Sony | Music Center vs Sharp Smart Control
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Sony | Music Center
Experience high-quality audio playback and control your Sony audio devices. Stream music from various sources, including Hi-Res files, and optimize sound settings for an immersive listening experience at home or on the go.
- Play Hi-Res audio tracks
- Connect to Sony audio devices
- Optimize sound settings
- Stream music from CD, USB, smartphone
- Network music browsing (DLNA)
- Multi-room, Surround, Stereo setup
- Adjust equalizer and sleep timer
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- The center for all music lovers - Do you want to fully enjoy music whether at home or out and about? Then this Sony app is exactly what you've been waiting for. The Sony l Music Center app will singlehandedly enable you to listen to Hi-Res sound sources in the excellent audio quality. You can also connect to other Sony audio devices to play music in the best possible sound field, with the settings optimized for each individual device. To use the control function of audio devices, an audio device compatible with Sony | Music Center is required. Please check if your audio products are compatible with Sony | Music Center from our support site. Devices that were compatible with SongPal are compatible with Sony | Music Center as well. Main Feature You can playback music including Hi-Res tracks on your smartphone. Play the music contents from CD, USB, and Smartphone. Access music by browsing or searching music folders stored on your computer or NAS drive thru network(DLNA)*. You can set Multi-room, Surround, Stereo wirelessly with multiple speakers.* Change the setting on the audio device, such as Equalizer, Sleep Timer, Network* and so on. *Limited to compatible devices. This application supports VoiceOver. Note * Starting with version 7.4 of this app, it is only available on iOS 15.0 or later. Some features may not be supported by certain devices. With the update to ver.5.2, Music Center will no longer be compatible with STR-DN850/STR-DN1050/ICF-CS20BT/XDR-DS21BT. Some functions and services may not be supported in certain regions/countries. Please make sure to update Sony | Music Center to the latest version.
Sharp Smart Control
Control your internet radio device with ease using this app. Manage favorite stations, search for new ones, and access various audio sources like local radio, FM, DAB, AUX, and Bluetooth.
- Internet Radio Control
- Favorite Station Management
- Radio Station Search
- Multiple Audio Source Support (FM, DAB, AUX, Bluetooth)
- Software Update Checks
- Multi-Room Support
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Sharp Smart Control is designed to control internet radio device using Magic M6/M7 platform. It provides you easy and comfortable operation with iOS device. Features: * Local Radio / Internet Radio / FM / DAB / AUX / Bluetooth * Preset hotkey All of the stations you add will automatically save to "My Favorite". * Edit "My Favorite" of the device * Radio station search * Automatic check with the software update for the device or you can check it manually on the settings. * Push to Talk * Local File Support * Change Startup Screen * Remote Control * Multi (Device) Room Support If you have one more device. If it's failed to connect device, please restart the device or check the option "WLAN-Devices can communicate" of your wifi router is checked, then try it again. If you have any problem, please feel free to contact us. Thank you for all of your support and feedback. contact@mediayou.net
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Sony | Music Center at 4.6 against Sharp Smart Control's 3.2. Sony | Music Center also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 17 months) and ratings volume (85K vs 10). Sharp Smart Control's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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.
Sony | Music Center holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sony | Music Center has 85K ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 39% of Sony | Music Center's written reviews are positive against 14% of Sharp Smart Control's.
Sony | Music Center ships an update every 2 months, Sharp Smart Control every 17 months. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Sony | Music Center | Sharp Smart Control |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (85K ratings) — better | 3.2 (10 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 39.2% of reviews — better | 14.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 85K — better | 10 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 17 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #80 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 9.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 95 MB | 27 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Sony Corporation | Frontier Smart Technologies Ltd |
Customer experience
Sony | Music Center
Sharp Smart Control
Bugs and requests
Sony | Music Center
Reported bugs
4 issues- App crashes when switching zones
- Speakers randomly disconnect
- Settings reset after power cycle
- Incorrect speaker detection and pairing
Requested features
5 requests- Add battery level indicator
- Improve multi-speaker connectivity
- Allow custom EQ settings
- Provide better instructions and troubleshooting
- Implement a more modern and intuitive UI
Sharp Smart Control
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Sony | Music Center
No in-app purchases
Sharp Smart Control
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Sony | Music Center free?
Is Sharp Smart Control free?
Which has better reviews, Sony | Music Center or Sharp Smart Control?
Do Sony | Music Center or Sharp Smart Control have ads?
Which is updated more often, Sony | Music Center or Sharp Smart Control?
Other comparisons
