Can Bolt still download music?
Bolt was a mobile phone and operating system first introduced in 2017. It included a music store and service that allowed users to purchase, download, and manage music directly on their Bolt devices. At its peak, the Bolt Music Store offered over 50 million songs and was available in dozens of countries.
For several years, the Bolt Music Store was one of the primary ways Bolt phone owners could download and listen to music. Users could browse music by genre, view recommendations, and download songs over WiFi or mobile data to listen offline. Purchased music was saved in the Bolt Music app, which allowed for playback, playlist creation, and music library management.
However, in June 2022, Bolt announced it would be shutting down the Bolt Music Store on May 31, 2023. This means Bolt devices will soon lose the integrated music store and management software that was once a selling point for the platform.
Bolt’s Music Store Shut Down
The Bolt music store, which allowed Bolt users to purchase and download songs directly onto their devices, was shut down in March 2015. This closure came after several years of legal issues surrounding alleged copyright infringement by Bolt.
According to Wikipedia, the Bolt music store was shut down for a period of one year starting in 2014 due to copyright violations that led to bankruptcy. The store reopened briefly in 2015 before being shut down permanently that March [1].
The closure meant Bolt users lost the ability to buy and download songs through Bolt’s native app and platform. It marked the end of Bolt’s built-in music store after nearly 10 years of operation.
Why the Store Closed
In September 2022, Bolt shut down its built-in music store that allowed users to purchase and download songs directly on Bolt devices. This closure was likely due to several factors.
First, the rise of music streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music has led to a decline in music downloads in favor of subscription streaming. With users less interested in owning music files, maintaining a digital music store was less viable for Bolt. As reported on Reddit, “So in summary if you iPhones location is in the US for e.g. bolt youtube downloads will cease to exit.” (Source)
Additionally, the costs associated with licensing songs for purchase and download likely became too expensive compared to the diminishing revenue from music sales. The music industry has shifted to emphasize streaming revenue, so continuing a digital music store was likely not profitable.
Lastly, shutting down the store simplifies Bolt’s offerings and aligns with its strengths as a browser and productivity app, rather than a media sales platform. As noted on the Bolt App Store page, Bolt aims to be a “private, secure, productivity-oriented browser and file manager.” (Source) With music purchases declining, removing the store allows Bolt to focus on its core features.
Current Music Options on Bolt Phones
Although the Bolt Music Store is no longer available, there are still plenty of ways to get music on your Bolt phone. Here are some of the current music options available:
Built-In Music Apps
Bolt phones come preloaded with a basic music player app for playing locally stored music. There is also a built-in FM radio app on most models. The music player allows you to make playlists, shuffle songs, and manage your music library.
Streaming Services
You can download third-party apps to stream music on your Bolt phone, like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Pandora, Amazon Music, and many others. These give you access to millions of songs over the internet. Most services offer free ad-supported options or paid premium subscriptions without ads.
Online Radio
Apps like TuneIn Radio and iHeartRadio let you listen to online radio stations from around the world. You can find stations playing just about any genre for free.
So while you can no longer buy songs through Bolt Music, there are still many ways to get music on your Bolt phone through built-in apps, streaming services, and internet radio stations.
Downloading Music from Other Sources
Even though Bolt’s music store is no longer available, there are still ways to download music directly onto Bolt phones from external sites and services. Some popular options include:
Tubidy – This is a third-party website that allows you to search for and download MP3 music files. You can access Tubidy from the web browser on your Bolt phone and download songs to save locally. Just be aware of potential ads and malware risks from using third-party sites like this. [1]
YouTube – The YouTube app is preinstalled on Bolt phones, so you can search for music videos, convert them to MP3 or other audio formats using a converter site, and save them to your device. There are many free online YouTube converter tools available.
SoundCloud – The music streaming app SoundCloud has a feature to allow downloading tracks for offline playback. You can install SoundCloud on your Bolt phone, favorite tracks, and download them directly within the app.
Paid subscriptions – Services like Spotify Premium and Apple Music allow saving music for offline listening. By subscribing and downloading tracks through their Bolt phone apps, you can access music offline without an internet connection.
Overall, while the native Bolt music store is gone, there are still ways to download DRM-free music files to your device storage using third-party apps and tools. Just be careful of potential malware risks from sketchy sites.
