free and very convenient to get the relevant songs, many prefer YouTube over any other streaming platform. While listening to the songs one after another, sometimes we like a song so much that we wish to listen to the song all day long. But when you are on the move you can not keep listening to the song and you wish to be able to play the song on your default music player. For that, you will need the song in MP3 format. So we will let you know the easiest ways to convert youtube videos to mp3 completely free.

Convert Youtube Video To MP3 By Online Converter

Converting YouTube videos to mp3 is surprisingly too easy. There are lots of websites where you can easily paste the youtube link of the video you want to convert into an MP3. We will share some of the best websites that will help you to convert your favorite youtube videos to MP3 format audio files.

FLVTO

FLVTO is an online YouTube video converter, which allows you to convert your favorite YouTube video to MP3, MP4, MP4 HD, AVI, and AVI HD format. The process is pretty simple. You can do as below –

From Web Version

• Go to the weblink
• You will find a link box. You need to put your favorite YouTube video link there.
• Below the box, there is this option as convert to. You can choose your desired format. If it is MP3, then select that.
• Press the convert to button
• There might be some ad pop-ups if your pop-up blocker is not activated. You can ignore them or cross the ad windows.
• You will get the download option. Click on that option and your download will begin. You will get your favorite music video in mp3 format.

FLVTO does also offer a browser add-on to allow you an instant download option while you browse through YouTube. And there is also a desktop version too. You can install the desktop version software and can download any amount of video more easily.

YouTubetoMP3

One of the best online YouTube video converters available for online conversion is the YouTubetoMP3. Unlike the other free online converters, you will face very little interference from the advertisements. The interface is very simple and there are options to convert to high-quality MP3 from Youtube videos. The process is as simple as it can be –

• Go to the link YouTubetoMP3
• There is a search box. You can paste the YouTube link there. Press the Go button.
• You will see different options below the Youtube content name. Select your favorite format from the drop-down menu and press convert.
• Once the conversion is complete you will see the download button. Press it.
• Your download will start automatically.

Y2mate

This online converter allows you to download videos from YouTube, Facebook, or any other video platform to Mp3, or Mp4 in HD quality. Y2mate supports downloading all video formats such as MP4, M4V, 3GP, WMV, FLV, MO, MP3, WEBM, etc. You can easily download YouTube videos as MP3 format and listen on your mobile’s default music player whenever you want. The process is very similar to other similar sites –

• Go to the link Y2mate
• There is a search box. You just need to paste the YouTube link there. No need to press any button
• You will see different downloadable formats are ready for downloading.
• Select your desired format and click the download button beside that. If you want MP3 format select the download button beside the MP3 format.
• Once you click the download button it will prepare the file for downloading in few seconds. Another Download.mp3 button will show. Click the button, Your download will start and you will get your music video as mp3 audio file.

Convert Youtube Video To MP3 By Desktop Software

There is another way to download YouTube videos in your desired format. This option will be better for you, if you need to download or convert a lot of videos from different platforms regularly. You can download and install the desktop version software that can help you to download YouTube videos. You can check out the below software –

Any Video Converter

It is one of the best software that is free and available online. Though the software is not only intended to download or convert YouTube videos to MP3, it will definitely fulfill your demand. Since the software is a complete solution for downloading videos from all the different sources and converting videos to different formats of audio and video, the installation file might seem big for you if the purpose is to only convert youtube videos to mp3. For downloading MP3s just past the URL of a YouTube video and wait for the download to complete. You can then select MP3 as the output format, and click on the Convert Now button

4K YouTube to MP3

This video downloader is the specialized YouTube video downloading app for MP3 converted Audio. Just paste the link to a song you want to download into the application — it’s going to be on your computer in just a few seconds. Clean interface, straightforward operation, and quick music saving. Transfer the downloaded tracks to your smartphone, tablet, or flash drive to enjoy it everywhere you go.

There are other options like downloading the whole YouTube playlist or even the whole channel in Mp3 format. All you need to do is to download and install the software from the below link.

Free YouTube to MP3 Converter

It is another free software that can make your mp3 song collection from YouTube as easy as possible. You can convert YouTube videos to high-quality audio files. You can convert YouTube videos to Mp3, AAC, OGG, M4A, FLAC, and WAV lossless audio. All you need to do is to download the software from the below link. After installing the software, copy the YouTube video link, then click the paste button on the software interface. Then press the Download button. Your song will be downloaded instantly. You can also download the complete youtube playlist in the Mp3 format.

ClipGrab

It is a free downloader and converter for YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, and many other online video sites. It converts downloaded videos to MPEG4, MP3, or other formats in just one easy step. You can download the software from the below link. Opera browser is bundled with the software but you can easily skip the installation of Opera with just one click.

Apps That Can be Considered as Alternative of Spotify

Youtube Music

Youtube music is operated with one of the easiest operating interface for music streaming. The interesting part is that it has a free version along with the paid versions. So, you can listen to all the songs available in Youtube as audio or video format. Moreover, you can upload your own songs to your free Youtube music account and can stream them without any interruption.

But one big drawback of the mobile app version of the free Youtube music is that you can not play music in the background while working on another screen in your mobile. But the web version doesn’t have such issues. As a free alternative to Spotify, Youtube music free version is a good option if you like the option to see the music video too.

Google Play Music

Google Play Music is the closest match for Spotify-like apps compared with the free version of both apps. Many music lovers all around the globe consider this the best alternative for Spotify. Users with free accounts can upload and listen to up to 50,000 songs from their personal libraries and stream whenever they need them. If someone has an android device then he would also enjoy more benefits because of the ecosystem. In some cases, Google Play Music is even a better music streaming option than Spotify. You get all the youtube content along with the Google Play Music collections.

Pandora

Another very competitive alternative for Spotify could have been Pandora. But unfortunately, this music streaming app is not available outside the USA. But if you are living in the USA and looking for a free alternative to Spotify to enjoy music streaming, then Pandora is a must-try for you. You can enjoy your free account in the web version, Android app, or iOS app simultaneously as Pandora is available in all of those platforms.

Deezer

While looking for an alternative of Spotify or any other app like Spotify, Deezer can be your best option. As one of the oldest music streaming services, Deezer has a collection of 30 million songs in its catalog and playlists. Deezer offers unlimited free music access for one month and after that, there is a 2 hours time limit. To get unlimited access you will need to pay. By paying for upgrades, the users can also remove the access restriction and listen to higher-quality tracks.

