Apple Music Voice Plan discontinued after two years

Apple has discontinued its $4.99 monthly Apple Music Voice Plan, which was designed to facilitate Siri-powered navigation through the streaming music platform's library. The low-key announcement from Apple marks an end to the service after a brief two-year stint. Initially launched in October 2021, the plan aimed to offer users an affordable means to access Apple Music using just Siri voice commands.

The recent removal of the Voice Plan from Apple's subscription page signals the end of an era. Existing subscribers will retain access until their current subscription term concludes, and afterwards must switch to an alternative Apple Music plan or drop the service entirely.

Apple will officially halt the Apple Music Voice Plan starting this month. In its announcement, the company stated it was "focused on delivering the best, most robust music experience possible" with features such as Spatial Audio, real-time lyric integration through Apple Music Sing, and enhanced browsing and discovery features.

Despite its affordability the Apple Music Voice Plan came with limitations, excluding support for Spatial Audio, Lossless quality, offline song downloads, and lyric displays. It allowed users to interact with Apple Music solely via Siri commands, offering a streamlined but reduced access point to the service's content.

The termination of the $4.99/month Apple Music Voice subscription follows a series of price adjustments across various Apple services, including Apple Arcade, Apple TV+, and Apple News+. Both the Apple Music Individual and Family plans also experienced price increases.

Although Apple has not provided explicit reasons for discontinuing the Voice Plan, the company emphasized the seamless Siri integration already present in other available Apple Music plans.

As Apple continues to evolve its subscription offerings, the changes in pricing and service availability reflect a dynamic shift in the company's strategy. Despite the termination of the Apple Music Voice Plan, Apple continues to provide free trial periods for new subscribers and extended free Apple Music access for new buyers of eligible Apple devices.