For the first time since it’s release in 2011, Hype Machine for iOS is available for free in the App Store!
Here’s what’s new in this release:
We’ve added an easier way to read blog posts when playing a track: just swipe up on the artwork to see the list.
There are a few other changes: we’ve removed the offline mode to comply with SoundCloud’s Terms of Service. This update also makes it easier to jump to your synced favorites in the SoundCloud app—tap the button on your profile screen.
So, in this update I’ve found out:
1) Offline mode is gone (invaluable on the tube, I’ll miss it dearly)
2) The app is now free (nice for new users I guess)
3) Ads for everyone. What?
I understand there’s not a lot you can do about 1), but you must be able to appreciate that this is a pretty devastating combined update for existing users? At the very least grandfather-in paid users for a limited time ad-free, then offer us the ability to continue it for a yearly fee.
You guys need to make money, and I want you to so that you can stick around for a long time, but this is not a well thought out business decision and it lacks even commonsense.
December 12, 2016 5:52 pm
I have to agree with everything Zaph has neatly laid out. Showing advertisements to people that paid full price for your application is anti-consumer. I suppose making the application free is smart in this App Store day and age; however give people the option to pay to remove ads. Please add the option to remove ads for people that have purchased your application.
The removal of offline tracks is also very hard to swallow but I can at least live with that. I’ll be grumpy though. 🙁
December 12, 2016 9:23 pm
I agree with what Zaph wrote. Please add the option to pay an annual fee to remove ads for those of us who would prefer that. Even if you don’t grandfather in paid users of the older versions of the app.
December 12, 2016 10:18 pm
Offline mode is gone?
I’ve been a fan of yours since the very first year, I’ve been through all the stages of your development, I’ve even been a beta tester for your android app, posting regular feedbacks and all.
I can’t believe you’re making the mistake of removing one of your coolest feature – the offline mode. I put away my android phone and came back to Apple just because there was no offline mode on Android, only to find out that you remove it also now on iPhone.
Please reconsider your choice, I think I speak for many when I say that this feature is essential.
December 13, 2016 8:56 am
Offline mode was a huge reason I was willing to pay for this app. Long drives in areas without service were made manageable by having all my music in one place. This is a total loss.
December 13, 2016 11:56 am
Zaph’s comment is very clear and concise, but I don’t think it conveys the real annoyance and anger I feel at these changes (and I’m sure many other long-time users feel too).
Removing offline mode means, at a stroke, the app is no longer useable on underground public transport (for which I use the offline mode every day), for use on holiday overseas or when you have no mobile data.
Not every song linked to through the Hype Machine was hosted on Soundcloud, surely? Even if so, I would have appreciated some advance warning that the next update would remove essential features of this app, and of course, add adverts.
I will continue to use the hype machine website, and as a long-term user I do really love what this site and app does/did, but honestly I think I’ll be using the Spotify app to listen to my favourite music on my phone from now on.
December 13, 2016 12:56 pm
The loss of offline is a deal breaker. I even bought a t-shirt because I was so appreciative of the app. Why alienate your users? Guess the “sync your favorites with spotify” was a bridge to a post-hypem world.
December 13, 2016 5:47 pm
Ditto to everything already said above. This really darkened my day.
Removing offline mode is definitely a mistake. As Joe pointed out, surely not every song linked to through Hype Machine was on hosted on SoundCloud?
There are so many better way to monetize an app. Why not make HypeM a subscription service? Or you could be even more wonderful people than you already are and start regularly polling for donations like Wikipedia or Radiohead when they offered their album at whatever you felt like paying for it.
December 13, 2016 10:37 pm
@Joe @Jon: while not every song is on SoundCloud, enough were that the offline mode became an issue.
We are looking into ways people could remove ads. If you are interested, sign up here: http://cm.hypem.com/h/y/FE2BBC49F12FF1E1
December 14, 2016 12:32 am
soul doubt
December 14, 2016 12:35 am
@Anthony thanks for the response. I’ve signed up. Sorry for all the negative vibes. Just hoping to help. Not sure how else to do that but to complain. :/
December 14, 2016 12:43 am
I bought this app for $4.00 months ago because my friends had been raving about how great this ad-free music network was.