Idagio

If you are looking for a music app like Spotify that is truly free then you have to check out Idagio. Idagio even offers songs depending on the location, mood, or even your tastes. There is no restriction whatsoever while you listen to your favorite songs. But the drawback that holds back this app from becoming the best alternative of Spotify is you can only listen to classic songs here. Though the genre classic is a combination of a wide range of music types. Still, if you are not that into classics, all those exclusive services of Idagio might not be much appealing to you as a free alternative to Spotify.

iHeartRadio

iHeartRadio is a free internet radio service that offers both live radio stations and custom stations tailored to a user’s music tastes. It offers live streams from local stations as well as the ability to create custom radio stations from an expansive library. But the free version will not allow you to search for a specific song. You can just select a specific playlist from the playlists offered for you based on the algorithm. It is more popular to those who love to listen to a lot of podcasts and music radios.

Last.fm

It is a different kind of music streaming service. Instead of just letting you listen to the song, it has another interesting service. By the Last.fm scrobbler app you can track all the songs you play on your device. Whatever music player you use, it can track those songs and can propose you similar songs or playlists depending on the time and mood.

This music service is absolutely free and available on all the platforms. If you have the Spotify or any other music streaming app already in your device and you use it regularly, Last.fm scrobbler will learn your music taste soon enough and you will be able to replace the app as all the songs will be available to stream from the Last.fm.

LiveXLive Powered By Slacker

Music streaming company LiveXLive joined with slacker radio to combine the live music streams with Slacker Radio’s knowledgeable DJs and deep music. LiveXLive offers three listening plans for music fans. With Basic, you get 128Kbps audio and the ability to skip a maximum of six songs per hour. In exchange, you have to endure plenty of audio and banner advertisements.

Sound Cloud

Sound Cloud combines user-generated music and podcasts with tracks from major label musicians into a unique streaming music service. Though a good portion of that is the user-generated/indie content. Also, you can listen to individual tracks and artist-inspired stations. Even the free version allows you to enjoy many major-level music tracks.

8 Tracks

8track is a combination of social media and a music streaming service. Here you can create playlists based on any criteria like artist, album, mood, or genre. These playlists can be shared and others can search and find these too. This free music streaming platform is a great place to search for and discover new songs.

Shazam

Among all the music apps Shazam is quite unique and popular for its ability to recognize songs on the go. It helps to discover new songs. This app is completely free and you don’t even have to face any advertisements. Users can even see the lyrics for the songs they discover and listen to. Shazam can keep the history of your songs too. It is not exactly an app like Spotify but a very good competitor to be an alternative to Spotify.

Playlist.com

The playlist is another amazing option for streaming music for free. It is a FREE social music app with 57 million songs and 4 million artists. You can express yourself through music by creating fun playlists with GIF covers and unique themes. But the only limitation of this app is that it is only available for iOS devices. And you will have to log in to this app with your Facebook account or your cell phone number.

Spinrilla

You can listen to millions of songs online and can download those to listen offline. This App lets you scroll back and forth through any song, leave comments on individual tracks, create playlists of any of the songs you see in the app. This app is also free. But, unfortunately, this app only focus on the Hip-hop mixtapes

There is much more music streaming app like Spotify which even offers free services. But not all are popular like Spotify. Please share with us which one is your favorite music streaming app. If the app is not on the above list, please let us know in the comments section. We would love to add them to the post for helping others to find the best app for streaming music for free.

Best Music Streaming Services Available In The World

Spotify

Spotify is one of the most popular music streaming services available for music lovers. With Spotify, you can play tracks online instead of using your personal hard drive or phone. To use this service, users will simply need to register to have access to one of the biggest-ever collections of music. So far, Spotify has occupied a significant proportion of the music listeners market with up to about 100 million premium subscribers worldwide.

Positives

Easy to use
To get started with Spotify, all you have to do is register for a free account. Nowadays, you can start using Spotify by logging in with your Facebook account also. Spotify also enables users to create their own playlists, which can easily be found by using the search feature.

Compatibility
Any user can easily access his account in any iOS, macOS, Windows, or Android device. There is a web version also where you can access directly from any browser in your device.

Spotify offers for free accounts
You can use Spotify for free completely. On the free plan, playlist, album, or artist can be played in shuffle mode. Also, you can skip up to six times per hour.

Download music and podcasts
Upgrading to Spotify Premium allows you to save up to 10,000 songs each on five different devices. You can save any album or playlist for offline listening. You will not be limited to shuffling anymore. Also, You will be able to skip tracks, access Radio, and see everything the app has to offer.

High-Quality Content
By default, Spotify Client runs at 160kbps on any device for free listeners. Whereas, the premium will allow you to play up to 320kbps, which is about the best compression rate that is noticeable.

Sharing Music Experience
You can make the music listening to a social experience on Spotify. By connecting Spotify to your Facebook account, you can share your favorite songs with them. Your friends and family will be able to see what you’re listening to if they are in your Facebook friend list.

Negatives

Do Not Provide Lyrics
Spotify no more provides the lyrics of the song. So, it is not possible anymore to check through the lyrics of the song while listening to it.

Available in a limited number of countries
Spotify is not available in all countries. Rather they are available to only a limited number of countries. Though many enjoy the service by using a VPN. But that process will not be convincing enough to go for the paid service of the app. You can check out this link to see the countries, you can sign up for Spotify.

The price is high
If you upgrade to the paid services, you will be paying approximately $10/month. That is not cheap at all.

Limitations of use
There are a lot of limitations to using the contents while you are using the free service. Even if you take the monthly subscriptions, your offline music content will not be available anymore once your subscription is over.

Spotify Plans

There are two forms for Spotify- free and Premium.

You can use Spotify for free. But the features are limited. On the free plan, music can be played in shuffle mode and you can skip up to six times per hour. Spotify Radio isn’t available for free users, but you can access Daily Mix playlists. You can access all playlists, discover new music, and share tunes with friends. Spotify is free to use on mobile, desktop, or tablet – so it’s accessible everywhere. You can access the free version using the smartphone app, desktop software, or the website version. 

Spotify’s Premium tier gives you access to everything but doesn’t force adverts – whether you’re listening on desktop, mobile, or tablet. Premium users can play any song they want (on demand), as well as find and hear playlists, discover new music, create and edit playlists, plus share music and playlists. Premium users can also skip any track, listen offline, hear high-quality music, and use the Spotify app on their mobile device as a computer remote control.

Spotify Premium is £9.99/$9.99 a month, which includes access to features such as ad-free streaming, unlimited skips, extreme quality streaming, and Spotify Connect.

