Microsoft’s Xbox Music service which launched to the public along with the Windows 8 launch, is now going head-on with other music streaming services like Spotify, Pandora and Rdio.
The company’s music streaming service is now available on mobile devices like iOS and Android, and the web version of the Xbox Music is now available for free. To use the music streaming service, users will have to have the Xbox Pass.
The new apps for Android and iOS does not have offline listening, but the company’s spokesperson has revealed that the app will receive updates every four to six weeks without fail. The updates will obviously have bug-fixes and also some important new features, that would make its fight stronger with Spotify and other music streaming services, that are available right now. It is also said that the offline playing feature will be arriving on the mobile apps in the coming months.
But on the other hand, Xbox Music can last the fight with Spotify only for a while. The music streaming service from Microsoft is free only for the first six months, and the Xbox Pass is going to cost you $10/month. And once the user hits the free usage limit, the music streaming service becomes much more expensive than Spotify, which might put Xbox Music in the back seat.
One of the major feature which I think is still missing in the Xbox Music is the ability to share playlists with friends. But according to The Verge, the company has confirmed that some social features will be coming to this service in the few months.