Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile

Amazon Cloud Player doesn’t play well with Mobile Safari for iOS

By

mobile safari iconThe clouds are rolling in. Amazon unveiled three new cloud-based products late last night, beating expected future competitors Apple and Google to the market. Cloud computing is a model that allows for the sharing of software, data and resources across a vast network, with all centrally located content made accessible remotely to users in the “cloud.” Amazon’s launch introduces three services: Cloud Drive, for general data storage, Cloud Player for Web, which people can use to access purchased media, and an Android-powered offshoot of the Cloud Player.

Eagle-eyed Apple enthusiasts might have noted in the above paragraph that there’s no mention of the iPhone or any other iOS-powered mobile device. That’s not an oversight. The new Amazon service seems to not work with with Apple’s sub-laptop products. More than that, it doesn’t even seem to be an issue relating to the absence of Flash support on iDevices; TechCrunch notes that the Cloud Player worked fine on a MacBook Air without Flash installed.

Recommended Videos

It appears that Amazon might be straight-up blocking access to the service for Apple’s Mobile Safari web browser. Navigating to the Cloud Player page — Cloud Drive is Flash-powered — results in a “Your browser is not supported” error message. You can then get into the player, but nothing happens when “Play” is clicked. One TC commenter noted that Mobile Safari users can access the download option to load the content directly onto their devices as a workaround. I also tested Cloud Player for Web on my own iPad and iPhone using the Atomic Web Browser app — which allows you to set your browser to be identified as something other than Mobile Safari — and it worked fine there as well.

There is a strong indication that Apple will be announcing its own cloud service plans at WWDC in June, with a “music locker” being worked in as part of MobileMe. With Amazon now the first to market with cloud storage features, it will certainly be interesting to see how Steve Jobs and company respond.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Adam Rosenberg
Adam Rosenberg
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…
How to add a different home screen wallpaper on iOS 17
An iPhone with iOS 16, showing the new Lock Screen.

If you haven't used an iPhone in a while, or if you haven't tried to update your lock screen, they you might be happy to learn about some of the new customization features that are available in iOS 17. Although iOS has made some controversial changes to its UI, such as moving the notifications to the bottom of the lock screen, they are also more welcome changes to the customization options for the lock screen.

Introduced in iOS 16 was a slew of lock screen customization features to let you tweak your phone's lock screen to your liking, and these same features are available in iOS 17 as well. While the lock screen used to be just a static image, you can now make it more dynamic with options like cycling through collections of your photos, so you can show off your favorite photos of your pets, your family, or beautiful locations that you've visited.

Read more
When will Apple release iOS 18? Here’s what we know
An iPhone 14 laying face-down on a wood table.

Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) will start on Monday, June 10. During the conference keynote, the company is expected to unveil new software updates for its major products, including iOS 18 for iPhones.

iOS 18 is expected to be a major iPhone update, likely ushering in a new design and AI features. If you are wondering when you can get your hands on the latest software version, here's everything you need to know about iOS 18's release date.
When will the iOS 18 beta be released?

Read more
The 7 biggest features we expect to see in iOS 18
The home screen on the Apple iPhone 15 Plus.

Apple revealed that its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) will take place on June 10. This is when we expect to see the next iteration of software across all of Apple’s products, including iOS 18.

From the sounds of it, we’re in for a big update with iOS 18, rumored to be one of the “biggest updates” yet. Here’s what we expect from Apple's next major iPhone update with iOS 18.
A more customizable home screen

Read more