Apple Music Voice Plan Is Only $4.99 a Month: Is It Worth It?
Apple announced that it will launch the Apple Music Voice plan later this fall at $4.99 per month. Is it a good buy?
Oct. 19 2021, Published 1:48 p.m. ET
On Oct. 18, Apple announced that it will release its Apple Music Voice plan this fall for the low price of $4.99. With Apple Music subscription plans already available, many people wonder what the Apple Music Voice plan is, what it will offer, and whether it's worth purchasing.
What the Apple Music Voice plan offers
The Apple Music Voice plan will be a “new subscription tier” for Apple Music and will be powered by Siri—a voice-controlled personal assistant built into most Apple devices. The Apple Music Voice plan is expected to allow you to “access Apple’s catalog of 90 million songs,” which includes:
- “Tens of thousands of playlists”
- Mood and activity playlists
- Personalized mixes
- Genre stations
- Apple Music Radio
However, Apple is taking it a step further by also providing the Apple Music Voice plan users with a customized in-app experience that will provide them with suggestions based on their music searches and recent plays.
Additional features you can expect from the Apple Music Voice plan
Unlike traditional apps that allow you to stream music, Apple’s new Apple Music Voice plan is tied directly to Siri. According to Oliver Schusser, the vice president of Apple Music and Beats, “Apple Music and Siri are natural partners and already work seamlessly together.”
In Apple’s Oct. 18 press release, Schusser added, “With Siri actively used on hundreds of millions of devices worldwide, we are thrilled to add this new plan that delivers an effortless music experience just by using your voice.”
The Apple Music Voice plan can be accessed easily by simply speaking your requests to Siri on any device the voice-controlled personal assistant is enabled on including iPhones, HomePod mini, and AirPods.
Here’s how you can subscribe to the Apple Music Voice plan
If you already have Siri enabled on your Apple device, you can subscribe to the Apple Music Voice plan by simply saying “Hey Siri, start my Apple Music Voice trial,” according to Apple. Apple users also have the option of subscribing to the plan directly through the Apple Music app.
How does the Apple Music Voice plan compare to other Apple Music plans?
Currently, Apple gives users access to its catalog of music in a few different ways. Individual plans start at $9.99, while family plans (up to six people) start at $14.99. If you’re a college student, you’ll get access to Apple Music for just $4.99 a month, which is the same price Apple is advertising its new Apple Music Voice plan for.
Apple also offers a bundling service, Apple One, which allows you to pay one price for various subscriptions. While it isn't clear whether Apple will modify the current Apple Music plans it offers or simply add the Apple Music Voice plan to the mix, you can expect to see the new subscription tier available on Apple devices later this fall.
In addition to making the Apple Music Voice plan accessible to those living in the U.S., Apple also announced that individuals living in the following countries will also be able to subscribe to the plan this fall—Australia, Austria, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom.
What’s being said about Apple Music Voice?
While many people rely on Siri to pull up information or dial a number to avoid having to manually do so on their device, TechCrunch thinks that Apple is only launching this new subscription to “gather more voice data to train and improve its voice assistant.”
Apple didn't reveal why it was launching the Apple Voice Music plan other than to provide users with a personalized and user-friendly music streaming experience at a more affordable price.