The new iPhone OS 4 update makes it easier to control your iPod or Pandora music while you are working or playing in another app,  from your home screen or even when you phone is otherwise locked (“lock screen” –where you have to slide the arrow to use the phone).

Previously, you could play music on your iPhone’s iPod app and it would play in the background while you were checking your email, playing a game, etc.  Now, you can play Pandora music in the background with the new iPhone OS4 update and the updated Pandora app (you have to make sure you update the Pandora app after you update to OS4).

And …to make it easier to pause/play and skip to the previous or next song, you simply have to bring up the multi-task dock.

Here’s:

How to bring up controls for iPod or Pandora while in another app

1. Go to your iPod or Pandora app and start playing music.

2. Press the home button(the rounded square below the touch screen) to go to your home screen and choose (by tapping) the icon for the app you want to now use.

3. To bring up the easy access music controls, double press the home button.  This will bring up the multi-task dock.

4.  Swipe your finger LEFT to RIGHT along the dock area.  This will bring up the left screen which will show the icon for Pandora or iPod. It will also show the play/pause, skip back a song, and skip forward controls.

That’s it. To recap: Double click the home button, swipe left to right and there are the controls!

Be sure to close out of  the Pandora app when you are through…it’s a real battery drainer even when it’s paused.

for How to close multi-tasking apps on iPhone OS4

How to bring up iPod or Pandora controls from the Lock Screen on OS 4

Before the update, in OS3, the iPod music would play even as the phone locked itself.  Now, Pandora will continue to play if you are listening to it.

And now you can control whichever is playing — iPod or Pandora– without having to unlock the phone and go to the application.  That makes it very handy when you want to quickly pause the music or go to the next (or previous) song without having to go all the way to the app.

Here’s how:

When bopping along to your music and the phone has locked…

Press the home button once and voila! The controls appear onscreen.

You can pause, skip to the previous song or skip to the next song.

That’s it.

Happy listening.  In the coming days I will tackle the other iPhone OS4 features.  Anyone stand in line to get their new iPhone 4?  Let me know about it.