Now, before I go into this, I understand I am being a bit petty getting angry over $4.00, but when I pay for an app I expect it to be something spectacular and worth my money. And until recently, I have LOVED Hype Machine. And I thank you for that.
I open up the app today to see advertisements, and this was confusing considering I paid for this app. Maybe instead of adding ads for everyone, you recognize your users who have PAID for this app and not give them ads. I am also noticing that my likes are not appearing on tracks recently that I most definitely liked. You are alienating your users. I’ve also been using the app on offline mode the last month because I don’t want to chew up data, but now that’s gone as well… not sure what else to say here.. I know you want this to be the best app possible but there must be a better way than basically acting like your users to this date haven’t already paid for this service and giving them advertisements on every scroll. I’m very sorry for being such a downer but it just saddens me. I know you will get this all fixed and I have faith in Hype Machine.
December 14, 2016 2:53 am
The iPhone Hypem app was my go-to music platform while underground on the Subway. While I have my own collection in my ipod, it was great to have my newest <3 songs available while jam packed like sardines on the 4/5 train.
As someone who paid full price for the app, I too am quite disappointed in having ads now, it is/was one of the main reasons why I love the site/app so much. Perhaps a small gift voucher for the Hypem store might help us paid customers cope.
December 14, 2016 12:51 pm
Seconding everything said here. Can’t recommend this app anymore. Putting ads into my feed even when I’ve paid for it? What the heck guys? Were you not making enough money off selling my data or ads I see when I go to your site? No offline mode?? It’s half the reason I use it over anything else.
I feel bad for the techs that were told to make this travesty happen just so management can make an extra buck. May your site slowly sink as your best engineers jump ship. Get bent.
December 14, 2016 12:58 pm
Switching to Spotify where I pay for a service to receive an ad-free experience.. and get ad-free. Also offline was fantastic for dropping out of service areas when driving or on the train. No longer going to recommend this to people at all 👋🏻👋🏻
December 14, 2016 5:13 pm
Just wanted to echo the sentiments of everyone here. I can understand the loss of offline mode if it’s due to requirements from Soundcloud, but forcing ads for paid users in this situation is unconscionable.
This was a huge kick in the teeth, especially for those who’ve been proud to support the site by purchasing the app. Kinda regret that choice now. I hope you can find a solution.
December 14, 2016 7:48 pm
Terrible. Make a HypeMachine ‘Pro’ app with No-Ads… This should be offered free to customers that have already paid. Instead you are screwing us over… This will likely push me away from using your app.
December 15, 2016 1:20 pm
First Sonos, now Offline?! This has been a terrible year for my previously favourite website.
December 15, 2016 8:42 pm
So after paying for the app a long time ago you decide now that I’m supposed to have ads like a new free user?
You’ve taken the money of consumers for a premium service and now you’re rolling it back.
Totally unacceptable. As someone who’s been evangelizing your service for years, I can no longer do so.
This is a complete betrayal of your paying customers. Offer a refund immediately.
December 16, 2016 2:42 pm
As a long term user of Hype Machine, when the iPhone app came out I was thrilled and purchased it immediately. Something I only do when I see value in an app.
I’ve always highly recommended Hypem to my friends.
To find ads and especially no offline mode is deeply upsetting.
I feel I should make the move and pay for a SoundCloud subscription now.
I’m heartbroken Hypem, I’m heartbroken.
December 18, 2016 12:43 pm
Removing offline is really awful. A lot of people do not use iPhones when using the app and those on an iTouch can’t use it when they are driving and can’t find a wifi signal. It’s also crazy there are advertisements now for people who specifically paid for an app that did not have advertisements.
It sucks.
December 18, 2016 2:12 pm
Just echoing everyone else’s feedback here – removing offline will kill this app. The majority of time we use our phones for music, is when we have no reception for anything else and are away from our computers, such as underground on public transport.
I’ll be keeping my older version of Hype Machine installed on my phone and using that until I accidentally update the app or need to replace my phone… once that happens I’ll go to Tidal (shudder) for my offline music consumption.
