Apple has announced a new Apple Music tier, which gives users access to the entire library, via the Siri voice assistant. But what is the Apple Music Voice Plan?
Apple had a surprising announcement to open its Unleashed event on October 18, by confirming a new Apple Music Voice Plan subscription.
At just £4.99, the Voice Plan is half the price of the Individual plan, which costs $9.99 a month. The UK is one of 17 countries confirmed for launch this autumn, but there’s no firm release date as yet.
The caveat is, there’s no access to the Apple Music through the app. The only way to access the 90-million library of songs is via Siri voice commands. Users can also say “Hey Siri, start my Apple Music Voice trial,” to access a free trial, or sign up through the Apple Music app.
That could be ideal for those who already enjoy using Siri to access Apple Music, as it provides a great saving on the current monthly fee.
What you get with Apple Music Voice Plan
Apple says the Voice Plan entitles one user to listen, but only on Apple devices like the iPhone, HomePod, Apple TV and Mac products as well as the Apple Watch and AirPods.
There’s no access to Spatial Audio from Dolby Atmos or the lossless audio HiFi music. Lyrics and music videos are also absent compared to the other tiers. So, there are some sacrifices compared with the full experience.
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The other new Apple Music feature announced by Apple today is a new range of Siri-based playlists, so you can request ‘a playlist for my dinner party / hike’ or ‘to relax’, for example.
Trusted Take – Chris Smith
This is an interesting move from Apple. Firstly, it gives users a new entry level to a world of music without having to listen to advertisements. At half the price of the current fee it’s going to be interesting to see whether Apple can win more customers from Spotify. Only being able to use your voice isn’t ideal though. Sometimes you need to scan the library to discover what you really want to listen to, sometimes it’s not appropriate to use voice commands. Some people struggle to get along with voice assistants at all. However, if you’re a dab hand at Siri and have a HomePod, this is an excellent deal.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
