Kenya: Smubu launches mobile app, new look 

The Smubu mobile app has been launched as a progressive web app (PWA), the first of its kind in Africa. PWAs offer a competitive user experience on mid- to low-end devices as well as data saving. 

Smubu’s user interface has also been revamped to provide both a dark and a light version of the app and website.

“We are bringing a whole new user interface to Africa, which we believe is an equivalent standard to international platforms," Smubu co-founder and chief operations officer Heba El Houjairy told Music In Africa.

"The app has an approachable user interface that highlights the accessibility of a legal music streaming service beyond its simplest looks. The new platform is built on the most advanced technologies out there, allowing our database to render content within milliseconds to our users.”

Houjairy said the updated user interface and new mobile app highlighted the company's ambition to provide users with the most comfortable music streaming experience on the market. 

“Our mission is to unleash the creative power of the human mind by allowing thousands of artists to live off their art and millions of fans the opportunity to legally enjoy and be inspired by these creators,” she said.

In July 2019, Smubu announced a milestone of 200 000 active users and 100 000 tracks, 18 months after launching offices in Uganda, Tanzania and West Africa. The platform hosts music from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda.

“Every day, we see great musical talent in Africa," Smubu co-founder and CEO Jad Aizarani said. "That is what drives the entire team to ensure that Smubu becomes the home for every talent in sub-Saharan Africa.

"For users using Smubu, our latest technology released, built with content-driven algorithms and many more features, gives them great rationale not to shift to any other music service.”

The Smubu mobile app is available on Google Play.