In a nutshell: On Monday, Apple introduced a new Apple Music Voice Plan. The plan is built around and marketed on the music streaming service’s tighter integration with Siri. The new tier replaces the Apple Music individual plan as the service’s entry-level subscription.
Starting at just $4.99 per month, users can seamlessly use the power of Siri to control and call up any of Apple Music’s 90 million songs, tens of thousands of playlists, or Apple Music Radio stations. Of course, this functionality is also included in Apple Music’s $9.99 Individual Plan and its Family Plan, which is $14.99 per month. The premium tier subscriptions include Spatial Audio and Lossless Audio, Lyrics, Music Videos, and more.
“Apple Music and Siri are natural partners and already work seamlessly together,” said Vice President of Apple Music and Beats Oliver Schusser. “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.”
Users can control Apple Music via Siri to play specific songs, albums, artists, or playlists. Siri’s improved integration can also recognize more general requests like, “Play something chill,” or “Play more like this.”
The Voice Plan also complements Apple’s redesigned AirPods or HomePod mini, which now comes in three additional colors. In addition to the standard white and space gray, users can opt for yellow, orange, and blue models. The HomePod mini is Siri-enabled but can also seamlessly pass off Apple Music to or from your iPhone whenever they are near each other.
The Apple Music Voice Plan rolls out later this fall in several regions, 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. The Apple Music app will also be getting a dedicated section with tips on optimizing Siri for Apple Music.
“A one-time, seven-day free preview with no auto-renewal is offered to nonsubscribers who request music through Siri,” said Apple’s press release.
To get started with the trial, just say, “Hey Siri, start my Apple Music Voice trial.” Alternatively, users can sign up for service using the Apple Music app.