Good news, Google Play Music fans! You can now download content to an SD card via your mobile device. If you’ve got limited native storage, but a lot of memory via an SD card, you can now keep your music there rather than take up precious space on your device.
With this update, Google is making an interesting concession. Nexus devices are notoriously void of SD support, instead asking you to keep all your info in the cloud. Play Music allowed for music to be pinned on your device for offline listening, but you were basically tied into Play Music automatically by virtue of having an Android device.
The update strikes a strange balance, but one that will make fans happy. We also think this will solve the battery drain issue we see with Play Music. Accessing files stored locally negates the need for a connection, and data streaming. By allowing us to keep our music where we like, Google is allowing us to do two important things: use our purchased content as we please, and readily swap devices.
The update is rolling out incrementally, like Google apps tend to do. Additionally, the standard Google share menu — which encompasses a variety of social media, cloud storage, and messaging options — has been added, letting you share tracks to places other than Google+. We like the democratization of a proprietary service, as we’re big Play Music fans. Between crossing over to iOS and this, we see many more opening their eyes to just how nice Play Music really is.
VIA: Android Police
