Audiotap iPhone App Review

I subscribe to iTunes Match, but I also wanted to simply stream  audio files from a Mac Mini to my iPhone.  I have been through a couple different programs in the past (Jukefly and Simplify), but they went away.  I decided to try Audiotap and I am very happy with the results.

To use Audiotap, you have to download their "mediatap" software on your Mac or PC (thanks James).  It uses the information from iTunes, like playlists and podcasts, and makes everything available over the internet.

Once you have the server setup, which I found to be very easy, you are ready to stream your music.  I connected to the computer from home and it remembered the settings when I left the house.  Above, is a look at the interface for albums.  The app gives you the choice of loading the images (album art) all the time, via wifi only, or never.  This is nice if you don't want to use the extra bandwidth.

Above, you can see that it also lets you find music using the artist.  Also, notice Playlists, Podcasts, and More at the bottom of the screen.  This is pretty much the same thing you would see in iTunes. 

Once you choose the Artist, if you have images on, you will see a screen similar to the pic below:

Notice that it is currently streaming at 752 kbps.  Obviously, that much data could be an issue over certain connections, so Audiotap gives you a choice of how much compression you want to use.

Of course, one of the main benefits of the iPhone is Airplay.  As you would guess, they have built that feature into the App, as well.   There is also a playlist function that lets you choose a current playlist or create a new playlist.  I am old fashioned, so I like listening to albums rather than playlists, but the option is there so it should make a lot of people happy.

If you are looking for a cheap alternative ($3.99 at the time I wrote this) to iTunes Match that can handle more than 256 kbps files and you just want to stream files without downloading, Audiotap should fit the bill.