Google Play Music is getting a facelift. The streaming service will have a new look and new capabilities starting this week.
The app will have a new home screen where it is easier to see suggested playlists. The other change will allow for a more personalized playlist. Google Music will now have the ability to recommend a certain playlist that is apt to where the user is and what his or her mood is. The app recognizes the location, behavior and activity of the user and bases its music suggestions on those factors.
If the user is at the gym, Google Play Music will suggest songs that get the blood pumping. If the listener plays a certain playlist after work, that playlist and others similar to it will eventually appear. About to board a plane? Songs about planes, flying and travelling will be suggested.
The new feature is necessary to keep up with other music streaming services. Spotify already has the popular Discover Weekly playlist. Apple, meanwhile, has the My Favorites Mix. Spotify suggests songs according to the user's liking but it takes a week to hear new suggestions. Apple Music adds music similar to the ones in the Daily Mix playlist.
Google's approach is different though the idea is the same.
Google was able to come up with the new feature with the help of Songza, the startup from New York City acquired by Google in 2014. Songza's goal of "having a personal DJ who follows you around and knows exactly what you want to hear" was finally fully realized when it worked with Google and its huge collection of users' data and "powerful machine learning algorithms".
There are already concerns from some about this new feature's effect on the user's privacy. Google has had some issues with privacy before. Google, however, has stressed that the company takes "privacy and security very seriously and only access as much information as we need to serve you the right music at the right time".