The reality is, I know the HYPEM staff are aware of how devastating this change is and had no choice, but I do hope there is an opportunity to commercialize and monetize offline mode in future, because honestly, I’d be happy to pay.
December 18, 2016 5:49 pm
What the hell.
This was my source for new music, and my way to listen to music when I travelled through remote areas.
Now that Offline Mode is gone, what’s the point?! I have no use for this app anymore. I feel cheated because I paid to be able to have an app that had an offline cache of hard-to-discover music.
Hype Machine is now just another sellout to another big corporation.
December 19, 2016 9:45 am
This is definitely a bummer considering that the entire existing mobile userbase prior to this change were loyal paying customers and suddenly the product we purchased has changed significantly. It doesn’t really make sense to “punish” your early adopters and supporters who decided to pay– is there some sort of compensation in place?
December 19, 2016 2:54 pm
I’m surprised how betrayed I feel by this.
I don’t see any way out. I guess I’ll have to pay.. but trust me I’ll be looking HARD for some other way through some other service. Actually, I guess I only follow a few blogs, I can just bookmark their pages and be more scrupulous at following artists that I like. Time to cut out the middle man.. but I loved the middle man ;(
It’s also time to fill my devices with music the old fashioned way. Good thing my phone is 64gb 🙂
I’ll still be following and I hope things get better in the future. Still appreciate all you’ve done.
December 19, 2016 10:28 pm
Keep us in the loop Anthony!!!
December 20, 2016 7:44 pm
The loss of offline mode is devastating. I used it on planes, long car rides with no reception and whenever I was overseas. Those together comprised 95% of my time using this app. You do the maths. I don’t fully understand the incentives that led to this decision so perhaps an explanation would help? People aren’t stupid, they understand you need to make money to pay the bills. Could you be candid and lay it out for us? An offhand one liner doesn’t really endear your user base to what was no doubt a difficult decision.
December 21, 2016 9:52 am
I agree with everything said above, I’ve had Hype Machine for years and love it, I’ve got loads of friends to get it as well because it’s the best music app out there. However I’m gutted about the decision to remove the offline mode, with my job I’m I spend a considerable time on the tube and being able to listen to my music offline made it bearable. I really hope there’s an update in the future that brings it back because without it the app has really lost so much
December 22, 2016 9:36 am
The loss of offline really kills the experience for me. I’d gladly pay a yearly subscription to get the hype machine I once had, the hype I bought for friends as gifts.
So frustrating how so many things in this world progress to the worse.
December 22, 2016 7:46 pm
I’d like to see a few more replies from HM staff here. I have over and over again raved / recommended the Hype Machine app to friends and colleagues and now I don’t think I’ll be able to do the same. I still love the service but paying for something then having it taken away with no discussion / debate is as others have said, anti-consumer / untrustworthy. I would have gladly paid extra to have an ad-free / offline mode enabled experience continue if it were offered as an option. I was using the offline mode for a long time and now I’ll end up going back to downloading tracks directly which is probably even more of a concern for streaming services.
December 27, 2016 4:14 pm
The removal of offline Mode is absolutely devasting and it’s just so sad to see an app that I have loved and recommended to so many of my friends become unusable to me. Pretty much the only time I use the app on my phone is when I don’t have internet and without offline mode I’m definitely going to have to switch to another app. It’s surprising how horrible I feel right now knowing I have to leave you guys behind. Sorry, and good luck in the future hype machine, I’ll miss you.
December 28, 2016 1:20 am
Really bummed to see offline mode go.
December 28, 2016 11:18 am
these ads…are they just the visual type(meh..ill manage)…or the audio type that interrupts the playlist(grrrr)?
I paid a $5 one time fee years ago.
I was pleasantly surprised you guys managed off that for this long.
Offline Mode is/was the bee’s knees.
I’ll continue to enjoy this app, until I accidentally update to the ad-based version.
