Apple Music to launch Siri-powered voice tier

The service will cost $4.99 a month, making it the cheapest subscription plan offered by the company. It will provide access to the service’s full catalogue of 90 million songs, playlists, personalised mixes, as well as Apple Music Radio.

Apple Music Voice Plan will be available later this year in 17 countries including Australia, Austria, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the United States, after which, the service is expected to be rolled out to other markets globally.

Voice Plan subscribers will have access to Apple Music’s premium offerings including Spatial Audio and Lossless Audio, as well as full playback controls with unlimited song-skipping through Siri. Lyrics and Music Video features, however, are not included in the plan.

Interested users can sign up to the plan through Siri by saying “Hey Siri, start my Apple Music Voice trial,” or by subscribing through the Apple Music app. $14.99 a month. To get access to all the features, subscribers will need to switch to Apple Music’s individual plan for $9.99 a month or a family plan with up to six accounts for

Apple is offering a once-off, seven-day free preview with no auto-renewal to non-subscribers who request music through Siri. After signing up to the Apple Music Voice Plan, subscribers can request music to be played from any Siri-enabled device, including iPhones, HomePod minis, and when using CarPlay.

Apple says that it is added hundreds of new mood and activity playlists, which are optimised for voice. Voice Plan subscribers will also get a customised in-app experience with suggestions based on the listener’s activity through Siri. There will also be a dedicated section called Just Ask Siri where subscribers could learn about tips to optimise Siri for Apple Music.

“Apple Music and Siri are natural partners and already work seamlessly together,” Apple’s vice-president of Apple Music and Beats, Oliver Schusser, said. “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 and makes Apple Music accessible to even more people around the world.”