iLive Smart Bluetooth App vs Sound Bar Controller
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
iLive Smart Bluetooth App
Control your music wirelessly from your smartphone or tablet. Manage stations, presets, and volume for a seamless listening experience on compatible speakers. Enjoy popular music streaming services without direct phone connection.
- Wireless music control
- Manage stations and presets
- Volume control
- Stream music from services
- Bluetooth connectivity
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"Take control with the iLive Smart Bluetooth app. This easy to use app lets you control your music from your smartphone or tablet to listen on your iLive speakers and more. With the app you can manage your music, stations and presets, control volume, and more. Enjoy listening to popular music streaming services without connecting your phone to the speakers. Just connect your iLive speaker and use the iLive Smart Bluetooth app to play music wirelessly via Bluetooth. To purchase or learn more about iLive visit us at https://iliveelectronics.com/platinum/speakers.html. Stay Tuned We will be updating the app regularly to introduce new music service providers and features."
Sound Bar Controller
Control select Yamaha sound bars remotely from your iOS device. Manage volume, input selection, and set up Alexa voice control. Stream audio from your phone or NAS drive over Wi-Fi.
- Alexa voice control setup
- Volume and input control
- Wi-Fi audio streaming
- Wireless surround speaker control
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The Sound Bar Controller app provides easy operation for select Yamaha Sound Bars using your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. Key Features: - Initial setup of built-in Alexa voice control settings - Basic control functions such as volume up/down and input selection - Play audio files stored on your phone or NAS drive through Wi-Fi - Volume control for wireless surround speakers and wireless subwoofer (Only SR-X40A, SR-X50A, ATS-X500) [Supported Models] YAS-109, YAS-209 ATS-1090, ATS-2090 SR-X40A, SR-X50A, ATS-X500 [iOS Version Requirement] * This application supports iOS version 10 or above. - A wireless Local Area Network (LAN) and a compatible Yamaha Network product(s)* residing within the same LAN.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Sound Bar Controller at 4.4 against iLive Smart Bluetooth App's 1.7. Sound Bar Controller also leads on ratings volume (6.8K vs 25) and review sentiment (22% vs 0%). iLive Smart Bluetooth App's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 5 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Sound Bar Controller holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 1.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sound Bar Controller has 6.8K ratings behind it against 25, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of iLive Smart Bluetooth App's written reviews are positive against 22% of Sound Bar Controller's.
iLive Smart Bluetooth App ships an update every 9 days, Sound Bar Controller every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | iLive Smart Bluetooth App | Sound Bar Controller |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.7 (25 ratings) | 4.4 (6.8K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 22.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 25 | 6.8K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 10.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 19 MB | 153 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | DPI (HK) LTD. | Yamaha Corporation |
Customer experience
iLive Smart Bluetooth App
Sound Bar Controller
Bugs and requests
iLive Smart Bluetooth App
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Sound Bar Controller
Reported bugs
4 issues- App unable to connect to sound bar
- Sound bar randomly disconnects
- Firmware updates cause issues
- Bluetooth connectivity problems
Requested features
4 requests- Equalizer for more sound customization
- Better volume control options
- Improved Alexa integration
- Simplified app navigation
In-app purchases
iLive Smart Bluetooth App
No in-app purchases
Sound Bar Controller
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is iLive Smart Bluetooth App free?
Is Sound Bar Controller free?
Which has better reviews, iLive Smart Bluetooth App or Sound Bar Controller?
Do iLive Smart Bluetooth App or Sound Bar Controller have ads?
Which is updated more often, iLive Smart Bluetooth App or Sound Bar Controller?
Other comparisons
