In their own words, Pandora is getting a “major glow up” as the music streaming service has redesigned their mobile app, bringing more emphasis on personalization and music discovery. Thy are bringing a “completely revamped mobile experience” in order to compete with the Spotifys and Apple Musics of this world. They are trying to strike the balance between giving you the music and podcasts that you want and letting you discover new things to listen to with things like For You, Pandora Mode, and improved navigation.
The new For You section is a discovery feed where you can explore Pandora’s vast library of music and podcasts and also gives you recommended music for whatever you’re doing or wherever you are. There are a lot of sections that you can explore like Trending (top songs, artists, stations), Moods and Activities (sets the tone for whatever activity you’re doing), Recently Played, Playlists Made for You, and Podcasts Recommendations, all of which are pretty self-explanatory.
The update also brings the customization feature Pandora Modes, which is available on the desktop version, to the mobile app. My Station is of course still there and it is still the original and classic version of Pandora that we’re used to. Crowd Faves is where you can find the songs that have received the most thumbs up within the station. Deep Cuts lets you go deeper into the catalog of a station’s artist or genre. Discovery lets you hear artists that aren’t usually played in that station. Newly Released is also self-explanatory while the Artist Only mode will only play songs from that artist in your station.
The app also now has a more simplified interface which should make navigation easier and more seamless. The navigation keys are within “thumbs reach” wherever you are within the app. Pandora is also launching a new branding campaign featuring Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa, Lizzo, H.E.R., Maren Morris, Normani, Tones & I, Halsey, Little Simz, Post Malone, Snoh Allegra, etc. Previously, they also announced a tie-up with Marvel for exclusive scripted and unscripted podcasts.
All of this just goes to show that Pandora is really serious about challenging the big boys in the music streaming market. You can update your mobile app to the latest version to experience all of these new things from them.