To use Spotify with your family members, you might consider Premium for Family. That gives up to six people access to their own unique Spotify account under one bill. But all the users must live at the same address. At £14.99/$14.99, Premium for Family it would be much cheaper.

For students, there’s a discounted plan that costs just £4.99/$4.99 a month. 

As part of affiliate marketing, this website gets a very small percentage if anybody clicks the advertisements and purchase from Amazon.

Apple Music

Apple Music is the music and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing, curated playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio station Beats 1, which broadcasts live to over 160 countries 24 hours a day. The service was announced on June 8, 2015, and launched on June 30, 2015, in over 100 countries worldwide. New subscribers get a three-month free trial period before the service requires a monthly subscription.

Positives

Android App
You can use the apple music even in the android devices also. All you will need to do is download the Apple Music app from the google playstore. Then you can log in to your account to share the same playlist and contents across all your devices.

Includes Every Track in iTunes
Apple Music gives you access to 60 million songs. You can access all of the iTunes with the premium subscription of the Apple Music.

Music Uploads
You can even upload your own music in the Apple music. But please check the terms and conditions before uploading your song.

Free Trial
Another very positive thing about Apple music is you can get three months free trial, By the time you can get a clear idea about if you like the service or would like to opt for another streaming platform.

Negatives

No Free Version
Unlike other music streaming services, Apple Music does not have a free or ad-supported option. There is Beats 1, a selection of curated radio stations that is like Pandora but with DJs.

Connectivity
Your iTunes playlists will automatically be pulled into Apple Music when you set up your account, as will the rest of your iTunes library. But if you use Spotify, Google Play Music, or any other music subscription service, there is no easy way to directly import your playlists into Apple Music. There are some third-party playlist importers out there, like Stamp, but we haven’t tried any of them.

Limited Devices
You’ll be able to access Apple Music on iOS, Apple Watch, Macs, PCs, and Android devices. But the competitors like Spotify covers all those platforms. And additionally also covers Roku, Amazon Fire devices, a range of speakers and stereos, and PlayStation 3 and 4.

Limited Android Version
The Android version works only for those who have the Apple Music subscription. On iOS, Beats 1 Radio, Apple Music radio stations, and Connect are free. But you will not get these in the android version.

Apple Music Plans

Apple Music is free for three months when you sign up to the free trial, after which there are three plans available.

An Individual plan costs £9.99 or $9.99 per month. A Family plan, available for up to six people, costs for £14.99 or $14.99 a month. The final plan is the University Student plan, which costs £4.99 or $4.99 per month.

TIDAL

The Tidal (stylized in all caps) is a subscription-based music, podcast, and video streaming service that combines lossless audio and high-definition music videos with exclusive content and special features on music. Tidal was launched in 2014 by Norwegian public company Aspiro. But, it is currently owned by Jay-Z.

Positives

High-Quality streaming
Tidal offers some of the highest quality music streaming available, with lossless audio formats. A key difference between Tidal and competing services is its emphasis on audio quality. Most streaming services use technology that sacrifices audio quality to reduce a song’s file size. But Tidal offers FLAC and MQA lossless formats through their Hi-Fi subscription tier to preserve the audio quality of their source material without compromise.

Exclusive content
If you’re a fan of extras like exclusive interviews, first-look music videos, and more, Tidal offers both audio and video content. Many of Tidal’s co-owners, and even a few third parties, have released songs, music videos and other content exclusively on the service.

Artist Owned
Thanks to its artist-centric business model, Tidal offers one of the most direct ways to support creators in the music industry compared to other streaming services.

Offline Playback
Since the music quality is high, the size of the music file would also be higher than the other formats. As a result, you would need stronger internet support to enjoy uninterrupted music. While on the move, the internet speed of the mobile network might not be the best always. So, to help with the situation TIDAL also supports offline music for the subscribed users.

Video Content
TIDAL not only provides the best quality audio but also is the source of high-quality video content. From high-definition music videos and complete concert streams to comprehensive documentaries and exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, video content plays a big role in Tidal’s push to be the best Music Streaming services platform.

News and Exclusive Interviews
TIDAL’s video library consists of the recent updates on the music industry, new releases in all the genres of music, news about the artists, and the shows. With a lot of exclusive interviews and news make the TIDAL video library unique.

Tidal X
The last but one of the best elements that separate Tidal from other streaming services is Tidal X. It is an initiative that focuses on the live performative side of the music. Tidal X lets Tidal subscribers live stream exclusive concerts and events.

Tidal members can also purchase tickets to exclusive events of Music and live shows. As well as a variety of meet-and-greets and listening parties, many of which the general public cannot attend, Tidal users get the opportunity. Lucky Tidal subscribers can also win free tickets to these and other events.

Negatives

Higher cost
One true limitation of TIDAL is its high subscription fee. If you’re not a perfectionist while listening to music, it may not be worth such a high price tag to listen to higher-quality audio.

TIDAL Plans

Unlike many other music-streaming services, Tidal does not offer free or ad-supported subscription options. Instead, there are just two different tiers of paid service: Tidal Premium and Tidal Hi-Fi.

• Tidal Premium @$10/month. Tidal Premium offers the entire Tidal library at standard, compressed audio quality. It also provides access to high-definition music videos and editorial content.
• Tidal Hi-Fi @$20/month. Tidal Hi-Fi will give you access to both FLAC and MQA audio quality for all 48.5 million songs in Tidal’s catalog along with HD music videos and editorial content.
• Both Tidal Premium and Tidal Hi-Fi support family plans. It will allow up to five family members to enjoy the full Tidal experience at a cheaper per-person price. A family subscription to Tidal Premium costs $14.99/month, while a family subscription to Tidal Hi-Fi will cost $29.99/month.
• Tidal offers discounts for currently enrolled students and military members on both their Premium and Hi-Fi tiers. For the Premium package, the student price is $4.99 a month and for the military package, price is $5.99/month. For the Hi-Fi tier, the student price is $9.99/month and the military price is $11.99/month.

Amazon Music Unlimited

Amazon Music Unlimited is an on-demand music streaming service that offers access to 60 million songs. With an Amazon Music Unlimited subscription, you get access to all of 60 million songs, thousands of Playlists hand-curated by Amazon’s music experts, and personalized Stations.

Positives

App & Web Version
Once you start a subscription, the entire Amazon Music Unlimited catalog is available to you through the Amazon Music app or Amazon Music for Web. It provides tens of millions of songs with new releases from today’s most popular artists.