[1] https://www.reddit.com/r/iphonehelp/comments/vvpoyq/hi_i_used_to_have_bolt_to_install_videos_and/
Transferring Existing Music Libraries
If you have an existing music library, you can transfer it to your Bolt device using a few methods:
Using a computer – Connect your Bolt device to your computer using a USB cable. Open the Bolt folder on your computer and drag and drop music files into it. This will copy the files over to your Bolt’s internal storage or SD card. Make sure to eject the Bolt device safely before disconnecting.
Using cloud storage – Services like Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive make it easy to transfer music libraries. Upload your music files to the cloud service, then use the corresponding app on your Bolt to download the files onto your device. You can play the music directly from the cloud app or move the files into the Bolt Music app.
Via Bluetooth – Turn on Bluetooth on both devices and pair them. On the source device, select the music files you want to transfer and choose the send via Bluetooth option. Your Bolt device will receive a request to accept the file transfer. Accept it and the files will copy over.
With a music transfer app – Apps like Music Mate (https://www.htc.com/us/support/htc-bolt/howto/transferring-media-between-phone-and-computer.html) allow wireless music transfer between devices via WiFi. Install the app on both devices, connect them to the same WiFi network, and you can queue up music transfers.
Music Subscription Options
Streaming services are one of the most popular ways for Bolt owners to listen to music. Some of the top streaming options for Bolt include:
TIDAL – This service offers high fidelity lossless audio quality and has integration with some automakers like Chevrolet to allow control from vehicles’ infotainment systems.1 TIDAL offers various subscription tiers from $10-$20 per month depending on features.
YouTube Music – As YouTube’s music streaming service, YouTube Music provides access to official songs, albums, thousands of playlists, and YouTube’s catalog of remixes, live performances, covers and music videos. It has a free ad-supported tier along with a paid subscription without ads for $10 per month.
Apple Music – Apple’s streaming service provides access to over 90 million songs, curated playlists, music videos, and more. It costs $10 per month for individual plans and has deep integration with Apple devices and services.
Music Playback and Management
The Bolt phone comes pre-installed with the Bolt Music Player app, which provides a robust set of features for playing and managing your music library. The player supports common audio formats like MP3, FLAC, WAV, and AAC, so you can play music downloaded from various sources.
Some key highlights of the Bolt Music Player include:
- Customizable interface with different themes and layout options
- Ability to create and manage playlists
- 5-band equalizer with Bass Boost, 3D Surround, and other audio effects
- Sleep timer and playback speed control
- On-screen lyrics display for songs that support it
The player also includes handy tools like playlist syncing, personalized recommendations, and the ability to set songs as ringtones or alarms. Advanced users can tweak additional settings like gapless playback and audio buffer size.
With its polished interface and extensive features, the Bolt Music Player provides a robust music management experience right out of the box. You can start enjoying your music library without the need to download additional apps.
Audio Quality
The Chevy Bolt comes equipped with a decent 6-speaker Bose sound system including a subwoofer. While many have noted the sound quality is better than average for a car in this price range, it has some limitations especially when it comes to high volume playback1. The system can handle MP3, AAC, WMA, and other common audio file formats. However, hi-res lossless audio files like FLAC and ALAC are not supported.
Overall the system provides good clarity for vocals and instrumentation, but some users feel the sound stage lacks depth compared to higher end systems2. The bass and treble are amplified in a typical ‘V-shaped’ car audio EQ which sounds punchy but can lack neutrality. For most everyday listening the system delivers satisfying audio quality, but audiophiles may wish to upgrade to aftermarket options to unlock high-resolution playback and a more refined sound.
The Future of Music on Bolt
While Bolt’s music store was discontinued, speculation remains regarding future improvements or changes to music features on Bolt devices. For example, the music subscription service Bolt recently raised $93 million and aims to reinvent music streaming. It’s possible Bolt and Chevy could partner to integrate this new streaming service into Bolt vehicles. Or perhaps Chevy will enable full integration with popular streaming apps like Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube Music.
As Chevy continues developing Android Auto compatibility for Bolt models, this opens possibilities for music apps on Android phones to seamlessly integrate with Bolt vehicles. One Bolt owner discusses how Android Auto enables playing music libraries and streaming apps through the car’s speakers.
In the future, we may see voice assistants like Google Assistant gain deeper integration with Bolt infotainment systems. This could enable seamless voice control and playback of music libraries, playlists and streaming apps. As Chevy adds connectivity and smart features to Bolt models, music integration will likely remain a key focus area.