14 DAY TRIAL // While for many the browser world comes down to just three big names, namely Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge, there are other apps out there that come with a truly compelling feature package.
Vivaldi and Opera are two of them, and the latter has recently received another feature that makes browsing much more convenient when listening to music online.
The latest version of Opera comes with its very own music player that provides one-click access to Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music. The integration in the sidebar makes it super easy to control the music player, and the browser supports both media keys on the keyboard, as well as a popup screen that shows up when hovering the music player icon.
“With a big chunk of our lives happening online these days, music streaming platforms have become more popular than ever. But managing separate streaming apps or tabs can be tedious: we all know the pain of music continuing to play over a video we want to watch. We have fixed this with the Player feature,” Opera explains.
The new player obviously requires you to log in to your favorite music service, after which you can begin listening to music just like you’d do on the official webpage or in a desktop client.
I’m a Spotify subscriber, and on my personal laptop I’m using the official desktop client to listen to music. But since I spend 99 percent of my time in the browser, I can now give up on the desktop app and just log in to Spotify in Opera and control the music player without interrupting my work. Also worth emphasizing is that Opera has tried to make the integration of music services in the browser feel as native as possible, so for example, whenever you start watching a video on a specific, the music playback is automatically paused and then resumed when the video comes to an end.
“The new Player feature can be accessed in the browser’s sidebar, beneath the messengers section. To play, stop or skip a track, you don’t have to leave your current tab or even open the Player: playback can be controlled with the standard playback buttons on your keyboard or by hovering over the Player icon in the sidebar, where a mini playback control menu will appear. The ultimate music and podcast buffs among you can remain logged in to all three streaming platforms and alternate between them,” Opera explains.
Opera right now is one of the most fully-featured browsers out there, and the sidebar is a unique feature that provides one-click access to your favorite services, including Instagram, Twitter, and WhatsApp.
The music player is without a doubt a great addition, and Opera emphasizes that the whole idea is to provide users with the things they like in a familiar UI, without requiring them to download additional software or open more tabs.
“The new Player feature brings this seamless experience to all podcast and music lovers, meaning you can now stream and browse without having to manage multiple devices, tabs or apps. Especially when working from home and spending a lot of time online, it’s important to surround yourself with the things you like. Opera lets you do that in your browser by giving you access to your favorite music and podcasts, Instagram accounts and social messengers,” Opera explains.
The new browser is now available for download with the built-in music player on Windows, Linux, and macOS.