30-Day Free Trial
Users can start a 30-day free trial, which also supports full access to Amazon Music Unlimited until the trial end date.

Discount For Amazon Prime Users
If you are an Amazon Prime subscriber, you can get discounted monthly subscription pricing and annual renewal options for Amazon Music. For example, if you don’t subscribe to Amazon Prime, a Music Unlimited membership will cost you £9.99/month, but if you do have a Prime account then you’ll only pay £7.99/month or you can £79 for a whole year.

Compatibility
Amazon Music Unlimited also works on its homegrown Echo and Dot wireless speakers. If you listen to Amazon Music Unlimited for Echo, it also offers a membership for £3.99/month but you can only stream music through the Echo speaker or Echo Dot.

Cross-Platform & Multi-Device Accessibility
If you have one account, you can use it on up to 10 devices. All the music can be downloaded offline like Apple Music or Spotify. You can play the music on the iOS, Android, and Fire tablet platforms.

Voice Control Assistant
And Amazon has worked to further its service’s functionality, integration, and intelligence with its voice-control assistant.

Negatives

Nothing Unique
If you already have Amazon Prime or an Amazon Echo, the discounted monthly pricing will be an ideal choice. If you don’t have any other Amazon subscription, it will cost $9.99 per month for Amazon Music Unlimited. This price is as same as what you can pay for Apple Music, Spotify, or the others. Moreover, it supports a big catalog, curated playlists, personalized stations, and so on. But there are no big differences from the other streaming music services.

Amazon Music Plans

Amazon offers two plans for its music service — Prime Music and Amazon Music Unlimited — and Amazon Music Unlimited is itself available in four tiers. Here’s how they break down.

• Prime Music: If you have Amazon Prime, you will have Prime Music free. But It only has two million songs. So, if you have a deeper thirst for music it might not be fulfilled. Prime Music is available on all devices.
• Amazon Music Unlimited Ad-Supported Plan This is a free version of Amazon Music Unlimited. But that will be supported by advertising and offers thousands of playlists and stations for songs.
• Amazon Music Unlimited Individual Plan: This one runs $8 per month (or $80 a year) for Prime members or $10 per month for everyone else. It opens up the library to over 50 million songs!
• Amazon Music Unlimited Single Device Plan: This $4 per month plan attaches to an Echo device. However, it only works with a single Echo or Fire device. If you have more than one, you’ll need the Unlimited Individual plan.
• Amazon Music Unlimited Student Plan: This plan is for college students who are members of Amazon’s Prime Student service. Hence, the Prime Student service is available for $60 per year, and you can add Amazon Music Unlimited to the service for just $1 per month.
• Amazon Music HD: This new offering from Amazon promises the highest quality digital audio for most sophisticated music listeners. The company is offering a free 90-day trial, and then the plan goes for $15 per month (or $13 per month for Prime members). There is also a family HD option for $20 per month.
• Amazon Music Unlimited Family Plan: Family plans are great if you’re trying to keep costs down and have more than one person who wants access to a streaming library. This one is $15 per month for everyone. Prime members can get a discount if they pay $150 yearly.

Youtube Music

Youtube music is the latest introduction to Youtube services for those who exclusively want music services from the youtube platform. As one of the most popular video streaming platform, Youtube interface, design, and the searching pattern is known to many. So, once you subscribe to this platform, everything will seem like well known. Though from the same organization of Google Play Music still, Youtube Music stands itself out from all the other competitors even from the Google Play Music.

Positives

Exclusive Music Videos
YouTube Music Premium is an excellent option for anyone who likes to watch music videos or live performances. Unlimited Music videos and live music can be enjoyed in Youtube music for free. But you will have to subscribe if you don’t want to see any advertisements at all.

Better Ecosystem
If you are presently in the google ecosystem then Youtube music will provide you the best ecosystem possible. In another word, if you have an android device and you want your streaming music service to integrate perfectly with the google assistant and other apps, then youtube music is the best choice for you.

Cool Location & Time-Based Playlist
Youtube music offers playlists based on your location and time. So, you can enjoy perfect songs related to a particular time and occasion at your location.

Free Version
There is a perfect free version for listening to music without having to pay a single penny. But you will have to tolerate small advertisements time to time. But overall, the experience is pretty if compared to other free version music streaming services.

Available In All Platforms
YouTube Music isn’t only available for Android devices. It’s also available for both the iOS and the web versions. So you can access your playlists and music any time anywhere if you have the required network connection.

Stream Personal Collection
Users can also upload up to 100,000 of their own audio files to stream from the cloud, a great option if you have a collection of music that you can’t find on streaming services. Also, you can easily stream your collection on all other devices you have the Youtube Music account logged in.

Negatives

Bland Interface
The YouTube music interface has nothing exciting to offer. Though it does what it is meant to. But the visual or the interface doesn’t offer anything exciting as some other music streaming services do. The Apple Music app has a much better user interface and design than YouTube Music.

Limited Integration
YouTube music doesn’t integrate with any other voice assistant except the google assistant. Which is a big drawback for a steaming service.

Background Playback Issue
For the free version, you will not be able to play the online YouTube music while working on other software in your mobile device. But for the premium subscribers, there is no such issue.

YouTube Music Plans

• Free Version
  – Access all videos, playlists, and recommendations
  – Ads may be played between songs
• YouTube Music Premium ($11.99/month)
  – Access all videos, playlists, and recommendations
  – Ad-free service
  – Audio-only mode is possible
  – Offline listening also possible
  – Music can continue to play in the background
• YouTube Music Premium Family Plan ($14.99/month)
  – Available for up to 5 additional family members
  – Access all videos, playlists, and recommendations
  – Ad-free service
  – Audio-only mode is possible
  – Offline listening also possible
  – Music can continue to play in the background
• YouTube Music Premium Students Plan ($4.99/month)
  – Requires annual verification
  – Access all videos, playlists, and recommendations
  – Ad-free service
  – Audio-only mode is possible
  – Offline listening also possible
  – Music can continue to play in the background

Google Play Music

Google Play Music is a music and podcast streaming service and online music locker operated by Google, part of its Google Play line of services. The service was announced on May 10, 2011; after a six-month, invitation-only beta period. Finally, it was publicly launched on November 16, 2011.

