Pandora finally available for Windows Phone 8 devices

Pandora, one of the most notable apps that was missing from Windows Phone devices, is now downloadable for smartphones running the latest version of Microsoft’s mobile operating system.

The Internet radio company released the Pandora Windows Phone 8 app Thursday, and as a bonus, Pandora also said the service will remain ad-free on Windows Phone 8 for the rest of the year.

The app functions the same as it does on other devices, but Pandora for Windows Phone 8 is visually very different from the iOS and Android versions of the service.

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For starters, the Windows Phone 8 app incorporates the square, tile-like look for the main screen. Pandora for Windows Phone 8 also features a “Live Tile” icon on the phone’s home screen that displays what is playing on Pandora. Users can also pin individual radio stations from their Pandora account onto their device’s home screen.

“Designing for Windows Phone 8 while keeping our consistent Pandora aesthetic was an exciting challenge and we’re thrilled with the results,” Pandora said in a blog announcing the new app.

Additionally, users can launch the Pandora app through the Windows Phone 8’s “Kid’s Corner” allowing their children to listen to music that doesn’t contain explicit lyrics.

Pandora did not say when it may develop an app for Surface tablets running the Windows RT operating system.

“We don’t discuss plans for potential future product offerings so we have nothing to share at this time,” the company told The Times.

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