With summer approaching faster than we could ever finish our finals, the underlying annual worries are beginning to emerge. I mean the yearly anxiety that we will collectively fall out of touch with our school friends the minute summer begins. I’m a victim of this parting-ways plague myself and the feeling is akin to that of a classmate writing H.A.G.S. in my yearbook. Part of it is feeling awkward or not knowing what to say when you no longer share a class or can make plans because of the hundreds (possibly thousands) of miles apart from one another.
I’m happy to inform you that I have a solution: Airbuds. It’s silly, but hear me out. Airbuds is an app downloadable from the app store that you can turn into a widget viewed from your home screen. Essentially, it shows you what your friends are listening to throughout the day, and when. You send friend requests to people in your contacts or your recommended and, once you’re connected, you can see all of the music they’re listening to.
The best part? You can sync with Spotify OR Apple Music! I know, it’s revolutionary.
Don’t get me wrong, the app is fresh and has its bugs. However, the 4.8/5 star rating doesn’t lie. I’ve been using Airbuds for a few months now and I have to say it’s one of the best ways I’ve been able to keep in touch with people without the pressure of texting or calling or social media. If you’re anything like me, most forms of communication require an effort that can’t always motivate a reply. Airbuds changes that.
One of my favorite things about the app is the reactions. I can scroll through music as my friends are listening and send emoji reactions or messages based on the artist or song playing. Sometimes, the best part is discovering a shared favorite or how weird your friends can be.
Although, I will give a fair warning that this means your friends can see the song you have on repeat. If you’re easily embarrassed or don’t feel like potentially airing out your mental state then I would be cautious when signing up (if you have seen me listening to Labour by Paris Paloma 9 times this week, no you haven’t). I happen to think it’s a nice way to see how your friends are doing or check in with no pressure. Plus, who wouldn’t want to share music?
A huge complaint I received from friends I recommended the app to was the unsightly appearance of the widget itself. Admittedly, the design isn’t the cutest. But, I recently discovered I could customize the widget. If you go into settings and click “Customize and add widget”, then you can change the color and font as it appears on your home screen. I’m partial to light pink and fancy fonts myself but to each their own.
As a user of Airbuds, I can honestly say it is one of my favorite ways to stay connected with long-distance besties. The summer doesn’t have to mean severing ties, it can mean sharing songs instead. I’ll even give you a freebie friend, you can add me @clospresso, I always want to see what people are listening to!