Users with standard accounts can upload and listen to up to 50,000 songs from their personal libraries at no cost. A paid Google Play Music subscription entitles users to on-demand streaming of any song in the Google Play Music catalog, as well as access to YouTube Music Premium. Users in several territories also have access to YouTube Premium. Users can purchase additional tracks for their library through the music store section of Google Play. In addition to offering music streaming for Internet-connected devices, the Google Play Music mobile apps allow music to be stored and listened to offline.

Positives

Great Content
Google Play Music contains more than 50 million songs, which is fantastic. You can find all the new albums, your favorite artists, and more. Additionally, you can upload up to 50,000 of the songs from your collection to Google Play Music and add it to your library.

Flexible Plans And Free-Trial
You can go on with the Google Play Music free service. But a paid membership will offer you much more than the free version. Google Play Music has individual and family membership plans also. You can choose from the options whichever is suitable for you. And to help you with the decision there is a free trial of two months is available.

Offline Playback
One of the most interesting features of Google Play Music is its ability to play the songs offline. You can download a stream-able song to your device and then you can play it whenever you want.

Podcasts
Nowadays, it is very popular to listen to podcasts. Google Play Music can serve you as your podcast manager also. You don’t need to install or use any other app.

Free Access to YouTube Red
One of the cool things about Google Play Music is that once you become a paid member, you will get free access to YouTube Red. So, you can get two premium services with the cost of one.

User-Friendly Design And Intuitive Interface
Google Play Music has a cool and easy design. The more important thing is that it comes with an intuitive and user-friendly interface, so you will figure it all out in a blink of an eye

Negatives

No lyrics
Even though there are so many cool features Google Play Music is offering, but there is no option for the lyrics of the song. Listeners love the lyrics option in many other streaming services.

Not Available In Many Countries
Google Play Music is not available in many countries. Also, you need to be aware of is that some paid content may not be available in certain regions and territories. Though the country is listed. However, Google is adding more and more countries to the list of those who can enjoy Google Play Music. Just to be sure that the service is available where you live, click on this link.

Google Play Music Plans

Choose from free and paid subscriptions depending on how you want to listen through Google Play Music.

Free Account
Music lovers in the US, Canada, India, and some other countries can sign up for limited Google Play Music without a subscription that allows you to:

• Purchase and download songs from the music store.
• Import up to 50,000 tracks from your own music library also.
• Stream custom radio stations based on activities, moods, or artists. The stations include ads, but you can skip up to six songs an hour.
• Discover and subscribe to podcasts.

Paid Subscription
For $9.99 a month, Google Play Music subscription offers:

• Ad-free, on-demand streaming of more than 40 million songs.
• Albums and playlists for downloading and listening offline on your mobile device.
• A free subscription to YouTube Music.

Family plan
For $14.99 a month, your whole family can get in on the music-streaming life:

• Share a subscription between yourself and up to 6 family members.
• Stream from the Google Play Music library at the same time.
• Share purchased apps, games, books, music, and movies in the Family Library.

But, family members must live in the same address and have their own Google Account. If any family member isn’t yet age 13, you’ll need to create a Google Account for them.

Google Play Music Store
The cost of individual songs and albums through the Google Play music store varies from song to song. Individual songs are more predictable, tending to go for about $1.29, while albums vary depending on the number of featured tracks.

Pandora

Pandora is one of the most popular music streaming services that already achieved success. It used the Music Genome Project and it is one of the favorites of millions of people worldwide. Nowadays, there are so many options when it comes to streaming music. There are services like the Apple Music, Spotify, and Google Music, but Pandora manages its unique position and identity. It offers both free and premium service, and it has many other great features.

Positives

Free Version
One of the pros of Pandora is that it offers free service. You can choose a free service, but you have to bear the ads along with the music. It is the classic Pandora that exists for years. You can choose a musician you love, and you can create a playlist that will contain the songs from that musician and other similar ones. With a free service, you can’t skip an unlimited number of songs. There is a limit of six songs per hour.

Access to the millions of songs with Pandora Premium
Many people listened to Pandora’s internet radio for years. Though the Pandora music streaming service was introduced comparatively late than the other popular music streaming services. But this service doesn’t disappoint its subscribers. There are 30 million songs to stream and enjoy. All you have do is search the song you want to listen.

Many Cool Features of Pandora Premium
Pandora Premium streaming service comes with so many cool features. You can create your own playlists, and use “add similar songs”. There is an option to buy tickets as the Pandora app comes with the Ticketfly interaction, which makes it all simple and fun.

You can also share your playlists with others, but keep in mind that Pandora Premium subscribers are the only ones who will be able to play it. Also, there is the Music Genome Project’s data that will help you easily find some new music based on the music you already love.

Multi-platform Performer
Pandora services are supported on different devices, such as your windows PC, Mac, Android, iPhone, iPad, Roku, and Amazon device.

Pandora Premium free trial
If you decide to try out Pandora Premium, you will get a free trial that lasts for 30 days. So, you can check out all the premium features before deciding to pay for the subscription.

Negatives

Available only in the US
One of the biggest disadvantages of Pandora is that only the people who live in the USA can play it. The rest of the world can’t. Due to a licensing issue, it is not available outside the USA just like Hulu.

No Family plan for Pandora Plus and Pandora Premium
At the moment, Pandora doesn’t offer a family plan for Pandora Plus and Pandora Premium service. This is a huge disadvantage because many similar services do offer such plans. In this area, Pandora is far behind its competitors.

Pandora Plans

• Free, ad-supported version
• $4.99/mo. for Plus plan
• $9.99/mo. for Premium plan
• $14.99/mo. for family plan (up to six users)
• 30-day free trial for Plus, 60 days for Premium

Shazam

Among all the music apps Shazam is quite unique and popular for its ability to recognize songs on the go. The app works by telling you the name and artist of the tracks you hear, whether it be on the radio, a movie, during a commercial, or anywhere else you may hear music.

In addition to finding and documenting (tagging) all the songs you come across, you can view related music and get links to purchase the songs, read along with the lyrics, listen to them in other apps like Spotify, view upcoming concerts, and much more.

There’s also a free download for Mac and Windows computers.

Positives

Extremely easy to use
Music can be tagged manually by tapping a button, or automatically by using the AUTO option, which works even if you lock your device or switch to using a different app. When in Auto mode, Shazam can be set up to send you notifications so you know it’s actually working and tagging the songs you hear

Helps Discovering New Music
Shazam can help you discover the song you hear anywhere with all the details related to the song. It can show you the song name, artist name, album name, and even the lyrics. Shazam is very accurate in discovering the actual music.

