iTunes Match launching soon? Apple reveals its on/off switch in iOS 5

Apple has added an iTunes Match on/off switch to iOS 5’s settings screen under the music tab, which could signal that the company is planning to launch its cloud-based music service soon.

iTunes Match is a music service that gives legal access to any songs currently in your iTunes music library. For $25 a year, subscribers can download their songs from Apple’s cloud to any device running the iOS 5 mobile operating system, such as iPhones and iPads, for no additional cost. The service is scheduled to roll out before the end of October, according to Apple.

Since the service hasn’t launched yet, trying to toggle on the iTunes Match switch brings up a notification that reads: “You are not currently subscribed to iTunes Match. Use iTunes on your computer to subscribe.” Similarly, the button to subscribe to the new Match service within the iTunes store is also unavailable — displaying a “Coming Soon” message beside it.

Originally, the service was intended to launch alongside version 10.5 of the iTunes desktop application, but Apple pushed it to the next update. Presumably, the public release of iTunes 10.5.1 will enable Apple customers to sign up for the service.