Google launched its All Access streaming service over six
months ago on Android and the web, and finally today the iPhone gets in
on the fun. An official Google Play Music app
has hit the App Store. It comes with most of the features from the
Android client, but the omissions aren't entirely Google's fault.
The app has a mix of Google and iOS 7 flavor with swipable
columns and Android-y cards. It's a mostly successful translation of the
app to Apple's platform, and it fits in with the new style well.
However, there are a few places where the lack of a back button (as
you'd find on Android devices) is a little bit of a pain point. It's
also only optimized for the iPhone, so the UI is somewhat awkward on the
iPad. Google Play Music also ties into AirPlay so you can beam songs
from the cloud right over to your other Apple devices.
Google Play Music on iOS includes All Access (if you have a
subscription) for access to over 20 million tracks. Likewise, all the
music you have purchased or uploaded to Google Play (up to 20,000
tracks) is in the app. Anything in the Play Music can be cached to the
iDevice for offline play as well. Because of Apple's restrictions on
selling content through apps, there is no 'buy' link next to songs as
there is on Android or the web client.
One of Google Play Music's strengths is the smart radio,
which you can seed with any song on-the-fly. This feature is included
with the iOS app, but the "I'm feeling lucky" radio is not yet there.
This feed builds a station based on all your listening habits, and it's
placed quite prominently in the Android app. Google is working to add
this to the iOS app in the near future. In the meantime, the Explore tab
is a great way to find new content. It has top charts and suggestions
based on your past usage patterns.
The app is free to download, but All Access is $9.99 per month,
unless you got in on the $7.99 per month deal earlier this year. The app
is solid and has a bit of a leg up on other streaming services thanks
to the music uploading and Google services integration. It's worth your
time to try out.
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