Works With Popular Devices
Shazam can run on Android, BlackBerry, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Nokia, Windows 8 tablet, and Windows Phone devices.

Shows Lyrics For The Songs
Lyrics can be displayed (for some songs) in real-time. It can simultaneously identify the song with the lyrics. So that you can listen to an unknown song and can get the lyrics and all details instantly.

Organized History Keeper
Keeps a historical list of all your tags and discovered songs. Tagged songs showed even by maps to let you know where were you when first identified the song.

Social Sharing
Tagged music can be shared through Facebook, Twitter, email, and other apps. You can share your loved songs with your friends. Shazam’s Explore feature shows you popular tags from other users on a map, including those near you

Tagged Songs Can Be Played In Many Platforms
Music that you tag can be opened with Apple Music, Spotify, and others and can be built as a new radio station in iTunes. Once the music is tagged links for different platforms will be shown, so you can listen to your favorite song whichever platform you prefer.

Free from ads
Except for a few things all of the Shazam’s features are free. So you won’t have to worry about the ads.

Negatives

Sometimes slow
We find it sometimes it worked a bit slow. But improved with the latest updates.

Nothing Much
Shazam does what it says. It can identify the song for you with all the details. But there is not much of other features which the other music streaming services offer.

Shazam Plans

On iOS, Android, and Microsoft devices, Shazam is free and ad-supported and includes unlimited tagging, lyrics, YouTube links, and many other great features. Shazam Encore is the premium version of the app, so there is a small download cost, but it is an ad-free environment and includes integration with Spotify and Rdio.

TuneIn

TuneIn is a free music streaming website that’s like a radio on steroids. You can find any radio station that’s broadcasting an artist that you want to listen to, in addition to local radio stations, sports stations, news stations, talk radio, and stations from locations all around the globe.

There’s also a free music app from TuneIn so that you can bring your favorite radio stations wherever you go. Tune in and turn on to 30,000 different radio stations all on your iPhone. A wonderful implementation of internet radio on the iPhone.

Positives

Over 100,000 radio stations
You can find local and remote FM and AM radio stations, stations that are trending worldwide, as well as stations by music, sport, news, and talk genres, such as Classical, Folk, Rock, Hockey, Football, Soccer, Baseball, Political News, Scanners, Traffic, Wine, Travel, Comedy, and Technology

Easy Access To Favorites
Can save your favorite stations for easy access. Stations you “Favorite” will show up in your library for quick access

Free To Listen
All the music is free to listen to. The mobile app is free from picture advertisements and popups.

Podcasts
You can listen to podcasts also in TuneIn radio.

Car Mode For Easy Operation
The TuneIn mobile app has Car Mode, which turns the app into a much simpler and cleaner interface with four large buttons to easily find recent and recommended stations, pause and play the station, and open the stations you’re following

Recording Is Possible
While you are listening to an interesting radio program or music you can even record the song and keep for listening later. A paid app needs to be purchased if you want to record audio from the radio stations.

Alarm & Sleep Timer
An alarm and sleep timer are supported on the mobile app. So, you can easily set the program according to your lifestyle and sleeping plan.

Social Connectivity
Stations can be shared over Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites. You can enjoy your favorite music or radio program with your friends and family all over the world bu sharing in your social media wall.

Negatives

• It is Just a radio service. You can’t listen to specific songs like the true music streaming services.
• The new design isn’t quite as intuitive as the old design. Many found the older design much more intuitive than the present interface.
• Some content is blocked because of some interface and content accessibility issues.

TuneIn Plans

TuneIn Radio Pro ($9.99), one of the favorite iOS Apps, continues to evolve. Most recently, the live radio streaming service has added an optional $7.99 per month subscription service, TuneIn Radio Premium, that boasts ad-free music, live sports, and other audio content. Amid all the changes, however, TuneIn Radio Pro also maintains its core functionality. TuneIn Radio Pro still lets you fire up more than 100,000 global AM and FM stations, rewind live radio, and record programming to your storage on Apple devices.

SoundCloud

SoundCloud combines user-generated music and podcasts with tracks from major label musicians into a unique streaming music service. With Go+, you gain access to more than 200 million tracks, which is triple the amount of music offered by Amazon Music Unlimited. Though a good portion of that is the user-generated/indie content. Also, you can listen to individual tracks and artist-inspired stations.

Positives

User Friendly
The web version is very user-friendly and also the application is easy to use. This could be the key benefit to consider this app as one of the best music streaming services.

Users Can Upload Content
Users have the option of uploading an already existing audio file or recording it on the spot. It also allows users to gain exposure through the sharing of their audio files. And there are no limits to file sizes.

Sharing Options
There are options for sharing music and audio messages publicly –embedding them in social networks, blogs, and websites or privately with friends. Paid Pro accounts let you distribute your music to all major streaming music services. Users can repost your tracks making sharing a flexible process. Enables everybody, even people who are not on SoundCloud, to share their tracks with you.

Submission In The DropBox
You can stream submissions in the DropBox without taking up space on your desktop. Embed a DropBox onto any site where you want to receive submissions.

Upload and Song Management Is Easy
The mobile apps allow for spontaneous recording and uploading from a smartphone (iPhone and Android). SoundCloud allows you to easily manage tracks or organize them into sets.

Cool DJ Mixing
There are options for cool mixing for DJs. You can easily create a lot of amazing DJ mixing for any purpose.

Negatives

• Some major-label music isn’t available via the free tier.
• Somewhat confusing search results blend user content and official band music.
• Doesn’t let professionals sell music directly to customers.
• There are no editing tools, and no added effects, unless you’ve edited your work somewhere else and then upload it on SoundCloud.
• Users are not able to follow or comment without a SoundCloud account, (which most fans don’t have).
• Doesn’t have any lyrics option.

SoundCloud Plans

Anyone can use SoundCloud’s service for free. The free account allows for 120 minutes of digital audio. That said, the Free tier has a smattering of major-label music: you’ll find, for example, Kanye West’s “Champion” and “Stronger” tracks, but listening to the full Graduation album requires a premium SoundCloud Go+ account (more on that in a bit). SoundCloud streams tracks at 128kbps MP3 “or equivalent,” according to a SoundCloud rep. This means that SoundCloud may test different combinations of encoding and streaming to offer listeners a quality experience across devices, but it’s held to a 128kbps MP3 standard.

Next up the ladder is the $4.99 per month SoundCloud Go plan, which grants ad-free and offline listening, but doesn’t up the audio quality. The top-level consumer plan, the $9.99 per month SoundCloud Go+, gives you full access to SoundCloud’s licensed major label content (you can stream all of Ye’s Graduation, for example), and high-quality audio encoded in 256kbps AAC.

