After months of delays, Google's iTunes Match competitor and all-you-can-listen subscription music service officially made its way to the iOS App Store on Friday, providing access to both All Access subscriptions as well as standard Google Play Music features.
The iOS version of Google Play Music appears to match up well with its Android counterpart, allowing users to store and stream their own music libraries or, with the $9.99-per-month All Access upgrade, tracks from major labels. Users can also create custom radio stations from any song or album, or listen to one of several predefined stations.
Unlike competitors Pandora and iTunes Radio, there is no limit to the number of tracks a user can skip when listening to radio stations. The inclusion of skip limits has long been a pain point for users of other services.
Google Play Music and the Spotify-like All Access service were announced by the search giant in May. A web client and mobile application for Google's Android mobile operating system accompanied the launch, with an iOS application promised to follow weeks later.
The iOS application never materialized, despite persistent rumors pointing to its imminent release. Google cited DRM concerns stemming from iOS's lack of support for Adobe's Flash as the reason for the delay, but Friday's release indicates the company has apparently overcome those issues.
Google Play Music is available today as a free download from the App Store, and new users are eligible to receive one free month of the All Access service.