Groove 2 for iPhone is now available on the App Store, and it looks like it could be a very viable Music.app replacement. The app is an iPhone-optimized version of the Groove 2 interface on the iPad (which I reviewed in June of 2011), which makes browsing your music feel like a more dynamic, hands-on experience. Albums and artists all have pictures, genres of music are automatically tagged for quick Genius-like playlists, and a new mini player with great gesture controls makes sure that you’ve always got total control over what’s playing. In a nice extra touch, the Groove 2 even has settings for iTunes Match users. You can choose to stream music only over Wi-Fi, or access Matched tunes over 3G.
Mini Player
A quick tap along the bottom of the screen will maximize the mini player, providing you with a larger view of the album art. Horizontal swipes will skip between tracks, and vertical swipes will adjust the volume. A single tap will fill the screen with album art for the current song, and a double tap will show you the track list. A quick two-finger swipe downwards dismisses the player and brings you back to Groove 2’s Home screen. The Mini Player is a great addition to the app, and it’s worth checking out just to see the slick sliding animations.
My Wishlist
I appreciate how Groove 2 goes out of its way to get me artist bios and pictures, but one of the things that might keep me from switching over is the lack of any in-app lyrics. I’ve tagged all of my music with lyrics and I often look over them while listening to music, but Groove 2 currently has no options to display embedded lyrics.
I’d also really like for Groove 2 to remember the selections I make within the app. Heading to the Artists or Albums category, for example, always defaults to the "Top" view, instead of "All". This is a bit of a pain, since the "All" view is the only way to scrub alphabetically through artists and albums (which is how I prefer to seek out music).
Groovy
If you’re interested in Groove 2, you might be surprised to learn that you may already own the app. Groove 2 is actually an update to Groove for iPad, so if you own that version, you’ll be able to pick up Groove 2 for iPhone for free. For new users, Groove 2 will run you just $1.99, which is a measly price to pay for such a playful take on your music collection.
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