Playlist

Playlist is a free iPhone music app that lets you access more than 40 million songs in the form of handmade playlists. Create shared playlists that others can listen to or explore pre-made playlists. The Playlist app has a social side, letting you listen to music live with other users and comment with each other. When you view a user’s profile, you see their playlists and which songs and playlists they like. Only iPhone users can install the Playlist.

Positives

• Lots of songs to choose from.
• Listen to songs with friends, and comment with each other.
• Sharing playlists is easy.

Negatives

• Must log in with Facebook or your phone number.
• Works with iPhone only.

Playlist Plans

All the music here is completely free. Search for songs or browse the popular, featured, and trending songs and people on the front page.

Spinrilla

Spinrilla is the best app for hip-hop mixtapes. Listen directly from the app or download the music for offline use, and browse the offerings in several ways. Unlike some music streaming apps, this one lets you scroll back and forth through any song, leave comments on individual tracks, create playlists of any of the songs you see in the app, and save the music to your device. It could be considered as one of the best music streaming services if the hiphop is your genre.

Positives

Built-In Radio
There’s also a built-in radio that lets you listen to top hits, instrumental music, and location-specific radio.

Both Android and iOS version
You can get this hip-hop music streaming app for both the iPhone and Android platforms.

Upcoming Songs Alert
At the top of the app is a section for new music, popular songs, and singles. The Upcoming Tracks area of the app is complete with a countdown until the day the music will be available through Spinrilla.

Save Songs Offline
You can save songs for listening offline. And there is no limit on the number of songs you can save for offline.

Negatives

Ad-supported App
Since this is a free app there will be in-app advertisements that will pop up sometimes. Have to bear with the apps to enjoy this free version music App.

Spinrilla Plans

It has no pro version. It is a free app. You can install the app and can create your account to start listening to songs. With this free version, you will have to bear the advertisements that pop up sometimes.

LiveXLive Powered By Slacker

The revamped LiveXLive combines the company’s live music streams with Slacker Radio’s knowledgeable DJs and deep music well to produce one of the most complete streaming music services on the market today.

Positives

Watch Live Concerts For Free
Chat with the LiveXLive community while you watch, or go full-screen and enjoy the show.

Station Settings
Adjust how often hosts appear and how many popular, new and favorite songs play.

More than Music
Choose the frequency of headline, music, or sports news that shows up on your stations.

Video Library
Access interviews with musicians, music history, and exclusive LiveXLive programming.

Negatives

Upgrading isn’t entirely intuitive
Signing up for a premium account is as easy as clicking a button. But accessing your updated screen takes digging into your settings.

Limited device compatibility
The LiveXLive app is only available on three home systems outside of Macs and PCs — this may change as it merges with Slacker Radio.

LiveXLive Plans

LiveXLive offers three listening plans for music fans. With Basic, you get 128Kbps audio and the ability to skip a maximum of six songs per hour. In exchange, you have to endure plenty of audio and banner advertisements.

Subscribing to the $3.99 per month Plus removes the ads and skip limitations, and ups the bit rate to 320Kbps.

The $9.99 per month Premium builds upon the Plus tier by letting you cache albums and playlists for offline listening, and play songs and albums on-demand.

SiriusXM Internet Radio

Combining live radio and traditional streaming audio services elements, SiriusXM Internet Radio boasts the features and content to keep music, news, and comedy fans happy for a long time to come. Though it is still quite far behind than the other competitors but yet has quite a few unique features to be considered as one of the best music streaming services.

Positives

Minimal Commercial Interruptions
Free local radio stations are loaded with commercials because they have to make money somehow. Your $10-$18 a month SiriusXM subscription pretty much eliminates the need for commercials. A few music channels not programmed by SiriusXM still air a limited amount of ads. But you’ll be hearing a lot fewer commercials than if you had stuck with your local FM radio stations.

A Huge Variety Of Programming
SiriusXM offers all kinds of channels. They range from live sporting events to talk radio to an incredible variety of music genres. You have access to only a handful of stations via local radio, but with SiriusXM, you can choose between more than 150 channels.

Unedited And Uncensored Content
Local radio stations are required to censor their music and shows because they’re broadcast on public airwaves. You don’t have to worry about this with SiriusXM.

Great Radio Signal
Nearly uninterrupted radio signal wherever you go in the continental US? Yes, please. SiriusXM offers state-of-the-art technology that gives you access to radio channels pretty much anywhere in the continental US, as well as its coastal regions, Canada, and Mexico.

Excellent Sound Quality
SiriusXM broadcasts a digital signal. For music channels, the sound quality is very similar to a CD. Because the signal is digital, the sound quality is better than standard FM radio.

Negatives

Cost Of Subscription Is High
A SiriusXM subscription costs money, between $10-$18 per month. That’s money you could be using for something else. With a SiriusXM subscription, you get to enjoy a variety of perks, including more channels, quality shows, and far fewer commercials. You just have to figure out if these perks are worth $15 per month.

Potentially Complicated Installation
Adding SiriusXM to your radio can be complicated. The most common method to add SiriusXM is to buy a satellite radio receiver and dock. You’ll need to choose a power source and find a location for the antenna. Then you’ll have to run wires to the power source and antenna and find a spot for the dock. To connect the satellite receiver to the car stereo, you will need to use an FM modulator or run another wire to the aux input.

SiriusXM Plans

For SiriusXM, there are a lot of options to choose from. There are three Inside the Car specific packages aimed at SiriusXM automobile hardware: the $10.99-per-month XM Mostly Music, $16.99-per-month XM Select, and $21.99-per-month XM All Access. There are also two Outside the Car plans—the $8.00-per-month SiriusXM Essential and $13 per month SiriusXM Premier (reviewed)—that target PCs, phones, and tablets.

SiriusXM also offers additional listening options and special packages, such as SiriusXM All-in-One, Sirius A La Carte, SiriusXM for Business, SiriusXM for Boats (fishing and weather information), SiriusXM for Planes (coast-to-coast graphical aviation information), and Sirius News, Sports, & Talk. For full pricing and features information, check out SiriusXM’s pricing page. There is simply too much to list here.

SiriusXM lacks a free tier like the company’s own Pandora. Instead, SiriusXM has a wonderfully lengthy three-month trial. Unfortunately, there’s no true SiriusXM family plan in place, but you may qualify to receive a discount on additional subscriptions if you subscribe to one full-price plan or package.

