Are you tired of those annoying ads interrupting your music sessions on Spotify? Wish you could skip tracks as much as you like and enjoy high-quality audio without breaking the bank? Look no further! In this guide, we'll introduce Soundbound to you. With Soundbound, you can enjoy Spotify Premium features such as ads-free listening, unlimited skips, songs downloading and more, all for free! Even better, it’s a cross-platform service that combines multiple streaming services in one convenient stop, allowing you to access your favorite music from different sources without switching between apps and interfaces.
I’ve tested and reviewed Soundbound thoroughly myself. In this comprehensive guide, I'll walk you through everything you need to know about Soundbound, including how to install Soundbound, how to use Soundbound and more to help you unlock Spotify Premium free. By the end of this journey, you'll be able to enjoy Spotify Premium listening experience with Soundbound and music from other sources in a way that's both fun and frustration-free.
What is Soundbound?
Soundbound is mainly a mod APK designed for Spotify Premium on Android, but it also stands as a versatile cross-platform music application designed to offer an all-inclusive experience by aggregating services from multiple streaming platforms under one roof. In Soundbound, users can log in to their Spotify accounts to receive personalized recommendations based on their Spotify music collection. Simultaneously, they can enjoy songs that are missing from Spotify or come from other music services.
Soundbound VS SpotiFlyer
If you haven't heard of Soundbound until now, its feature of accessing music from various streaming services might remind you of SpotiFlyer. SpotiFlyer offers a similar functionality as Soundbound, it allows their customers to download songs from various platforms under one umbrella, but it’s only for downloading. It's noteworthy that at present, both applications support the same suite of services, including Spotify, YouTube, Gaana, SoundCloud, and JioSaavn.
Upon my investigation, it seems there's a connection between these two applications. The journey that led me to uncover Soundbound might have appeared serendipitous at first. Initially, my intent was to gather information on SpotiFlyer. However, by chance, while exploring a Github project that was intended solely for SpotiFlyer, I discovered the existence of Soundbound. Here's the Github page dedicated to SpotiFlyer.
You might notice an intriguing discrepancy in naming: despite the title "SpotiFlyer", the repository's readme section offers an introduction to another application - Soundbound. This peculiar setup has led me to uncover this interconnection between these two applications.
Although the subsequent sections of the readme focus on SpotiFlyer, and the author doesn’t explicitly clarify the relationship between SpotiFlyer and Soundbound, based on my observations, I believe they are indeed related.
Because I noticed that for quite some time now, the SpotiFlyer application has been malfunctioning entirely. When attempting to download music by selecting certain songs and initiating the download process in the app, it consistently fails to complete 100% of the downloads.
Given this situation, along with the overlap in features and services supported between both applications as previously mentioned, I can't help but suspect that SpotiFlyer and Soundbound share a common lineage. Although the GitHub repository primarily advertises SpotiFlyer, it's possible that Soundbound represents an evolved version or updated iteration of the original project.
And Soundbound appears to be an enhanced iteration of SpotiFlyer rather than a mere replacement. SpotiFlyer primarily served as a tool for downloading songs. Contrarily, Soundbound operates more akin to official music apps associated with primary streaming services such as Spotify or Apple Music; it allows users to directly listen to music from these platforms on their smartphones. Beyond mere downloads, Soundbound functions as an all-inclusive platform that enables users to enjoy tunes across different sources directly from their device, setting itself apart from SpotiFlyer's exclusive focus on downloading features.
All in all, Soundbound highlights the transition from a specialized download utility in SpotiFlyer to a comprehensive music app encompassing both streaming and downloading capabilities with Soundbound, thus substantiating its status as an upgraded version of its predecessor.
How to Install Soundbound to Enjoy Spotify Premium Free
Soundbound is essentially a Spotify mod that offers a Spotify Premium listening experience, similar to SpotiFlyer. Typically, such applications are not available through official app stores like the Apple Store or Google Play. However, there's an interesting twist with Soundbound; the Soundbound APK can be directly installed on Android through Google Play.
The intriguing part is that while an iOS version or IPA file of Soundbound has yet to be officially released, this indicates you currently might not have the option to use it if you're an iOS user. But don't fret! Given SpotiFlyer's support across multiple platforms and considering Soundbound's status as a potential upgrade for the former, I anticipate its iOS counterpart will soon make an appearance.
