Heads up, music lovers. SoundCloud on Thursday rolled out a totally redesigned version of its iPhone app complete with a cleaner look and simpler controls that put the focus on listening.
"When we say all-new, we mean all-new," SoundCloud wrote in a blog post. "Designed and built from scratch. Easy and natural to use while you are out and about. Something that lets you hear more of what you want to hear."
On the downside, however, there's no longer an option to record and upload audio files directly through the app. Instead, SoundCloud recommended that users download Retronym's free AudioCopy app to record and post audio from a mobile phone.
"As we focused on making the best possible listening experience, we decided to remove the Record button," SoundCloud said, without further explanation.
If you have any sounds stored in the app, you'll want to either upload them to SoundCloud or download them to your computer before installing the update. Any previously recorded sounds will no longer be available after installing the 3.0 update. SoundCloud has instructions for recovering these files on its website.
Meanwhile, the revamped app features a "one thumb" interface, which, as its name suggests, lets you control everything with just your thumb. You can tap anywhere on the screen to play and pause, swipe to skip tracks, and slide along the waveform to explore a track and its artwork.
Tracks you've liked and playlists you've created will now live under the "You" tab. Likes, playlists, and posts will show up right on your profile instead of being hidden away behind tabs.
"The new home screen makes it easier to find new things you'll love — your stream, trending artists, tracks, and genres are all there," SoundCloud said. You can also now play tracks and follow other users directly from the Search page.
The revamped SoundCloud app is available for free in the App Store. For now it's only available for iPhones, but SoundCloud said it's working on an iPad update for a future release.