Apple's entry into the music streaming service with iTunes Radio is beginning to pay off. It just overtook Spotify in terms of U.S. users and it will have its own app in iOS 8.
When Apple unveiled iOS 7 to the world last summer, the very familiar user interface received a major facelift. All of the glossy icons were made to look flat and Apple decided that it wanted to make iOS 7 look very bright. Customers weren't as big of fans of the UI as Apple was, and with the release of iOS 7.1, the company refined the look by trading in rectangular shapes for circles and several other visual tweaks to make the UI easier on the eyes. With iOS 8 expected to be unveiled at this year's WWDC, we're beginning to hear more about the next-generation OS.
According to a new report, one change iOS 8 will usher in, is giving iTunes Radio its own app. In order to use iTunes Radio in iOS 7, users have to go into the Music application and select iTunes Radio from one of the tabs. Many iOS users have no idea that iTunes Radio is buried inside, and giving the Music app its own real estate on the home screen as part of iOS 8 will be one way Apple will use to grow the service - Apple reportedly believes that giving iTunes Radio its own app will make it easier for users to find and use the service.
"The functionality of iTunes Radio will also be akin to its iOS 7 Music app counterpart. Users will be able to browse their history, purchase streamed tracks, locate Featured Stations, create stations based on songs, artists, and albums, and manage stations. Apple previously considered releasing iTunes Radio as a standalone application in iOS 6, but due to problems with striking record label deals, the company ultimately pushed the launch back to iOS 7." sources told 9to5Mac.
This wouldn't be the first time Apple has spun out features from the Music app into a standalone application. Videos, Podcasts, and iTunes U all had their start as part of the Music app before becoming an app.
As always, we'll have to wait for Apple to make this news official and thankfully June isn't too far away. Expect to hear more and more about iOS 8 in the coming weeks.