Deezer

Despite some companies falling by the wayside in recent years, streaming music services are still a worthy business. Enter French company Deezer, which slid into the US market in 2016. The service doesn’t do anything revolutionary, but its blend of traditional streaming music, live radio, podcasts, and exclusive content makes Deezer worth your consideration as one of the best music streaming services.

Positives

Available outside the US 
It is available in 182 out of 192 total countries worldwide, Deezer has an impressive global reach which is rare in any other music streaming services

Huge Library Of Songs
Deezer has a total library size that is well above that of Apple Music or Spotify.

Built-in Song Lyrics
Users have access to on-screen lyrics for any of the songs they’re listening to.

Playlists
Create and share custom playlists that can hold up to 1,000 tracks. Working with your trainer to create the best running mix? You can share and change to collaborate on playlists you both love.

Personalized Recommendations
Its “Hear This” feature uses your listening habits to give you more music you’ll love. Its recommendations are based on your listening habits and includes new and old music. The more you use Deezer, the more accurate its recommendations to find new music you love.

Offline Playback
Subscribers with Deezer Premium+ can enjoy playlists, albums and audio books on its app without an Internet connection. But you can only access music using the Deezer app, and you have to connect to the Internet every 15 days to keep your tracks.

Deezer Sessions
Get high-quality access to performances from artists like Ed Sheeran and Ben Harper and upload them for later. The sessions are about 15 minutes long, with quality that’s on par with most music videos.

Negatives

Difficult to set up
Using the music manager on a computer can prove to be a difficult way of managing your tunes.

Free Version Is Limited
Free version on non-mobile devices only offers 30-second song snippets. Where as users can enjoy an amazing free version on the smartphones of both iOS and Android platforms.

Mp3 Upload Limitation
One of the greatest things about this app is the ability to upload your own songs to stream later. But mobile apps lack MP3-upload compatibility.

No Hi-Resolution Version For Songs
There is no premium quality Hi-Res audio version as the other commercial Music streaming services.

Deezer Plans

There are two tiers of Deezer service: a free ad-supported tier, and a premium tier that removes the ads and comes with a number of extra features.

• Free Version
  – Unlimited streaming from your computer or tablet
  – Ads every few songs
  – Limited to curated playlists and artist mixes
  – Limited to skipping six tracks hourly
  – Unable to fast forward or rewind songs
• Premium+ ($9.99/month)
  – No ads
  – Stream any song from any device
  – Skip tracks, fast forward and rewind
  – Download and listen to music offline
  – Better audio quality than the free version at 320kbit per second
• Family Plan ($14.99/month)
  – All the benefits of Premium+
  – Add up to six people on a single account, each with their own profile. Users must live at the same address
  – Skip tracks, fast forward and rewind
  – Download and listen to music offline
  – Better audio quality than the free version at 320kbit per second

Qobuz

Qobuz (pronounced Koh-buzz), an audiophile-oriented music-streaming service based in Paris, launched in the U.S. today after being exclusive to Europe for the past 10 years. I’ve been enrolled in the closed beta for the past few days, and I absolutely love it. It can be chosen as one of the best music streaming services.

Positives

• Superb editorial curation enables deep musical explorations
• Strong tools for creating custom playlists
• High-quality lossless and studio-quality audio streaming
• Huge catalog with new releases and old
• Both streaming and purchasing are available
• Includes liner notes in PDF form
• Good choice of audio outputs
• Well-designed apps for all platforms

Negatives

• Weak prefab genre-based playlists
• Some tracks labeled Hi-Res stream at only CD quality
• The U.S. version is not yet available on all the platforms that the European version supports
• No auto-generated radio stations
• Lacks social component
• Doesn’t include videos
• No karaoke-style lyrics

Qobuz Plans

Qobuz only offers two plans, and both include the highest-resolution audio quality you’ll find anywhere. The Studio Premier plan costs $14.99 per month or $149.99 yearly and gets you up to 192kHz 24-bit FLAC streaming for available titles, which is considerably higher resolution than standard CD-quality FLAC (44.kHz at 16 bits). The Sublime+ account runs $249 per year and delivers significant discounts on music download purchases.

The service offers apps for Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and the web.

iHeartRadio

iHeartRadio is a free internet radio service that offers both live radio stations and custom stations tailored to a user’s music tastes. It offers live streams from local stations as well as the ability to create custom radio stations from an expansive library. It is one of the easiest accessible platforms out of all the best music streaming services.

Positives

Custom Radio Stations
Select a genre, mood, artist or song and iHeartRadio will build you a custom radio station from a library of millions of tracks. And you can adjust how much emphasis iHeartRadio should place on new versus familiar artists using the service’s Discovery Tuner tool.

And iHeartRadio will create a “My Favorites Radio” station based on the songs and artists you listen to most.

Live Radio
Tune in to live radio broadcasts from stations all over the world.

Entertainment News
iHeartRadio also maintains a feed of the hottest happenings in the world of music. From the latest tour dates to the new viral music video tearing up the YouTube charts, the quick-hit coverage is a handy way of keeping up-to-date with the biggest news in the music industry.

Podcasts
Podcasts and music go hand in hand these days, so it’s no surprise that iHeartRadio includes a variety of podcasts covering topics like food, politics, sports and more.

iHeartRadio Family
Available online or as a standalone app built for kids between the ages of 4 and 11, iHeartRadio Family offers curated music from kid-friendly artists like Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber. It also includes songs and educational programming featuring characters like Thomas the Tank Engine, Elmo and Dora the Explorer.

Negatives

• Free subscribers can’t choose to listen to specific songs — only playlists
• Plus subscription is only available on iOS and Android
• Plus plan lacks a web version.
• Unable to rewind live radio.
• Bland interface.
• lacks Hi-Res Audio tracks.

iHeartRadio Plans

• Basic (Free Version)
  – Live radio
  – Personalized artist radio stations
  – Podcast library
• Plus ($4.99/month)
  – Live radio
  – Personalized artist radio stations
  – Podcast library
  – Unlimited song skips
  – Play songs and albums on-demand
  – Save and replay songs from the radio
• All Access ($9.99/month)
  – Live radio
  – Personalized artist radio stations
  – Podcast library
  – Unlimited song skips
  – Play songs and albums on-demand
  – Save and replay songs from the radio
  – Create unlimited playlists
  – Download and listen to songs offline
• Family Plan ($14.99/month)
  – All Access plan for up to 5 family members