Let's proceed with the installation process on your Android. Prior to beginning this step, ensure that Google Play is already installed on your device. Here’s how you can download and install Soundbound to enjoy Spotify Premium for free:
Step 1. Head to the official installation page of Soundbound on your phone. And tap on the “Google Play Download for Android” button.
Step 2. This will automatically launch Google Play Store on your phone and redirect to installation page of Soundbound on Google Play. Tap on “Install” to install Soundbound on your phone.
Step 3. After you have it installed on your phone, open it. Tap on “>” icon on the start screen to continue. Then grant all three permissions it’s asking one by one. Finally, hit another “>” icon to finish your installation. Now you’ve successfully installed Soundbound on your phone.
How to Install Sources for Soundbound
To harness the full potential of Soundbound and gain access to Spotify Premium for free, along with music from various streaming platforms, it's necessary to integrate "Soundbound Source". Think of the Soundbound Source as an Application Programming Interface (API) that enables interactions with media content across different music services. While this might be a bit technical for non-developers, developers have the option to create their own custom Soundbound sources and share them on public repositories.
For those not involved in development work, the specifics of creating or sharing your own repository may not be relevant to you. However, if you happen to fall under that category and are looking to expand your Soundbound app's capabilities by adding a new source, this section will guide you through the process of incorporating a Soundbound repo into your existing setup.
Step 1. Go back to the official installation page of Soundbound, tap on “Copy Repo URL” to copy the url of latest official repo.
Step 2. Go back to Soundbound app on your phone, it will ask you to add a repo if you haven’t, hit on “Open Preferences” on homepage of Soundbound.
Step 3. Hit on “Available Source Repo’s”, followed by “Add Repo”, name the repo, and paste repo url in the corresponding bar, then hit “Add” to finish setup.
Note:
The default repo comes with the app can’t work and currently there are not much third party repo yet, if you can’t find third party repos, the latest official repo is usually placed on official installation page. You can always go to the official installation page of Soundbound to install the latest official Soundbound repo like what we just do above.
How to Use Soundbound
After you’ve finished installing Soundbound and set up Soundbound repo, there will be a new “Log in to Spotify” option appearing on the top. You need to log in to your Spotify account to use it. Although Soundbound enable you to access music from many music platforms, you can only log in to your Spotify account for personalized recommendations, which is why it’s mainly a Spotify mod APK.
Note:
If you don’t log into your Spotify account first, you won’t be able to search songs or play them. I find this during testing.
How to Search Songs on Soundbound
Go to the home page of Soundbound and tap on the search bar, here you can search songs you want. Under the search bar, you can specify the service you want to find the song from. For example, if you select only the "Spotify" tab, Soundbound will search for the specified song exclusively within Spotify's music library. You can also choose to search songs from multiple services simultaneously. Currently you can select from Spotify, Saavn, YouTube, Gaana, and SoundCloud.
Tips:
You can adjust audio quality with “Preferred Audio Quality” option in setting page.
How to Download Spotify Songs on Soundbound
Pick a song to play in Soundbound first, and then go to its now playing page, there’s a download button on the bottom right corner. You can tap on it to start downloading that song. When the icon turns into a tick, it implies that download has finished.
In the setting page, you can specify the download location of songs. Additionally, you can turn on the “Save as MP3” option to save downloaded songs as mp3, or the songs would be downloaded in M4A format by default.
Pros and Cons of Soundbound as A Spotify Mod APK
Soundbound presents itself as an innovative Spotify mod app akin to SpotiFlyer that offers premium features across various music platforms. And I’ve tested bunch of Spotify mods myself, Soundbound is quite impressive in my opinion.
Notably, the audio quality provided by Soundbound is superior, reaching up to 320 kbps - a feature typically reserved for Spotify Premium users. This, combined with an added bonus of lyrics support for many of its modded versions, sets Soundbound apart from other similar apps like Spotify ++ and Spotilife which often lack this feature. The app also boasts a dynamic wavy progressive bar that significantly enhances the user experience.
Moreover, Soundbound's standout feature is undoubtedly its download capability - it's currently the only Spotify tweak offering functional downloading services among those I've encountered thus far.
However, despite these advantages, Soundbound comes with some notable drawbacks:
1. Single-Song Downloads: The app's current limitation of being able to download songs individually can be quite tedious and frustrating for users who wish for a more streamlined process.
