14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has yet to launch the final version of Windows Phone 8.1, but the Redmond-based company offered fans and developers the possibility to experience most of the new OS features if they really wanted to.
With Windows Phone 8.1 Developer Preview, Microsoft is trying give developers the time they need to get used with the new environment and optimize their apps for when the final version of operating system arrives on the market.
Most of the major apps are already compatible with Windows Phone 8.1, but there are still that needs a lot of work before they can function smoothly.
One such application is Xbox Music app, which is now part of the Windows Phone 8.1 operating system, but does not seem to work as intended.
Since Windows Phone 8.1 Developer Preview was made available for download, early adopters complained about the lagginess of the Xbox Music application and the fact that it comes with lots of bugs and issues that makes it totally unusable.
Microsoft had listened to users feedback and officially confirmed the Xbox Music app is now its engineers' top priority with things that need to be fixed in Windows Phone 8.1.
Company's officials also announced the application will receive updates every two weeks, so hopefully, by the time the first Windows Phone 8.1 devices hit shelves, Xbox Music app will work smoothly.
The application received a few updates since last month, but it doesn't seem to be operational yet, as most users report Xbox Music app is still slow and unresponsive at times.
However, NokiaPowerUser reports that in the newest update for Music app, Microsoft introduced a few new features, as well as some bug fixes and improvements.
First of all, it appears that Xbox Music app now supports audio scrubbing, so you can now slide the track progress indicator in the Now Playing screen to get to the spot you like.
Furthermore, the Forward and Rewind animations have been made smoother. Some UI fixes that were needed in order to improve visibility of content are also included in this update.
Other fixes for unexpected app exists have been implemented, along with a fix for a bug where songs were incorrectly removed from playlists.
While the changelog list shows that Microsoft is working to squash any bugs in Xbox Music app, there's still a lot of work to be done until the application becomes really functional.
You can now download Xbox Music for Windows Phone 2.5.3884.0 for free via Windows Phone Store. Keep in mind the application is only compatible with devices powered by Windows Phone 8 and up.