B&W Bolsters Support for Formation Line With Music App Launch

Bowers & Wilkins launched the new Music app for its wireless audio Formation platform with initial support for Qobuz, Tidal, TuneIn, Dash Radio, NTS Radio and SoundCloud streaming services, it said Friday. More subscription services and streaming platforms will be added in coming months, it said. President Geoff Edwards called the update “a statement of our intent to further develop and improve our Formation-enabled product portfolio.” The app aggregates content from available music services into one interface, allowing users to access tracks, albums, playlists and radio stations; it also offers personalized recommendations and curated B&W playlists. Initially, the app will operate alongside the existing Bowers & Wilkins Home app, which provides setup functions for Formation products. Later this year, the company will combine all app functions into the Music app, including setup, control and streaming, replacing the Home app. All other functionality already offered by Formation-enabled products remains current, including AirPlay 2 and Bluetooth aptX HD support for streaming from mobile devices, integrated support for Spotify Connect and Roon, and “Works With Alexa” certification. B&W plans to continue to expand the capabilities of Formation to improve the user experience and add new features, including support for custom-channel control systems such as Control4, it said.