Once a Google Android exclusive, Amazon released an iOS version of its Cloud Player app for iPhone and iPod touch devices on Tuesday. The software provides access to audio files on Amazon servers either purchased from Amazon’s music store or later uploaded by customers. With the free app found in the iTunes App Store, iPhone and iPod touch owners can stream those tunes and even download them directly to the device without using iTunes.
Amazon is making the software attractive, not only with feature parity to its Android version but also with a storage deal for new users. While everyone gets 5 GB of storage for free, for a limited time, Amazon is throwing in unlimited space for MP3 and AAC (.m4a) music files at no additional cost when purchasing a Cloud Storage data plan for other files.
As someone who quickly moved away from the iTunes music store when Amazon offered DRM-free music at a low cost, I gave the app a quick run-through on my iPhone 4S. It’s surely as good as the Android version and, in my opinion, looks even better.
Streaming songs I have on Amazon’s servers sounded great and a quick download test worked fine. You can manage playlists in the app and it will pull in any existing music on your device for playback. The added benefit here: AirPlay support is built into the app. I did find one minor issue though, as the app doesn’t support a landscape view.
True fans of the iTunes music store may not see much benefit here. But as an advocate and heavy user of cross-platform solutions, I think Amazon’s support for iOS is great news. And with the daily deals offered in Amazon’s MP3 store, the company could get a few more sales from iOS owners that it couldn’t before.
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