4shared Review

Music has been all around us for a long, long time. In different formats, true, and usually bulky and hard to carry with you. Music players have been even bigger in the past, but you should feel lucky to be alive in the year we are in. It has never been easier to get to your favorite songs and artists, as well as get updated about new or recent releases. With many services like Spotify and iTunes, it’s easy to enjoy music and build playlists. However, what happens when you’re far from home and your home wireless network?

Does that mean you’ll have to stop listening to the mp3s you love so much for a time? Of course not, let us assure you, and 4shared review we’ve gotten ready for you explains one of those services that’ll help make the Internet downtime as pleasant as possible. Even if you do have Internet, sometimes saving the files so you can listen on multiple devices is valuable as well. So, what’s the deal with the application, you might be wondering? Will you have to spend money to enjoy a full set of features or even access the basic ones? We’ll put your mind at ease without further ado, and give you an in-depth explanation.

4shared Interface

Once you head to either Google Play or iTunes Store and download the app, you’ll be met with a simplistic but clean look. It has a calming, light blue color that’s standard for many storage applications. Right off the bat, you’ll see that you’re not limited to music. Photos, videos, apps, books, and games are all part of the deal, and the best part – the choice is completely yours! They’re all conveniently listed and neatly organized, and in case you have trouble finding the file you want, the search bar on the top will certainly help narrow the search down.

The main intention of the app developers is to make downloading and sharing files possible when you’re away from your computer, so you shouldn’t expect anything crazy when it comes to design. Their main focus point is functionality and speed when dealing with bigger amounts of data, and that’s all possible thanks to the features we’ll cover in a second.

4shared Features

If 4shared sounds familiar to you, that’s because the service is around for almost a decade, even though it was a website and a desktop service. It’s no surprise that they’ve moved to Android and iOS with the boom of smartphone technology. With that being said, they try to make all new features available on your phone as soon as possible, and it’s no surprise that nearly 6 million people use it on their Android devices. Of course, you’ll be required to make an account, and you’ll see why it’s so convenient to have one. In most cases, people will stick to basics, and those are certainly the following.

Download and manage music, videos, photos, books

The first and the most obvious feature of a cloud service is certainly downloading files. They promise a full access to over 30 million files with a little effort of searching and a few taps of your touchscreen. And it’s true, it’s as easy as that! Their search engine is constantly getting updated and improved to help you find the things you need. Besides downloading, you can easily manage the files you already have, just like you would in any storage application, except you don’t need additional ones.

The 4shared app even allows you to open images, play music or videos right then and there! You can say goodbye to additional apps you used for these purposes, and free up your memory. Also, since you’re connected to your 4shared website account, you can edit your profile and change settings from your mobile device as well.

Upload music, photos, videos and more

Now that you’ve seen how easy it is to find and download a file you want, why wouldn’t you give back to the community? If you have a file that someone, somewhere would be glad to have, you have a possibility of uploading it to your account. Just like with OneDrive or Dropbox, you can create folders and organize and upload files of your choice. Having a profile opens up a lot of possibilities, and adding friends and sharing folders is one of them. You can edit settings, set who can only view or even download stuff from your collection, and easily share links to your folders.

Make sure your files are protected

Theft and piracy are still quite active, but you shouldn’t let it stop you. Luckily, the developers recognized the need for data protection, so they’ve added additional features to make sure the files get downloaded only by people you choose and trust. One of those ways should be very familiar to you, and that’s pattern security lock, something most people use to unlock their phone. Once you set up a pattern, your data should be protected against early leaks or straight-up theft if you’re an artist, for example.

Pros and Cons

After testing and analyzing the application for a while, we have listed some of the most noticeable pros and cons of the 4shared. Here they are.

Pros

• The app is free to download and use
• Access to millions of files from people around the world
• Make new friends and share files and folders
• Uploading files for easy access from multiple devices
• Data protection security measures in place
• Replaces the functionality of other applications, thus saving space
• Resourceful Help Center with step-by-step instructions

Cons

• Some people found it hard to use without a tutorial
• Ads in the free version of the app

Verdict

The app is relatively lightweight, replaces the need for music and video player applications, and on top of it all – it’s completely free. Some users complained about ads that are shown inside, but that’s easily fixed by upgrading to Premium. The files you download are nicely organized and easy to sift through and share with friends. Full set of features available in the free version, as well as a possibility to manage your account wherever you are. Some people suggested encrypting files for maximum protection, and it is yet to be seen if 4shared listens and implements that feature. In the state it is in at the moment, the application is excellent, and the developers are active and constantly improving the state.

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