The Apple Music Voice Plan was launched in 2021, meaning you could access your Apple Music library through Siri's voice control. This was a welcomed addition for those who already relied on Siri for various purposes and could use the plan.
Apple Music Voice Plan was listed on their website until recently and cost $4.99 monthly. It was Apple's most affordable subscription plan, and it enabled users to use Apple Music across all Apple Devices. The catch, if you could call it that, was that you could only control the music through voice commands. It's ideal for some, but not something that everyone flocked to.
The Apple Music Voice Plan was smart for busy people who didn't want to have total control of their music and wanted to give a quick command to listen to music. It was also great for users who had mobility difficulties and found giving voice commands faster and easier. And, for those who listened to music in the background on the HomePod it worked brilliantly too.
It's not just that, though; the Siri-only voice plan was brilliant for those who wanted an Apple Music subscription on a budget and didn't mind that there wasn't as full control as using the Apple Music app.
What was included in the Apple Music Voice Plan?
Keeping in mind that the plan only cost $4.99 before it was discontinued, you'd expect it to be library-light aka limited access. However, the plan offered subscribers access to the 100 million Apple Music track library and more than 30,000 of their curated playlists.
Just like all of the other subscriptions, you can listen to whatever you want - the difference, though, is you'd need to ask Siri to play it rather than being able to search for it on the mobile or web app.
The plan was ad-free, and you could use it across any Apple device with Siri, including CarPlay and HomePods.
What were the limitations of the Apple Music Voice Plan?
Going back to the price, we know that Apple still doesn't have a free subscription (but can you get Apple Music for free?), so to offer a budget option, you'd expect it to be feature-light. Perhaps the most significant thing that wasn't an option was the lossless audio that Apple Music uses as a big selling point for its plans.
There was no offline listening, which isn't ideal for those who were keeping an eye on their data plans or wanted to disconnect for a while and get some work done and enjoy listening to their favorite music at the same time.
And, there are a couple of Apple Music favorites you didn't have access to, both Apple Music Sing or the Apple Music Classical app were off limits.
Why did Apple Music discontinue the Apple Music Voice Plan?
On the surface, it sounds like a great plan ideal for many users, so what drove the decision to stop their most pocket-friendly plan?
Apple Music announced that they would be stopping their Apple Music Voice Plan in November (so, right now). In the opening of their statement, they discussed the focus on Apple Music Sing, the immersive Spatial Audio, and other products that already work with Siri.
Since the rest of their plans already worked with Siri, they will be doubling down on those musical experiences, leaving no room for thise budget-subscription.
That might not be the only reason that it didn't stay around too long, though the Apple Music forum on Reddit had some not-positive things to say from the start.
When the plan was first released, this was the general consensus:
Two years after the announcement of the new service, the audience in the AppleMusic Reddit forum hasn't gotten any warmer to the feature and isn't surprised that it is leaving for good.
With a no-so warm reception when it launched, likely a low subscriber rate, and the function of voice control available on thier other services, the Apple Music Voice Plan doesn't really make sense as a product in the way that Amazon's version does.
What happens to Apple Music Voice Plan subscribers now it is canceled?
For those with an Apple Music Voice Plan, the auto-renew for subscribers will now be turned off. However, the plan will continue until your final billing cycle ends.
Before your current billing cycle ends, you will receive a notification to let you know your options; you can also use this time to switch to another Apple Music plan.
For people with a free Apple Music Voice Plan subscription trial, you will also have your services stopped at the end of the billing cycle.
What are the best options for people on the Apple Music Voice Plan?
If you have room in your budget, you can upgrade your account to the regular Individual Apple Music Plan. Or you can check out some of the other music streaming services.
Here is a quick breakdown of the individual plan pricing for different music streaming services:
- Spotify Individual Plan: $10.99 (free month trial)
- Apple Music Individual Plan: $10.99 (free trial or six months free with a new device)
- Tidal HiFi Individual: $9.99 (30 days free)
- Amazon Music Individual $9.99 for Prime Members, $10.99 for non-prime members (3 months free)
- Amazon Music: Single Device $4.99, free 30 days.
- YouTube Music Individual: $10.99, and new members have a one-month free trial.
There are many alternatives to Apple Music depending on what features are the most important to you.
Can you use Siri for voice commands without the Apple Music Voice Plan?
Siri works seamlessly across all Apple devices and with all Apple Music plans. However, some general issues with Siri search do sometimes impact music search. Sometimes, Siri 'mishears' the command and will present you with a song or album that isn't what you wanted.
Occasionally, when a new update comes out for the Apple Music app, and then the device or vice versa, there can be a period where Siri is more likely to glitch. Typically, these things are sorted in bug fixes and will resolve pretty quickly.
Will Apple Music release anything similar to the Apple Music Voice Plan?
For many, the Apple Music Voice Plan was a poor response to what Amazon Music did with their $4.99 per month Single Device plan.
It is unlikely that Apple Music will put another plan like this on the market. With Apple, if a product doesn't have a high uptake or demand over time, they generally put it on the shelf.
While sometimes they come back with a new version with more features, it would be difficult to put new features into a budget package and not risk many people moving from the Individual plan, and paying less for an almost identical service.
What is the best alternative for the Apple Music Voice Plan?
The Amazon Music Single Device plan is the most comparable option for those using the Apple Music Voice Plan in terms of price and how it works. You'll be able to use the voice command to play music; it is just that instead of Siri, you will be asking Alexa.
Another alternative is to look at some of the other Individual plans and consider paying $5 more to use a mobile app and web player, build playlists, download and listen offline, and be able to play music of a higher quality.
With the Apple Music Voice Plan, you could use Siri to help create playlists, and with the service being discontinued, it's a good time to consider transferring all of your music from Apple to another streaming service. FreeYourMusic transfers your albums, songs, and playlists from Apple to any other streaming service in just a few steps - so just because your subscription stops doesn’t mean you have to lose your music!
