During Apple Unleashed on Tuesday, the company announced some planned improvements to Apple Music that feature new Siri integrations that will make it easier to use your voice to access your tunes in different situations.
With the new three-tiered “Voice Plan,” users will be able to access Apple Music’s library of 90 million songs, pull up playlists and genre stations, and stream music across devices with a simple, voice-activated “Hey Siri” command. Apple has also added in new mood and genre playlist features designed specifically for the voice integration plans, which users will be able to access through commands like, “Play the dinner party playlist,” “Play something chill,” or “Play more like this” for a more personalised listening experience.
“Apple Music and Siri are natural partners and already work seamlessly together,” said Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of Apple Music and Beats. “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.”
Pricing and Availability
- The new Apple Music Voice Plan for $5.99 per month is available later this spring.
- Access to Apple Music’s global catalogue of over 90 million songs is available through Siri.
- Subscribers have full playback controls including unlimited song skipping through Siri.
- The Apple Music Voice Plan offers hundreds of brand-new stations and playlists for every mood and activity designed for easy voice requests.
- Subscribers can access the Apple Music Voice Plan across all of their Siri-enabled devices and features, including HomePod mini, AirPods, CarPlay, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV and Mac.
- A one-time, seven-day free preview with no auto-renewal is offered to non-subscribers who request music through Siri.
Notably, the voice-only plan for individuals is cheaper than a regular, non-voice-activated subscription to Apple Music for individuals. Apple is still a bit fuzzy on the details of how the Siri-enabled plan will work, though, and it’s not immediately clear if this will actually be a more convenient way to access your music.
The free trial can be kickstarted with a “Hey Siri, start my Apple Music Voice trial,” or by signing up through the Apple Music app.