If you regularly listen to music on your iPhone, you need to check out the Last.fm app. Simply put, it’s one of the best music apps available at the iTunes store. It offers some distinct advantages over its competitors and the app is completely free. I use Last.fm on a regular basis and find myself reaching for it whenever my iPod playlist is feeling a little stale.
The Good
- No limits on song skips or monthly usage
- Easy-to-use interface
- Excellent music collection
The Bad
- No pause button
- Slight delay between songs
Developer
Last.fm Ltd.
Category
Music apps
Price
Free
Last.fm offers free access to millions of songs in personalized playlists right on your iPhone. To get it up and running, simply select a favorite artist and the app will create a list of similar songs you might like. As the music plays, you can tell the app if you like or dislike a certain track, which will help it improve future recommendations.
Within the Last.fm app, you can add tracks to your own playlists, tag a song or purchase it on iTunes. Tour dates and other music events are also available in calendar form. The app is very easy to use, and I like the look of the interface.
What’s really great about Last.fm is that you can skip as many songs as you want. With Pandora, another very popular music app, you can only skip six songs per hour or 12 per day. Pandora also offers just 40 hours of free music per month, while Last.fm users in the US, UK and Germany enjoy unlimited usage (those in other countries get only 30 free songs).
Last.fm also seems to have a better selection of lesser-known artists than other music apps. I’ve discovered a number of great songs based on its recommendations, and the app has seamless integration with iTunes for purchasing music.
I have few complaints about the Last.fm app, but there are some minor annoyances. For one, there’s no pause button, which seems like an odd omission. Buffering times can also be a bit lengthy between songs. In addition, the music will stop if you leave the app to send an email or use another application. While annoying, this is a requirement from Apple and it applies to all streaming music apps on the iPhone.
What You’ll Need
In order to use the Last.fm app, you’ll need an iPhone or iPod touch with an active Internet connection and OS version 2.0 or later. The app works over 3G, Edge and Wi-Fi, but you’ll get the fastest buffering times with a Wi-Fi connection.
The Bottom Line
Last.fm is a terrific iPhone music app to add to your collection. It’s free, you can skip as many songs as you want, and the sleek interface is easy to use. I highly recommend it. Overall rating: 4.5 out of five stars.