Apple Music may be one of the best streaming services, but we have bad news for users of the cheap voice subscription: Apple is canceling the subscription this month. All other Apple Music tiers will continue as normal, but it appears that the Voice Plan has been retired.
According to an official support document, Apple Music’s Voice Plan will be discontinued “starting in November.” Apple wasn’t more specific about the date, but the company noted that “all Apple Music subscriptions already work seamlessly with Siri, and we will continue to optimize this experience.”
As the name implies, Apple Music’s Voice Plan focused on controlling your audio using Siri – in fact, that was the only way to navigate your music. In return, it was the cheapest tier of Apple Music, priced at $4.99 per month.
With the demise, the most affordable Apple Music tier will now cost $10.99 – more than double the price of the Voice Plan. That’s a sharp increase for users from the soon-to-be-discontinued tier.
What should I do if I am a Voice Subscription user?
Apple Music Voice Plan subscribers have a number of choices. If you are a current user, you can continue with the Voice subscription until the end of your current billing cycle. At that time you can switch to another Apple Music subscription. Apple says you’ll receive a notification with more information before the end of your billing cycle.
Things are largely the same when you try out the Voting Plan. After your trial period ends, you can keep the Voice subscription until the end of your billing cycle. At that time the trial period ends and you can switch to another subscription.
Apple hasn’t given any reason why the Voice Plan was canceled, but the voice-only restriction may have hindered sales. Whatever the cause, it now appears that Apple feels it can do without this option.
The move comes as Apple has increased prices for a range of its services. Apple TV+ increases from $6.99 to $9.99, while Apple Arcade increased from $4.99 to $6.99 per month. If you’re looking for a cheap Apple deal, you’ll have to look harder than ever.