Apple Music Update For Android Reveals Exclusive Storage Option (Sorry iPhone Users)

Apple on Wednesday released an update for its music app on Android that brings exclusive new functionality not available on the iPhone version. Among other changes, users now have the option to store music downloaded for offline playback via an Apple Music subscription onto an SD card.

Previously, users had to store songs on the phone's internal storage if they didn't want to stream them and use up data.

The release shows Apple's commitment to supporting its latest Android app, providing a feature that's unavailable even on the company's own iOS software. SD card support means Android users could in theory store more music than iPhone users, as the latter lacks an SD card slot and doesn't support music playback from external storage from within the Apple Music app.

The update also introduces a schedule for the Beats 1 radio show, so users can plan ahead of time when to listen in for their favorite live shows on the Internet radio station. Apple has also added the ability to browse the user's My Music selection by both composer and compilation. The former will be useful for classical music listeners, while the latter will categorize movie soundtracks and other albums with multiple artists into one easy-to-find place.

Since launching in June 2015, Apple Music has been gaining momentum. In January, sources speaking to the Financial Times revealed that Apple Music has over 10 million subscribers, with the service expanding at a faster pace than Spotify. Spotify may still have the upper hand, however, as the company revealed back in June that it has 20 million paid subscribers.

Apple Music is priced at $9.99 per month for an individual subscription, or $14.99 per month for a family plan shareable between up to six family members. By comparison, Spotify Premium is priced at $9.99 per month, with 50 percent off for each extra family member. Spotify also supports a free tier for limited ad supported listening.