What you need to know
- Streaming service Pandora is overhauling its app today.
- New "For You" tab provides continually updated personal suggestions.
- Also aims to provide easy access to all Pandora's content and programming.
Popular U.S. music streaming service Pandora is upgrading its mobile app and getting a substantial overhaul to bring users increased personalization in a bid to stay competitive in a world dominated by Spotify and Apple Music.
The highlight of Pandora's new app experience is a dedicated "For You" tab which provides a continuously updating feed of content recommended to users based on personalized factors. Users will receive recommendations for both music and podcasts based on the day of the week, time of day, and Pandora's predictions about things like your mood.
In a statement, Pandora's Chief Product Officer Chris Phillips said:
Our listeners have told us that they love the utility of Pandora — it's drop-dead easy, it works, it knows me, It's really simple," explains Pandora's Chief Product Officer, Chris Phillips. "But what they haven't been able to understand and have easy enough access to is all the content and programming that we have available on Pandora — the new content, new programming, and the unique content that you can't get other places.
Pandora hopes that the new "For You" tab will provide a window to allow users to view the most amount of its content possible. Pandora's popular modes feature (previously only available on the web) is also coming to mobile for the first time. This lets you toggle and customize how you experience Pandora Stations to hear certain types of music, such as new releases. Inside the For You tab, you can also browse by genre, new music, podcasts, moods, playlists, decades and trending.
TechCrunch notes:
In total, there are some 35 different modules in Pandora's new For You feed, some of which are shown to every user while others appear dynamically based on time of day and day of the week. Its suggestions will also be tailored to your own likes and interests, thanks to your own listening behavior and explicit signals, like thumbs up and thumbs down.
There's a "Moods & Activities" section, which will let you pick out music to suit your mood, be it a rainy day, a workout, or studying.
Customization and personalization are absolutely key in this new Pandora upgrade. The new version will begin rollout today on iOS and Android and should be made available for all users over the next few weeks.
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