Microsoft releases Xbox Music apps for Android and iOS

Microsoft has released free apps for Android and iOS for its Xbox Music streaming service along with the launch of a web version that lets users of Xbox Music Pass stream music through the service for free.

While the web streaming service is free for the first six months after which it's restricted to a number of hours, users will need to subscribe to the Xbox Music Pass service for $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year to get unlimited access to music across tablets, PCs, phones and Xbox consoles. Xbox Music Pass also offers unlimited access to music videos on the Xbox 360. The model is similar to the one offered by services like Spotify and Hulu wherein the web service is offered free while access to the service on mobile devices needs a subscription.

"Xbox Music now, more than ever, powers music experiences between Windows 8, Xbox, Windows Phone, and now iOS, Android and the Web," said Jerry Johnson, general manager of Xbox Music. "We're also excited to connect artists with their fans on the most anticipated consumer product of the year when Xbox One launches Nov. 22."

Microsoft says it will add Radio to the free Web player, a quick and dynamic way to personalise the users' music collection, discover new favourites, and create playlists by launching instant mixes based on their favourite artists. The Radio service will come with unlimited skips and a view of the full recommended music stream.

In the coming months, additional updates for iOS and Android platforms will bring an offline mode that would let users save  music to their device for playback without an Internet or data connection.

The expansion of the service beyond Windows 8 devices and Xbox game consoles starting Monday is intended to bring new customers into the software giant's ecosystem of devices and services and could help it compete with other digital music offerings like Pandora, Spotify and iTunes. The company acknowledgement that the music service hasn't done much to drive sales of the Windows 8 operating system.

Most buyers of the new Windows 8 operating system discovered Xbox Music because it's the default player for music files that people have imported from elsewhere, according to Xbox Music general manager Jerry Johnson. Opening it up to the broader public would give more people a chance to see the benefits of having multiple devices linked to Microsoft's platform.

With Agency inputs