Both of these apps will be provided in preview for Windows 10, later in this week. They further added that Groove’s new interface and branding will be more “intuitive”.
Advertisement
Additionally, Groove will become integrated with OneDrive, Microsoft’s cloud storage solution. Previously, Microsoft was reported of having pronounced its Xbox Music services incorrectly, upon launch the company labeled it is Groove Music but later on corrected itself and stated that it is just “Groove” rather than “Groove Music”.
You can sign up for a Groove Music Pass Subscription for U.S. $9.99 per month or U.S. $99 per year, which gets you “complete access to stream and download music from the Windows Store” and no interruptions, from a selection of 40 million tracks (or at least, in the US).
According to ZDNet, a similar app by the company Zikera already exists, called Groove: Smart Music Player.
The two services will be baked into Windows 10, which will release on July 29.
Microsoft is re-branding the most known Xbox music service to Groove. Xbox Music, formerly of Zune Pass fame, was not beholden to the Xbox brand.
The announcement of the new name means that the Music app’s icon now makes a little more sense.
Whether this has any effect on the success of Microsoft’s music streaming service, we are still unsure. The Verge reports that the tech giant’s Joe Belfiore revealed that some people thought they needed an Xbox to utilize Xbox Music. “Getting into music is faster than ever with easy-to-use menus and navigation controls that work well with both mouse/keyboard, and with familiar touch gestures on touch-screen devices”, said Microsoft. Users can drag-and-drop songs into playlists, and a “Right” click will bring up the menu that allows users to pin an album to the start menu.
Advertisement
Microsoft is preparing to roll out Windows 10 starting on July 29, first with a small group of “insiders” testing the new operating software, then gradually expanding the base. Support for Android and iOS will also be coming soon.
