Pandora 4.0 Updated – App Gets a Facelift and Social Skills

Pandora 4.0 for the iPhone and iPad was released on Monday. The update includes a much needed redesign, Facebook and Twitter integration, full lyrics, and more.

The updated app features 4 main screens: Stations, Feed, Profile, and Settings. Accessing the “Now Playing” screen is easy-peasy, as the “Now Playing” button is always available no matter what screen you are currently viewing.  While in the “Now Playing” screen, you can tap the button in the upper right hand corner, where you can view cover art, lyrics, and information about the artists. You can also pause, or skip the song you’re listening to, give a thumbs up or thumbs down, and more.

In Pandora’s “Feed” tab, you can view what friends are listening to, their likes and dislikes, and the stations they’re listening to. (You can listen to their stations if you wish.)

“Profile” let’s you view the information about you that’s being supplied to your friends. This can include what you’re listening to, any stations you’ve created, and who you’re following.

The update also includes support for the iPhone 5’s longer screen, support for BMW vehicles, and stability and performance enhancements.

While Pandora is free, the free version does contain in app ads, and when I was using the app, they popped up regularly, like every 30 seconds regularly. To dump the ads you can subscribe to the Pandora One service, which will run you $3.99 per month. As well as ridding the app of the constant ads, you’ll also receive higher quality audio, a desktop app, and the ability to use custom skins.

If you’re a music fan, and have used Pandora before, it’s definitely worth your while to update the app. If you haven’t tried Pandora, give it a shot.

Pandora is available FREE in the App Store. (Direct Link)