Opera Max Announces New Feature That Lets Android Users Save Data When Streaming Music

Some Android users may already be familiar with Opera Max. It is a mobile app that basically helps owners of Android powered devices to minimize their data usage across various apps and services on their handset. Well, today the creators of the app have introduced a new feature, which music lovers will no doubt be delighted to hear about. Everybody knows that when one streams music, there will be some considerable data involved, but Opera Max’s new feature can integrate with some of today’s most popular music streaming service providers in delivering songs to mobile users but with less data usage.

So which music streaming services exactly are we talking about? They include Pandora, YouTube Music, Slacker, Gaana, and Saavn. Consumers who make use of Opera Max together with any of the services mentioned in the previous sentence will save up to 50 percent of their data, as compared to using these services without the mobile app.

Opera Max is already offering savings on data usage on video content streaming, and as a matter of fact, the technology the mobile app is using is quite similar to what it uses for music streaming. Indeed, by making use of optimizations powered by Rocket Optimizer, it can better manage the amount of audio traffic being streamed, and then convert those streams to a more efficient and easy AAC+ codec from MP3 and MP4. For those not familiar with AAC+, it delivers top quality audio over a connection with lower bitrate, hence, good sound at lesser data usage.

When it comes to the area of data compression, Opera has had a pretty decent track record. Opera Max has the claim to being the first mobile app in the world to optimize video content streaming and music streaming apps, thereby minimizing data usage. Its timing is very ideal, too, especially now that music streaming has become more popular than ever. As reported by Next Big Sound, 1 trillion audio streaming plays so far in the first half of this year. On average, that is about 140 streams for each individual across the globe. The direct result of this is the proliferation of music streaming mobile apps, and combine that with the explosion of first time smartphone owners in emerging markets (here’s looking at you, India), people now are listening to more streamed music more than ever. But, music streaming or any online radio service for a number of hours during any given day can consume as much as 1 gigabyte of data. For those signed up under plans that do not include unlimited data, this could hurt their data allowances. Good thing there is Opera Max. The app is made available as a free download from Google Play to mobile users who own devices powered by Android 4.0 or newer.