If you store and play a lot of music on your Android phone, then these are some of the best apps that you should try.
Most smartphone users use their phones as a default device for media storage, especially for music content. Reason could be the ease of use, while in commute, because you don’t have to bear the inconvenience of carrying a separate music player, be it the smallest of the iPods even! If you are among those who listens to music stored on their phones, you really need to be careful about what media player you use. The default one is usually the most used, simply because it is right there. But, it may not actually offer the best audio experience. We suggest some alternatives that you can download for your Android smartphone.
And, it is not just the apps that can play music stored on the phone’s memory or a memory card. To give a more wholesome experience, we are suggesting a couple of music streaming apps as well, one specifically for those who like Indian music, and one that allows you to discover new artists and new music – something a little different from all those music streaming apps that offer the same music over and over again.
Poweramp Music Player
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Simple, solid, stable and reliable; this music player is a must have. Features include easy installation, clean UI, and good sound quality. Plays back audio formats like mp3, mp4, m4a (incl. alac), ogg, wma*, flac, wav, tta, mpc, aiff – basically all the common formats and then some, and offers dedicated bass and treble setting controls. The app has widgets also, for use on the Android home-screen, which makes media playback a one touch affair, and offers full folder and playlist queue support.
doubleTwist Music Player
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Perhaps one of the best third party music players on the Android platform, doubleTwist recently got a new design as well. The ability to sync music from iTunes to your Android phone, makes this extremely convenient for anyone who has all the music stored in their iTunes. The app is free to download and use, but a bunch of additional goodies can be unlocked for $14.99 – AirSync for iTunes which lets you sync over Wi-Fi, AirPlay to Apple TV & AirPlay-compatible speakers, audio equalizer, album art search and removal of podcast ads.

Cubed

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It may not be as feature rich as the alternatives we have mentioned so far, but this is perhaps the most gorgeous of them all. The Cubed music player, as the name suggests, follows a rather unique user interface, resembling, umm, a cube! When all your music has the album art and artist details in place, this looks fantastic. Try it out, if you are in the mood to experiment.
SoundCloud

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Soundcloud, which calls itself a “community”, allows you to listen to original music by new upcoming artists, follow upcoming global trends, create playlists and record your own music. Soundcloud is a good app to discover new music, artists and genres for free, and allows you to create and share playlists with followers. It may take some time for you to develop a taste for the new music you may come across, but it will all be worth it!
Gaana

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Gaana gives you access to a massive library of music in various languages and from various genres – over 3 million songs. You can stream these songs directly to your tablet or smartphone for free. The ability to see and listen to what your friends are listening to, just adds to the “social” experience, along with the ability to listen to pre-created playlists or create and share your own. While the service is free, you may want to get the Gaana subscription that costs $1.99 per month if you wish to download songs for offline listening, get better bitrates and remove ads from the service.