December 29, 2016 2:34 pm
The loss of offline mode is the death-knell for this app. This is coming from a long-time user and huge proponent of hypem. I’ve always told everyone I meet about how great hypem is. No longer. Horrible horrible horrible decision. I can live with ads (even though I paid for the app), but not being able to use it on the subway or flights automatically puts it below spotify on my must-have apps list.
December 29, 2016 5:13 pm
This is truly disturbing. Hype has a cult following that helps each other curate music without major labels and I have turned on countless people to your service. The fact that I had to find out my offline mode was disabled via no explaination (SoundCloud T&Cs changed) is against everything Hype has fostered over the years.
Would happily pay for offline mode and no ads. Just sad Anthony for all of us who supported you from the beginning… ;(
January 3, 2017 9:52 am
Remove Offline mode… a great end for a great App… RIP :/
January 4, 2017 8:17 am
Guess i wont be updating..
January 6, 2017 7:42 am
No more offline mode??? Why?! Why! I even signed up for the Soundcloud Go subscription so I could keep it up (at a hefty $13/month!) only to find that it’s a total waste of money. How is it that Hypem created such an incredible and reliable service only to have Soundcloud shut it down, force users into an expensive alternative which doesn’t even work.
I’ve been using Hypem for about 10 years now, recommending it, paying (happily) for the app, and now… it’s been rendered useless. Heartbroken.
January 6, 2017 1:16 pm
No.
I’d be more than glad to pay a monthly fee.
You guys are a huge feed for new music. Don’t ruin your product.
Use encryption and bring back offline mode. Talk to Soundcloud. Make the contacts. Keep your product at the top, or someone else will do it better than you.
I’ve been using Hype for many years. I’m not scared to leave for a platform that offers no ads and offline music. I am scared that you guys are essentially the only ones that offer undiscovered music, and that I’ll have to suffer through it until you fix the issue, or I find a service that can offer what I’m looking for; I’ll gladly pay for either.
January 8, 2017 9:57 pm
Also, as one of the first paying customers for the app, I feel ripped off that there’s no incentive for those who paid for the app vs. those that can now just get it free.
Sounds like you’re running on a non-existent business model.
I love this app and recommend it to everyone, but I can’t do that until we’ve seen some good changes.
January 8, 2017 10:01 pm
Annoying that I paid $5 for the app 2 years ago, and now new users can download it for free, and somehow I lose out with ads and no offline play mode.
Let’s hope the crew at HypeM figure out how to rectify this for their longstanding listeners, because somehow we got the short end of the stick.
January 10, 2017 2:14 pm
Why partner with Soundcloud?
Paid for the app too and gutted that offline mode has now been removed. Lot of disgruntled users i.e. your customers.
January 11, 2017 9:55 am
I’m not devastated by the loss of offline mode. Don’t get me wrong: I don’t like the change, and have been using offline mode daily on the subway since the day I bought the app. Luckily I have a short commute and it’s not a deal-breaker for me.
What I am really, really mad about is the ads. This has been handled well by many apps before: 1 version, free, with ads; 1 version paid, without ads. Hell, you already have the code base for both versions. Bump up the price for new purchasers if you must, but I don’t want the ads and I’m deleting the app until such time as you let me avoid them. Don’t sell people a premium service and then take away the features they paid for.
Finally, I wanted to say that I really like what you do. Hypem has been my go-to source for new music for 7 years now. It has been a simple, wonderful way to discover things I never would have found on my own. So, thanks for that.
January 11, 2017 10:24 am
Your latest update is not only garbage and poorly thought out but it’s flat out an insult. I loved this app and the website with absolute passion for years. Now I am off to Spotify and will denounce this app to anyone who will listen that used to use your service
January 16, 2017 7:12 pm
This is impudently! You are not realizing who you’re customers are and why they where paying for your application. Some market research would have helped you. You are giving up your unique selling point to be as all the others on the market. Wow!
What is this!? I payed for the best what existed and now you guys of this “Hype” 1.Delete Offline Mode 2.Spam me as a paying user/customer with commercial 3.Make it free available in the App Store! I don’t get it.
At least you should have thought about all your longtime users/customers.
