UPDATE: Apple has contacted Trusted Reviews to confirm Apple Music Voice is going away. The company pointed us towards a new support page explaining the company is now focused on delivering the best experiences through the standard plans.
In the document, available here, Apple says that the standard Apple Music plans include seamless Siri functionality, and it wants to guide users towards other great features like Lossless, Apple Music Sing and Spatial Audio.
As such, Apple Music Voice is going away this month. Existing subscribers will keep access until the end of the current bulling cycle, but will have to sign up for another Apple Music plan after that.
Apple writes: “Beginning in November, Apple will discontinue the Apple Music Voice plan. We are focused on delivering the best, most robust music experience possible for our customers, with features like immersive Spatial Audio, Apple Music Sing with real-time lyrics, intuitive browse and discovery features, and so much more. All Apple Music plans already work seamlessly with Siri, and we will continue to optimise this experience.”
Original story continues below…
Apple has reportedly discontinued the Apple Music Voice only plan, which offered a hefty discount on the service that was only accessible through Siri.
The Voice Only plan was announced in 2021 and designed for use in tandem with the HomePod speakers and other Apple devices. At $4.99/£4.99 a month it’s less than half the price of a standard Apple Music subscription.
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However, it had some caveats – including not being able to browse the library manually, listen on non-Apple devices or access high-end features like Lossless and Spatial Audio.
References to the plan have been removed from Apple’s website, but it’s still possible to sign-up for the Voice Only plan via the Apple Music app itself, directly from a banner (below) advertising the service.
Apple is yet to comment on the situation reported initially by Mac Magazine (via 9to5Mac), but we have approached the company for a statement and will update this piece when we hear back.
It would be somewhat of a surprise if Apple were to discontinue the service. Even if it isn’t really driving big subscription numbers, there’s little harm in keeping it around.
After all, “Siri, play…” is a feature that’s available on loads of Apple devices for Apple Music subscribers. That isn’t going away, so why take away the voice plan?
We’ll await confirmation from Apple.
Originally posted 2023-11-01 20:00:47.