2. Low Download Quality: Upon testing, I noticed that the songs downloaded using Soundbound have lower quality than anticipated. After transferring them to my computer and using ffmpeg to check their information, it was found that their actual quality is only 129 kbps and 44000hz, which is a relatively mediocre audio quality.
3. Functional Issues with Playing Songs: The playback functionality of Soundbound isn't without its flaws. There are instances where there's a noticeable lag between switching songs - typically ranging from one to two seconds. Additionally, skipping through many tracks at once can result in the app freezing or stopping altogether. Lastly, despite turning off all background settings that may stop Soundbound playing in the background, it stops playing anyway after not being actively used for some time. All these playback problems can be quite frustrating and may occur periodically.
Pros
- Free to use.
- Completely ads free.
- High audio quality up to 320kbps.
- Music from multiple streaming sources.
- Lyrics feature.
- Download songs for offline listening.
Cons
- Can’t download songs in batch.
- Low quality of downloaded songs.
- Playback may not work functionally from time to time.
- Need manually update Soundbound repo.
FAQs about How to Use Soundbound to Unlock Spotify Premium Free
Q1. What is Soundbound Source?
A1. A Soundbound source is an API that provides media content to the main Soundbound app.
Q2. How to install sources for Soundbound?
A2. You can copy the official Soundbound source repo from its official installation page, and then add it to your Soundbound app through “Available Source Repos” option in Soundbound setting page.
Q3. Is Soundbound free?
A3. Yes, it is completely free. You can choose to Sponsor the author, but its up to you, it’s not needed to unlock the functionalities of Soundbound.
Q4. Is SpotiFlyer discontinued?
A4. Although SpotiFlyer official hasn’t announced that they has discontinued update, it’s been a long time since SpotiFlyer can actually work. And Soundbound appears as a perfect alternative to SpotiFlyer, so you can turn to Soundbound to enjoy music.
Q5. Why I can't search songs on Soundbound?
A5. It’s probably because you haven’t logged in to your Spotify account, this seems to be a bug currently. Before the author repairs it, you can only add a valid repo and then log in Spotify account before using it.
Q6. Why does Soundbound playback stop automatically?
A6. I’ve come across this problem too. You need to ensure Soundbound app is in your phone’s whitelist or something like that to prevent it being killed when working in the background.
Q7. Can I log in other streaming service account to have personalized recommendations?
A7. No, seems like Soundbound only supports logging you into Spotify to have personalized recommendations, but maybe it will add other streaming services in the future.
Best Soundbound Alternative - DRmare Spotify Music Converter
While Soundbound is a remarkable Spotify mod APK which offers a range of Spotify Premium listening features—such as high-quality audio streaming and offline playback capabilities—it has not been without its share of challenges, particularly when it comes to basic functionality. From occasional lag between songs to freezing during track skips or abrupt stops in playback, these issues can be highly frustrating for users. If you're seeking alternatives that can provide free Spotify Premium features and have a stable listening experience simultaneously, DRmare Spotify Music Converter emerges as an appealing choice.
- Convert Spotify tracks to MP3, WAV, FLAC, and more.
- Download music for offline listening on any device.
- Preserve high-quality audio up to 320kbps and all metadata.
- Fast and efficient conversion at 5x speed with batch processing.
DRmare Spotify Music Converter allows you to download all Spotify music and convert them to MP3, WAV, FLAC and other common formats. What’s more, it doesn’t need a Spotify Premium account to download Spotify music. As for audio quality, you can specify the output quality up to 48000Hz, 320 kbps.
With the downloaded high-quality Spotify music, you can transfer them to your computer, phone, USB drive and other places to enjoy offline listening. This way, you can enjoy your music without worrying being interrupted.
Conclusion
Soundbound is an impressive Spotify mod APK that offers a comprehensive suite of Spotify Premium features such as ad-free listening, unlimited skips, and song downloading. Overall, as a Spotify tweak, it surpasses almost all counterparts I’ve encountered so far.
However, its basic playback function is disappointing. There is often a lag when switching between songs, and if too many songs are skipped at once, playback ceases to function. I assume this issue arises because it supports so many platforms and needs to source songs from multiple locations simultaneously, which overwhelms the system. Additionally, playback stops after a period of inactivity, despite all potential intervening settings being turned off.
Anyway, Soundbound is a functional Spotify mod APK, and it receives regular updates, so the problem may be resolved over time. You can try it out to unlock Spotify Premium features for free if you're interested.
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