Rumoured ‘Apple One’ Services Bundle Could Be Launching Soon

Rumoured ‘Apple One’ Services Bundle Could Be Launching Soon

In the weeks leading up to Apple’s September event, rumours swirled that the company could be gearing up to launch long-awaited subscription bundles that would group Apple services for lower prices than users paid for them individually. Now, more evidence points to a new mega-bundle that some reports have said the company is referring to as “Apple One.”

The folks over at 9to5Google discovered in a beta update for the Apple Music for Android app that the company appears to be readying to include the service as part of a larger bundle under the Apple One moniker, though the site reported that code suggests it’s being referred to internally under the name “aristotle.” The code that 9to5Google discovered did indicate that users would “not be charged for both subscriptions” if they have existing Apple Music subscriptions but decide to use Apple One; however, the site said code also hinted that Android users would need to manage their Apple One subscriptions from Apple devices.

Apple did not immediately return a request for comment.

This week’s finding bolsters previous reporting that Apple service bundles were on the way — which makes sense, given Apple’s hard lean into the subscription services space. Back in June, 9to5Mac found code in a beta release for iOS that referred to a “bundle offer” and “bundle subscription.” And in August, Bloomberg reported that an Apple-exclusive services bundle could arrive as soon as this autumn with the release of iOS 14.

While Apple’s plans could always change, Bloomberg reported at the time that the bundles could see services like Apple Music and Apple TV+ packaged together, while a premium and more expensive tier could include each of Apple’s services plus iCloud storage. It’s possible Apple will offer tiers, giving users more control over what they’re paying for.

This could also help potentially boost subscribers to services still finding their footings, like Apple TV+, which still has a comparatively thin content lineup compared with streaming behemoths like HBO or Netflix. (Apple TV+ even recently introduced a third-party bundle option to subscribers that gives them CBS All Access and Showtime at a discount, indicating the company is exploring new ways to win over new subscribers and retain existing ones.)

Any way that Apple offers its bundles, however, will likely be intended to entice consumers to use Apple’s own ecosystem of devices and services. And even if the company doesn’t debut its bundles at next Tuesday’s event, it’s possible Apple could do so before the end of the year, perhaps at a later event. Either way, given the pricing of its current standalone services, we can probably safely expect any bundles offered are going to be competitive.