After countering Spotify’s recent service expansion and its brand new (and somewhat limited) free streaming feature by expanding into twenty new countries, the popular music subscription service Rdio today refreshed its free iPhone and iPad application with a handy sleep timer function to stop playback after a period of time.
The new Rdio 2.5.4 also includes redesigned profile views with your photo right at the center, various subtle interface improvements and minor bug fixes…
The new Sleep Timer lets you tell Rdio to stop music playback after a set period of time, ranging from fifteen minutes to two hours (enough to tuck you to sleep).
The redesigned profile views remind me of Tweetbot, where your profile pic is rendered in the middle, with a heavily blurred profile image set as the background. Both your own and other people’s profile pages have been updated with this new look.
You’ll also notice that the profile views now allows for easier access to a person’s station and the last played song.
Another subtle tweaks in this Rdio update: minor changes to backgrounds and an iOS 7 keyboard for search.
Here’s everything that’s new in Rdio version 2.5.4:
- New Profile. Your Rdio profile has a whole new look, with your picture right at the center. Visit a friend’s profile to see their last-played track and quickly and easily play their FM station.
- Sleep Timer. Set Rdio to stop playback after a period of time, ranging from 15 minutes to two hours.
- Various UI improvements and minor bug fixes.
The app has yet to receive its full iOS 7 makeover.
Previous Rdio app updates brought back the popular Recommendations feature while putting emphasis on various UI tweaks and permitting you to listen to the tracks you Shazam’d as an Rdio playlist. And in another sign of intensifying competition in the music streaming space, the company has recently introduced a free, ad-supported service in North America and Australia.
Streaming services are picking up steam amid overall slump of album and song sales. Although artists like Beyoncé occasionally prove that digital music downloads are not dead yet – her fifth self-named album sold a million copies on iTunes in just five days – Nielsen data definitely shows the decline.
The latest data point: digital music sales were down four percent through Thanksgiving.
Rdio is available free in the App Store.
The universal app requires iOS 5 or later.
Paid Rdio Unlimited tiers are available through in-app purchase.
Screenshot top of post via MacStories.