Iam sad of this ignorance as I see there is not one constructive answer of yours to get at least in touch with Your own community and for not having a compromise for all of us who payd for your service!
You are making your paying and longtime users and customers angry by doing this .
For me there is no reason using hypem anymore. Bye Hypem!
January 17, 2017 4:00 am
Really struggling with all of the changes to the iOS app. Ads are everywhere and it just doesn’t make sense to me that the team wouldn’t offer a paid subscription model to remove ads? I paid for the app several years ago and I would happily pay for the app again + a subscription. But there was never a choice. I really hope the Hype Machine team is reading/listening since it has been such an incredible service and app (that I’m willing to pay more for!!!!).
Also, I’m confused, why does the Hype Machine app need to “comply with SoundCloud’s terms of service”? Does SoundCloud own Hype Machine by removing the offline mode?
January 26, 2017 1:19 pm
I agree with Zaph. I’ve been a fan since hype machine was just a website and was one of the first adopters of the app that I love dearly and share constantly. Where is the respect for those that have been with you and appreciated the lack of ads and the offline mode? We don’t even have a say in the matter? Seems like crap to me. Should give us an option.
January 26, 2017 6:08 pm
Don’t be stupid people. Hype machine did this because they were not making enough off subscriptions. Once the free, terrible, terrible norramal corpaorate dissapointment of a free app called hype machine is more popular, this will undoubtedly prompt hyper machine into a paid version.
Welcome to corporate America, in case u forgot hype machine was run by pasty business people.
January 30, 2017 12:10 pm
And what company is gonna ask your permission to essentially steal from you while exploiting the “fine print” in your purchase agreement. Basically what I’m hearing here is because the app used to not be a worthless app geared towards profit instead of client satisfaction, no one here expected that’s to eventually happen. Don’t be suckers, either steal the music or pay dearly for it. . Any middle-ground will soon evaporate.
January 30, 2017 12:17 pm
Long time customers were not making hypem as big as they wanted to be, so they gave up on us. It’s really simple,and I’m sorry, but expecting anything else is A fools errand.
January 30, 2017 12:22 pm
User for 9 years. As with others, not a big fan of the ADs and really against the removal of offline use. In a world of big streaming platforms, Hypem held a niche for fresh and interesting music that I saved and discovered mostly on airplanes. Would love for you to consider options to subsidize/pay to bring this feature back.
February 17, 2017 3:05 pm
I am a DIE HARD hype user. Since the beginning. Every single time I’ve played my playlist at parties or in the car for friends I get asked WHAT IS THIS and I send em
your way. I’ve personally thrown at least 50 paying users your way. I know that’s small but it goes to show how amazing the music on this app is. None of my apps auto update on my phone because I don’t like change and most the time things just get more complicated with updates. I saw that we lose offline mode and get ads now and have postponed updating until, of course, the app just stops working and crashes. It’s that little trick apple and apps do when you refuse to give in and they basically force you to. You should grandfather the OG’s in and give us at least a couple options to pay a couple bucks for ad free. This is seriously crushing. I’ve survived on your app for years, roadtripped through mountains and the middle of no where with the ability to still hear the music. I’m writing down all my songs, searching them and will be switching to another source. I know it’s over the top but I could cry. Hype has been my LIFE for so long. One time I was having trouble and wrote for help and in my response I got my answer AND a gif of a psychedelic cat in space like WHAT who does that it was epic. I held hype to the highest heights. And now I have to just RIP the app. What was so special and unique is now gone. And so it goes with everything else I suppose. Just genuine disappointment and sadness. Sigh
February 17, 2017 10:12 pm
Full screen ads taking over my whole screen when I open the app up are absolutely revolting. Being visually assaulted by some shitty mobile game ad was not part of the deal when I paid for this app.
I’ve been on hypem since 2009, I’m now scraping all my track titles and moving to Apple Music.
Womp womp.
February 21, 2017 9:09 am
i paid for the app a few years ago. it is extremely unfair to users who have paid for the service if we now dont get benefit for have spending the extra money.
February 22, 2017 6:57 pm
Guys, I just discovered today offline mode is gone, big mistake, I use your app and website a lot and trust you to be there during airplane hours. Find a way to put the feature back. Honestly: screw SC.
