JioSaavn - Music & Podcasts

Review by eFreeware

The thing that stands out about JioSaavn is the sheer breadth of its Indian catalog. The developer describes a library of more than 8 crore songs spread across 16 languages, from Hindi and English to Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, Bengali, Marathi, Bhojpuri, Kannada and Malayalam. That is a lot of ground to cover, and it is the reason this app exists rather than being a general-purpose streaming service with a few regional albums bolted on.

It is free to install, it carries ads, and it offers in-app purchases. The developer also runs a paid tier called JioSaavn Pro, which I will come back to. With more than 500 million installs and a 4.3 average from over 9 million ratings, this is clearly a mainstream choice in its home market rather than a niche tool.

I would expect JioSaavn to suit listeners who want one place for Indian film music, regional-language tracks and podcasts, especially if they already use a Jio number. If your taste runs mostly to Western pop or you want a service built around a different region's catalog, the appeal here will be narrower.

JioTunes as the headline feature

The feature the developer leads with is JioTunes, the callertune system. If you have a Jio number, you can set a track as the song your callers hear before you pick up. The app offers curated selections such as Top Hindi, Top English, Punjabi Hip-Hop and Tamil Romantic, plus film-based options spanning Bollywood, Tollywood and Kollywood. The idea is that the person calling you gets a bit of music instead of a plain ring.

This is a genuinely regional feature and it is worth being clear about that. Callertunes are a long-standing part of the Indian mobile market, and JioSaavn treats them as a first-class part of the app rather than a buried extra. On the paid tier, the developer lists unlimited JioTunes as one of the benefits.

I like that the callertune picks are organized by language and film industry, because it makes browsing feel like flipping through a chart rather than searching blind. If you do not have a Jio number, this section of the app may not apply to you. The rest of the service still works, but the feature the developer puts first may not apply to you.

Songs, lyrics and podcasts

Beyond callertunes, the core of the app is streaming. The catalog covers pop, trending, classic, EDM, romantic, Bollywood retro, rock, folk, rap, devotional, remix and indie, among other genres. Artists range from Justin Bieber and Michael Jackson to Sid Sriram, Shreya Ghoshal, Jubin Nautiyal, Diljit Dosanjh, Ilaiyaraaja, Kumar Sanu and Alka Yagnik, which gives a sense of how wide the net is cast.

Lyrics are built in, and the developer promises real-time lyrics and trivia for popular tracks. That is the sort of claim I take with a grain of salt until I see it in practice, but the idea is straightforward: you get the words on screen as the song plays, so you can follow along or sing badly without embarrassing yourself too much.

Podcasts and audio shows are the other half of the app. Genres cover comedy, film and TV, religion and spirituality, crime and horror, and health and wellness, with shows in English, Hindi, Tamil and other languages. Among the shows are Jay Shetty's 'On Purpose', 'Pyaar Actually', 'Woice with Warikoo', 'Get Sleepy' and 'ZARA KHAUFF SE SUNO'. If you already listen to Indian podcasts elsewhere, having them in the same app as your music is convenient.

Playlists and mood-based listening

Curated playlists are a big part of how the app is organized. Selections are built for moods and occasions, with names like Now Trending Hindi, Best Of Romance Hindi, Fresh Tunes, Gedi Shedi, Top Kuthu, Now Trending Telugu, Premaloka, Now Trending Malayalam, Now Trending Marathi, Now Trending Bhojpuri and Haryanvi Dance Hits. Each language seems to get its own set of charts and themed lists.

This matters more than it might sound. When a catalog is as large as this one, discovery is the hard part, and hand-built playlists are a reasonable answer. I would expect to spend most of my time in these lists rather than typing searches, particularly for languages I do not speak well.

The playlists also give you a way to sample a language you are curious about without committing to a deep dive. If you want to hear what is currently popular in Tamil or Bhojpuri, one of these lists will get you there faster than browsing artist pages.

Where you can listen

Device support is broader than I expected for a regional streaming app. Supported devices include Alexa, Chromecast, Google Home, Android Auto, Airplay and Sonos, among others. The app supports smart speakers, casting, and car systems.

In practice, this makes JioSaavn usable beyond just a phone app. Casting to a speaker while cooking, or letting Android Auto handle playback on a long drive, are the obvious cases.

MyJio also lets Jio subscribers play music and set JioTunes. If you already use MyJio for other things, that is one less app to open.

What JioSaavn Pro adds and what it costs

The free version is ad-supported, and the developer sells a subscription called JioSaavn Pro. The listed benefits are ad-free music, unlimited JioTunes, unlimited downloads, high-quality audio, ringtone downloads, and exclusive music and podcasts. Those are the standard levers a streaming service pulls, and they are the things I would weigh before paying.

Pro comes as individual, duo or family plans, billed monthly or yearly. There is also a 30-day free trial, which is the sensible way to find out whether the ad-free listening and downloads are worth it to you.

My read is that Pro is aimed at people who want to download for offline listening, avoid ads, or use callertunes without a cap. If none of those matter to you, the free version may be enough.

Availability and practical notes

Availability is the detail I would check first. English content is currently available in India, and content is served in the United States, Canada and India. If you live outside those markets, the app may not behave the way you expect.

For listeners inside those regions, the practical advice is to lean on the language and mood playlists rather than searching track by track. The catalog is deep enough that browsing by language covers a lot of ground.

If you use JioTunes, sort out your Jio number situation before you start browsing, because the feature is tied to it. And if you are considering Pro, the 30-day trial is the low-risk way to test whether downloads and ad-free listening change how you use the app.

One more thing worth knowing: the app was released in September 2016 and is still being updated. The recent changes mention improved personalized recommendations and general fixes.

A strong choice for Indian music listeners

JioSaavn is at its best when you want Indian music across several languages in one place, with podcasts, lyrics and callertunes folded in. The catalog depth is the main draw. If you have a Jio number and want to set callertunes, the app is built around exactly that.

The trade-offs are the ads on the free tier, the optional Pro subscription, and the fact that the English catalog is centered on India. The callertune feature only applies to Jio numbers.

I would suggest installing it, spending some time in the language playlists, and deciding after that whether Pro is worth it. For anyone whose listening is mostly Indian film and regional music, this is one of the more complete options available.

What's new

JioSaavn keeps getting better! Turn on updates for the latest improvements, better personalized recommendations, new features, bug fixes, and more. Enjoy the latest music experience.