There’s more to life for your smartphone than just music streaming apps like Spotify, Tidal or Apple Music. Did you know there are apps that can help you learn more about the songs you love? What about apps that let you have fun with music while you’re waiting for time to pass? And the best part is… these apps are free to download. Here are some smartphone apps for the music lover in you to stay educated, enlightened and most all, entertained.

Genius - Songs Lyrics & More

Best for: Showing off your knowledge about music and pop culture

There are songs you’d just want to sing along blissfully wherever you are - in the car, in the shower, nobody’s judging. Then there are songs that will you make you think and wonder about what it really means.

Enter Genius - Song Lyrics & More, an app that provides annotation and verified facts for over 1.7 million songs. You can start by checking out the Hot Songs chart on the app. For example, for the song Shallow by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper includes annotation for the part where Gaga’s character Ally sings “Tell me something, boy/Aren’t you tired tryna fill that void?”. The Genius annotation explains that Ally understands how Jackson (Cooper’s character) is using alcohol to overcome the emptiness in his life. If you enjoy this feature, you can use the app to search for the meaning behind other songs that you like.

The app even lets you watch videos where musicians breaks down the meaning behind their songs and news about the latest happenings in the music world. In other words, you’d be lost in the vast world of music through the Genius app.

Musixmatch - Lyrics for your music

Best for: A synchronised lyric feature for you to sing your heart out

If you don’t need to read the story behind the songs you like and just want to be able to belt it out like you mean it, then Musixmatch is the app for you. The app has a floating lyrics feature than can be paired to your music streaming app like Spotify. Here’s what you do: search for lyrics to the song you like on Musixmatch. Enable the floating lyrics feature and Musixmatch will play the song you like on your preferred streaming app. As the song plays, you’ll be able to look at the lyrics. The best part is - you don’t have to keep scrolling to read the next line on the song. Floating lyrics does it for you as it is synchronized to the song that is playing on your music app. The app also has a feature that identifies songs for you. It will even pull out the lyrics for you so you’ll be able to sing along to a newly-discovered song in no time. This app is perfect for the karaoke extraordinaire in you. If you have a friend who can’t get the lyrics to Hotline Bling right, just whip out this app for that person. 

Loffee - Lo-Fi Music

Best for: When you need to chill and feel like managing your stress levels

Loffee proves that less is more. If you need a fuss-free app for that relaxing and calming lo-fi music experience, that this is the one for you. The songs on the app are curated just for you based on playlists with names like Morning Coffee, Winter Woods, Heal, Late Night Vibe and Rainy Days. When you feel like checking out the songs in the playlists, the app lets you explore Music Info. From there, you get to learn about the song title, the artiste and click on links to their social media platforms.

Each playlist even feature a gorgeous minimalistic wallpaper and the app lets you discover about the about the people who made them. When you feel like getting away from all that clutter and unnecessary noise in life, just tap on Loffee.

Dancing Ball World: Music Tap

Best for: Having fun with music or learning how to not get angry over a game

All you have to do is listen to the music, follow the ball and tap on the screen according to the beat. Your goal is for the ball to stay on the platform. If you miss the beat and the ball falls off the platform, you lose. This game is not only fun and potentially addictive for the music lover in you, it’s also gorgeous to look at. You can tap your way through different levels with themes like Ocean, Castle, Winter and Island. There are also in-game challenges to keep you busy. The app developers behind Dancing Ball World: Music Tap say the game is best enjoyed with headphones on. If you want to ace this game and get the perfect score, we recommend a good set of headphones like the KEF Space One Wireless. The pristine sound quality will help you to listen carefully and not miss the crucial timing of the beat in the game.

SongPop 2 - Guess The Song

Best for: Finding out if you’re really the music lover you say you are 

Can you name a mystery song from a five-second snippet? Can you name it faster than the other person who has challenged you to a guess the song contest? If you say yes to both questions then SongPop 2 is for you. This app lets you test your music knowledge by guessing the songs in playlists like 90s Hits, Classic Rock, Hip Hop and more. You earn more points when you can guess the song in the shortest amount of time.

SongPop 2 also has a social mode that lets other online users challenge you to a song guessing game. Be better than the other person and score more points to unlock in-app goodies. You can even join a Party Mode where you compete against more users from around the world for one round of song guessing. There’s a ranking for best players. SongPop2 is perfect for the competitive music lover who needs a quick and easy game for fun.

Cover Credit: C.L via SOL

Writer l JEM

I like Pina Colada and getting caught in the rain. Not into yoga. Wait, how does that song go again?