March 6, 2017 6:06 pm
As everyone has already touched on before, i would consider the removal of offline mode to be business suicide. It was one of the main attractions to your app and the whole reason i paid the money for it. I now cannot listen to hype machine without destroying my data allowance for the month. Dont even get me started on the ads. Congratulations on selling out and ruining what has so far been a great experience with your app and website.
March 7, 2017 12:13 pm
The loss of offline mode is critical, I used to bank in this website for listening to my favorites while on long runs – to not chew up data, please reconsider.This app is useless with offline mode gone. I guess that was SoundClouds intention – to get you to pay a monthly subscription for a garbage app.
RIP Hype Machine
March 7, 2017 11:46 pm
I’ll just have to finally getting to download each song I have liked on hypem in the last 7 years! Build my own library on iTunes. The only thing I was using in this app is the offline mode. Since I travel a lot all over Europe, whenever I could grab a wifi I would build my offline mode for the next commute.
March 8, 2017 4:52 am
Ohh cool, hypem is now free and with ads! But what about the people who paid full price? I paid $4.99 for ads? Thats not cool hypem, for all the listeners who supported you for the 4 years youve been in the app store…is this how you thank us? With ads?! I understand its to help you guys out, but at least remove the ads for those that paid!
Not only that but im having issues with songs i favorite now. They dont show up in my favorites and it surely doesnt show you that you favorited it.
The fast forward and rewind is confusing and why take out the offline mode? That was an awesome feature. Also, there are buffering issues as well as playing songs. Omtimes it doesnt work, sometimes it skips, and/or buffers throughout the song and im on wi-fi!
Please fix these errors, ive been a huge fan since i discovered you guys on the web! Lovedd the app since purchasing! I dont even listen to any other music app BUT hypem! Itd be a shame if i had to let go of something that was once so wonerful 🙁
March 8, 2017 7:02 pm
No offline mode is a deal Breaker. Goodbye Hype machine.
March 23, 2017 2:30 pm
WE all OBVIOUSLY want OFFLINE mode back!!!
Please let us know if we are getting it back and why did we remove it in the first place!?
I’m a long time supporter, recommender and paid for this app when no one barely heard of it, always happy to support the underdog. Unfortunately this change, along with allowing paid users to have ads loses my support. I am SO disappointed with HypeM!!!
The best feature which stood out above all the others was that I could load a bunch of songs before a flight, a camping trip, a vacation abroad. Now its gone…
SUCKS!
April 4, 2017 3:54 pm
Super bummed about the loss of offline mode, but I trust you guys are working to give your users the best experience possible. Not sure if many of the users in this forum are super aware of the challenges that go into these things, and how easy it is to perceive them as anti-consumer. Just promise us you’ll think creatively about how to make offline work 🙂
May 17, 2017 11:35 am
I’ve been a user of Hype Machine since 1/12 so basically since the start. I’ve recommended the app to countless people over the years. It’s in my top three beside Soundcloud & Spotify. However this no offline mode is killing this app for me. The worst is when you are driving down the road and run out of service for just a few miles, right as you are in the middle of the perfect song…. I’ve stopped using it while I’m out almost entirely. Forget using it on the plane as I did for years. Please renegotiate agreement or drop Soundcloud if necessary. If this is fixed I’ll sub, but won’t without.
May 25, 2017 12:12 am
Very disappointing that users who paid for the application have to see ads now… What did we pay for?
June 10, 2017 1:42 pm
Offline mode was the best feature of the app and now it’s gone, I prefer Spotify now.
June 16, 2017 1:35 pm
thank you no offline mode is a deal breaker…
August 8, 2017 8:24 am
Guys!! Relax Off-Line mode is not gone!!! I’ve been using it for years and still do (Android). Go to setting and check “Track Cache” and “Use SD Card for cache” I can be in airplane mode no signal and all my Favourites play fine. Once you favourite a track it will store it in your cache until you clear it and will play without a connection. Calm down people!!!
August 22, 2017 9:36 pm