PlayingAlbums vs Beat ID
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β with what reviewers say about each.
PlayingAlbums
This app shuffles songs within playlists by album, allowing you to listen to entire albums sequentially. It integrates with Apple Music and iTunes Match, and playlists can be shared across devices. Users can choose to use the standard Music app player or a separate mode.
- Shuffle songs by album
- Integrates with Apple Music/iTunes Match
- Cross-device playlist sharing via iCloud
- Option to use standard Music app player
- Separate player mode available
- Supports multi-disc albums
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If you love music albums, you will listen to an album, then another album, then another...... All your songs or songs in the selected playlist will be shuffled by album. Songs in the selected playlist will play on devices that use iTunes Match or Apple Music, even if they are not downloaded on the device, as long as they are online. Playlists shuffled by albums can be shared with your own devices via iCloud. If you do not use either iTunes Match or Apple Music, the order of songs will be synchronized as long as playlists are synchronized between your devices. If you are a user of PlayingAlbums for macOS, you will share its settings for PlayingAlbums for iPhone. You may not want to listen to songs serially of an album with multiple discs. Disc 2 is sometimes completely different from disc 1. By default, the playing information (playback counts, etc.) will be integrated since PlayingAlbums uses the same player as the standard βMusicβ app. If you would not like to integrate the information, a new mode has been implemented that does not use the same player as the standard βMusicβ app. The application does not include any songs or other content; you must first create a playlist, either by importing from a CD or by using a subscription such as Apple Music. The screen shots shows a playlist created by subscribing to an album from Apple Music.
Beat ID
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How fast can you name a track? Hear the clip. Call it before anyone else. Nail it in the first second and feel like a genius. BeatID is the music guessing game for people who actually know their music β built in East London, powered by Apple Music. FIVE WAYS TO PLAY Never the same game twice. One catalogue, five ways in: Type to Guess β free-text the title. No hints, all glory. Multiple Choice β four options, one shot. Drum Pads β tap the rhythm on a live launchpad. Guess by Cover β name it from the artwork alone. Guess the Year β slide to the release year. Closest wins. GUESS FASTER. SCORE HIGHER. Every millisecond counts. The quicker you call it, the bigger the points drop. Speed bonuses, streaks, and a weekly leaderboard that resets Monday β so there's always a way back to the top. PLAY THE ROOM Host a live game from beatid.online and get everyone racing the same clip β mates on the sofa, the whole pub, the office at 5pm. Enter a PIN or scan a QR code and you're in. Think Kahoot, but for music. BEAT YOUR FRIENDS Send challenges, climb the weekly board, and settle once and for all who really knows their music. Ranks, badges, and bragging rights included. BUILD YOUR STREAK. FIND NEW MUSIC. Play the daily round to keep your run alive. And every misfire becomes a discovery β tracks you didn't recognise get saved straight to your Apple Music library, so losing a round still wins you a song. GOOD TO KNOW Full-length playback with an Apple Music subscription; previews work for everyone Free to play daily β go premium for unlimited rounds and more Made independently in East London Download BeatID and prove you know the track before the drop.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Beat ID at Free against PlayingAlbums's $0.99. Beat ID also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 9 months). PlayingAlbums's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS
Beat ID is free to download; PlayingAlbums costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
PlayingAlbums ships an update every 9 months, Beat ID monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PlayingAlbums | Beat ID |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 | Free β better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | β |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | Monthly β better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | β |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac β better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 β better | 18.4 |
| Further details β not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 32 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Yuki Kuroki | XAVIER JUVENTINA JOHN-CHARLES |
In-app purchases
PlayingAlbums
No in-app purchases
Beat ID
No in-app purchases






