Google Play Music has launched New Release Radio, an exclusive radio station for Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus owners as part of the ongoing agreement between Google and Samsung.
Samsung has tapped Google Play Music as the default music streaming service for the Galaxy S8, and Google Play Music has been constantly trying to sweeten the partnership. The exclusivity of New Release Radio, however, has been called into question.
New Release Radio On Samsung Galaxy S8
As its name suggests, New Release Radio offers the latest music from various artists, with updates made daily to always give listeners access to new tracks. The songs added to New Release Radio are personalized for each user based on their listening habits, so listeners will not have to scroll through dozens of new tracks to find the one that they like.
The station adds to the many benefits offered by Google to Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus owners, including the raised cap of 100,000 songs uploaded to the cloud compared to the usual 50,000 songs and an extended free trial for three months.
While New Release Radio is a great addition to the playlist arsenal of Google Play Music enthusiasts, it might not be enough to sway Spotify and Apple Music subscribers to switch to Google's music streaming service. Google might need to expand the exclusive Galaxy S8 feature to other devices so that New Release Radio would make a splash.
Is New Release Radio Really An Exclusive Feature?
The question, however, is whether New Release Radio is really meant to be an exclusive feature for the Galaxy S8.
While it was initially thought that the feature can only be accessed by Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus owners, Google revealed that New Release Radio is actually accessible from any Samsung device that was activated after March 29.
However, some Redditors have been able to access the feature in other mobile devices, including iPhones, by accessing the desktop version of Music Library and searching for New Release Radio from there. Once it is added, it will show up under the Stations menu.
While the option of accessing New Release Radio from other Samsung smartphones was officially announced, it is unclear if the ability to do so from other mobiles devices and desktop computers was deliberately granted by Google or if it is a bug.
Samsung Gears Up For Galaxy Note 8
While Samsung continues to make improvements on the Galaxy S8, the company is already looking forward to its next flagship smartphone, the Galaxy Note 8.
The Galaxy Note 8 will likely access Google Play Music's New Release Radio, but it looks very likely that it will not be the only thing that it will share with the Galaxy S8. According to various reports, the Galaxy Note 8 will still have its fingerprint scanner at the back, which is a much-maligned design flaw in the Galaxy S8. Samsung, however, may have possibly made changes to the sensor's exact location.
