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Typing now costs extra.
Apple announced a new Apple Music subscription tier dubbed the Voice Plan at its October event. At $4.99 a month, the Voice Plan is the least expensive Apple Music subscription option to date. But there is a catch.
During the livestream, Apple Music host Zane Lowe appeared thrilled to announce that with the Voice Plan, you “use only your voice and the power of Siri,” perhaps forgetting that some people prefer to type in their song searches — or literally are unable to speak.
Mashable confirmed that for subscribers of the Voice Plan, full playback from search only works via voice. There are a few tap-to-play options, however, like everything in the Radio tab and previously purchased or uploaded content in a user’s library.
The new plan also differs from the Individual Plan, which costs $9.99 per month, in that it lacks access to music videos and that it doesn’t promise lossless audio. In other words, the sound quality on the Voice Plan won’t be as high as the other plans.
Oh yeah, and there’s that whole Siri-dependent thing. (Thankfully, there may be a workaround — using Type to Siri. Though it’s unclear how cumbersome that will be for Voice Plan subscribers.)
Perhaps it was just Lowe’s script, but many viewers were left with more questions than answers when the Voice Plan segment of the presentation came to a close.
Apple’s blog post explains how Voice Plan subscribers can search for and play music via the oft-maligned Siri.
“Once subscribed to the Apple Music Voice Plan, users can request music be played across all of their Siri-enabled devices, including HomePod mini, AirPods, iPhone, or any other Apple device, and when using CarPlay,” it explains. “Access to Apple Music’s global catalog of over 90 million songs is available through Siri.”
But hey, charging extra for the ability to type is exactly the kind of courageous thinking we should expect from Apple.
UPDATE: Oct. 18, 2021, 11:13 a.m. PDT: This story was updated to include additional information about the Voice Plan.
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