Exploring is a new section in which I will tell you all about an app and how to use it to its full potential. This is not a review of the app and so no scores will be given in this article. This is sort of an in-depth overview of an app, a JoyofAndroid user manual if you may. Exploring will explore a top app in a genre without the usual shackles of giving scores and critiquing. Note: The Poweramp Music Player was tested on a Samsung Galaxy S3, Galaxy Note III, Galaxy Note IV, Xperia Z3 and Asus Memopad HD tablet. The app has been under my personal use for almost 3 years now. The app works flawlessly on every device.
1. Getting It on the Phone
Installing Poweramp is a easy thing, all you need to do is to go to the Google Play Store and get the app. But the thing is, it’s just a timed trial. For some reason you have yet to try out this amazing music app, here is the link:
In order to continue using the Poweramp Music Player for longer, you will need to purchase the paid version. But the paid version is not an actual app but just an unlock which is installed as an app on your smartphone or tablet. The good thing is that once purchased and installed, Poweramp automatically asks to hide the app from the app drawer. This is a neat feature for those who want minimal clutter in the app drawer. Try one of the best launchers for Android if you need more drawer options.
This is it, now you have the number one paid music app installed and ready to be used on your Android device. Remember, the free app is only a trial which lasts only 15 days. The trial is fully featured so if you want you can check the app out in normal day usage and then make the jump to the paid version. If you want more options or want to compare the player with others, check out the best music players for Android list.
2. Moving Around It
Now simply tap on the app and you will see the main landing page of the app. Another great thing about the Poweramp Music Player is that it shows hints the first time you see anything. In this instance you will be looking at the main interface with little hints about easy of the button. If you don’t want any hints or already know how the app works, you can click on the hide hints button and the app won’t bother you again.
If you click on the folder music button located on the top right side of the screen you will be taken to the folder view. Ill mark it on a screenshot so you know what I’m talking about.
This button will take you to this weird looking screen, which by the way is not really essential in using the app. If you have used any file manager app for Android before, you will instantly know that this player comes with a basic looking one. This view allows you to manually search for any music you may have placed on the memory of your Android device. But if you look closely, the app is already scanning the folders for potential music files. This feature comes in handy if you don’t want those pesky ringtones showing up on your music playlists.
Tap on the Library button on the bottom of the screen and you will see a list of music categorized by different classes.
All Songs shows all the songs on your device. This includes all the folders you selected in the settings.
Albums display the albums you may have, a point to be noted here is that the app is capable of downloading album art on its own too. It will obviously take a little bit of time to locate every album art for your music library though and will require an internet connection. Oh the album art can sometime take a lot of space, for example my album art consumes around 200 MB of internal memory.
If you have a huge music collection, this makes it easier to filter out a particular genre. Here you can see I’m quite interested in Anime songs (I’m a nerd). I also love those blues and country music.
3. Play Some Music Man
Select the song and simply tap on it. The app will take you to this fine looking screen again and display the album art if there is any. Another great thing about the app is that it shows the quality of the file right on the main screen, it’s located right on the bottom middle side.
Now that the music is playing, it’s time to fine tune the tunes (pun intended). Tap on the equalizer button located on the top right in the middle of the folder and volume buttons and you will be presented with this screen.
This is where the magic happens. You can play around with the sliders until you get that sweet spot you like. I recommend that you always keep that limit button on as it limits the output to avoid audio distortion. If you get something right, save the preset you made for future use and easy switching. If you get something wrong, click on the reset button and the knobs will return to zero. Using Poweramp Music Player is very intuitive. If you are lazy like me, you can also select from a number of great presets. I personally use the Bass Extreme with my Steelseries headphones and simple rock with my CM Strom hands free ear phones. I’m not a audiophile and most of my purchases are made with either clear voice or good gaming performance in mind. The Poweramp Music Player makes every audio output device sounds equally nice.
Click on the Tone/Volume button and you will see this basic screen.
It is very simple and like I stated using Poweramp music Player is super easy as well. The Stereo X is the only option which you may not know. It basically enhances the width of the audio playing, on some tracks it is very noticeable on some it barely makes a difference. I usually keep it cranked to half and to be honest, never really noticed anything wonderful about it.
4. Outside the App
The widgets is what makes using Poweramp Music Player a treat. The app comes with an extremely versatile widget and it really helps you in listening to music with ease. It does come in three sizes which depending on your personal taste are fairly great ones. I use the 4×2 version because I don’t want to fill up a full screen with a widget but that’s just what I like.
If you want to truly make the widget your own, you can do that too. Here are a couple of screenshots showcasing the sheer number of options there are when customizing the widget. You can change what background looks like; you can select a preferred text and also its size. You can change the color of the text as well. All in all this is one of the best music widgets I have tested on Android.
5. Closing the Deal
Using Poweramp Music Player is a real treat and it truly embraces the spirit of Android. Sure many OEMs (original electronic manufacturers) make good music apps, especially Sony but this app takes the crown. Poweramp Music Player for Android is smooth and uses very less system resources. Well I’ll stop now because I sound like a salesman for Poweramp Music player. The main point is, this is a must have music app if you are serious about listening to music on your Android device. I hope I have explained the app in sufficient detail, if there is something I missed (apart from the self-explanatory settings) point it out in the comments and I’ll make amendments.
