Apple Announces Price Increases on Flagship Services

Alex Kerai Consumer Trends Reporter

Updated 26 October 2022

WhistleOut fast facts

Apple raised the prices for Apple Music, Apple TV+, and Apple One.
The price hikes span $1-2 per month and are the first price hikes for the subscription services since their launch.
Apple cited increased costs for content as the main reason for the price hikes.
The higher prices come at a time when U.S. households are grappling with record inflation.

For the first time in seven years, Apple announced it is raising the prices of its subscription services. These price hikes took effect immediately and impacted Apple Music, Apple TV+, and Apple One.

Subscribers will see an increase in their monthly bill while inflation is at a staggering 8.2% and households are looking for areas to cut down on expenses. Many signed up for these services as perks while purchasing an Apple device and may now find that the services aren’t worthwhile at the higher price point.

In its early years, Apple Music struggled to gain a foothold in the industry, with Spotify challenging it for dominance. It launched at $9.99/month in 2015 after a three-month free trial period and will now cost $10.99 for an individual plan. Today, Apple Music is the second-most popular music streaming service behind Spotify. The last time Apple reported subscriber statistics in June 2021, the music service had 78 million subscribers—nearly half of Spotify’s premium paid subscriber base.

Apple TV+ is well known as the home of the two-time Emmy-winning comedy series Ted Lasso and the Oscar-winning film CODA. Launched in 2019 with The Morning Show, Apple TV+ cost $4.99/month and prioritized original content like Dickinson and For All Mankind. Apple included one free year of Apple TV+ with any Apple device purchase. Now, Apple TV+ costs $6.99/month and only offers three months for free with a device purchase.

Two years ago, Apple introduced Apple One, a service bundle that includes Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, iCloud storage, Apple News+, and Apple Fitness+ together in one place. It launched as an affordable way to enjoy your favorite Apple apps without breaking the bank. Individual membership was priced at $14.95/month at launch and is now $16.95/month. Still, that monthly bundled cost is less than that of purchasing Apple Music and Apple TV+ separately.

The price hikes for Apple One seem to be driven by the increases for Apple Music and Apple TV+. In a statement, an Apple spokesperson explained the changes:

“The subscription prices for Apple Music, Apple TV+, and Apple One will increase beginning today. The change to Apple Music is due to an increase in licensing costs, and in turn, artists and songwriters will earn more for the streaming of their music. We also continue to add innovative features that make Apple Music the world’s best listening experience. We introduced Apple TV+ at a very low price because we started with just a few shows and movies. Three years later, Apple TV+ is home to an extensive selection of award-winning and broadly acclaimed series, feature films, documentaries, and kids and family entertainment from the world’s most creative storytellers.”

New Apple subscription prices

Apple Music:
- Individual: $10.99/month (originally $9.99)
- Family: $16.99/month (originally $14.99)
- Individual Annual: $109/year (originally $99)
Apple TV+:
- Monthly: $6.99/month (originally $4.99)
- Annual: $69/year (originally $49.99)
Apple One:
- Individual: $16.95/month (originally $14.95)
- Family: $22.95/month (originally $19.95)
- Premier: $32.95/month (originally $29.95)

As other streaming services explore changing their prices (Disney increased the price of Disney+ earlier this year, and Spotify is considering a price hike, too), households may be questioning their need for multiple subscriptions.

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Alex Kerai

Consumer Trends Reporter

As WhistleOut's Consumer Trends Reporter, Alex keeps up on the latest breaking mobile tech news in the U.S. and Canada, from smartphone development to network shutdowns. His work can be seen on The Penny Hoarder, Business.org, Biz2Credit, and more.

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