Longplay is an intriguing application developed by Adrian Schoenig for Apple’s Vision Pro platform. It’s designed for music enthusiasts who have an extensive collection of albums and desire an innovative way to interact with their music library. With a price tag of $5.99, Longplay offers a distinctive approach by emphasizing album artworks and introducing various intelligent sorting options to rediscover forgotten favorites and streamline the listening experience.
For those who resonate with specific albums and cherish the continuity of listening to an entire album rather than individual tracks, Longplay is an excellent tool. It presents a visually appealing interface where album covers take center stage, making music browsing an aesthetic pleasure. The album artwork-based navigation is a refreshing change from text-heavy playlists and music libraries.
One of the standout features of Longplay is its array of smart sorting options. Users can organize their albums by different criteria such as orderliness (by artist and album), addiction (time spent listening), brightness (primary color of the album artwork), negligence (time since last listened to, weighted by rating), recency (date added), memory (last played), stars (ratings provided), and random (a new order every tap). This rich variety of sorting options allows users to explore their music collection in multiple ways, ensuring they never get bored.
Additionally, Longplay provides the functionality to organize albums into collections that sync across devices, ensuring a seamless experience whether you’re using your phone, tablet, or Vision Pro. The infinite album shuffle feature keeps the music flowing based on the current collection or sort order, making it a fantastic choice for those who want to lose themselves in their music library.
A prominent part of Longplay’s charm is its home screen widget that displays top albums according to the user’s preferred sort order. On larger widgets, users can simply tap to play an album, enhancing accessibility and convenience. The smallest widget doubles as a shortcut to your preferred albums, making it easy to jump back into your music anytime.
Reviews for Longplay have generally been positive, with many users appreciating how the app filters out less favored tracks and focuses on albums as a whole, which they find to be a more meaningful way to engage with their music collection. Some users have suggested enhancements such as “Play Next” or “Play Later” features for better integration with their day-to-day music playing habits and a “Show album in Apple Music” button for easier management of their library.
Several users have praised the uniqueness of the sorting options like “Addiction,” “Brightness,” and “Negligence” that help bring a fresh perspective to their music libraries. Additionally, the enthusiastic support from the developer, particularly in addressing bugs swiftly, has been highlighted as a major positive.
Critiques of the app often focus on its performance with large music libraries. Some users have reported sluggishness, especially during the initial “Updating albums…” phase, and issues with the app playing albums on AirPlay. There’s also feedback on the need for additional features that enhance usability, such as the ability to view and play individual songs, more intuitive navigation for sorting and settings, and the option to exclude specific types of albums like holiday music.
Longplay is a thoughtfully designed application that brings a fresh and visually engaging way to interact with your album collection. While it shines for those who cherish album-oriented listening and offers creative sorting options, it still has room for improvement in terms of performance and additional features. For users with smaller to medium-sized libraries, it serves as a delightful tool to rediscover and enjoy their music. For those with larger collections, patience might be required as the developer continues to enhance its performance and functionality. If you’re looking to rekindle your love for full albums and want a novel way to navigate your music library, Longplay is well worth the investment.
