SoundByte gives SoundCloud the Fluent Design treatment
Music and audio content from SoundCloud sound great but now it looks great as well with SoundByte, the Fluent-designed SoundCloud client.
The Fluent Design System support extends to multiple Microsoft platforms as SoundByte is available for free on Windows 10, Xbox One, and Windows Holographic.
See SoundByte in the Windows Store
Design
SoundByte has pretty much every Fluent Design feature that we've seen leading up to the Fall Creators Update. It utilizes transparent backgrounds, hover over effects, and a transparent title bar.
Embracing these makes SoundByte a beautiful app on Windows 10 that looks natural on multiple form factors. In addition to having a fluent design, the app also has other Windows 10 features such as Live Tile support. By themselves, most of these aren't a big deal but when you have an app that brings them all together it fits very well into the Windows 10 ecosystem.
Features
It's a relatively simple app but that isn't a bad thing. It does what it's supposed to and does it well.
You can login as you normally would to SoundCloud. In addition to SoundCloud it also has Fanburst support, though that's in Alpha at the moment.
You can see charts as well as your personal stream of content you subscribe to and search for anything you'd like to find.
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Continuing the app's trend of embracing Windows 10 design and features, SoundByte has a mini music player on PCs that you can click and drag around and use to control content. It's a very nice touch that makes it that much easier to use.
Limitations
SoundByte is a well featured SoundCloud client but being a third party SoundCloud app, it does come with some limitations. The developers admit this and while for most people they may not be deal breakers they're worth pointing out.
Some tracks won't appear within the app and some users will have issues logging in with their Google accounts. The app also doesn't support downloading tracks but they explain that this "respects the SoundCloud Developer API" so it isn't surprising.
Summing things up
SoundByte is a solid SoundCloud client available on multiple devices running Windows 10. It's feature set and design make it feel right at home in your library of Windows apps.
Sean Endicott is a tech journalist at Windows Central, specializing in Windows, Microsoft software, AI, and PCs. He's covered major launches, from Windows 10 and 11 to the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT. Sean's journey began with the Lumia 740, leading to strong ties with app developers. Outside writing, he coaches American football, utilizing Microsoft services to manage his team. He studied broadcast journalism at Nottingham Trent University and is active on X @SeanEndicott_ and Threads @sean_endicott_.