The cheapest Apple Music membership just got killed off. Apple no longer accepts signups for the $5 Siri Voice Plan, and all remaining subscribers will be kicked from the Voice Plan at the end of their billing cycle. Siri Voice Plan subscribers who want to continue using Apple Music must upgrade to an Individual, Family, Student, or Apple One plan.

Apple Music introduced the Siri Voice Plan in 2021. The idea was simple and downright weird—subscribers could pay just $5 a month to access the full Apple Music catalog, but all of their streaming had to be done through Siri voice commands. Crucial functionality, including a dedicated user interface, lossless audio, and playlist creation, were absent from the Siri Voice Plan.

Despite its weirdness, the Siri Voice Plan wasn’t a bad deal. Some people only stream music through their HomePod. Others use Apple Music for music sources that don’t require a full user interface, like radio stations or personalized playlists. And when money’s tight, a cheap ad-free streaming plan is hard to come by. The Siri Voice Plan filled these roles with an ultra-competitive $5 per month price tag.

And, from Apple’s perspective, the Siri Voice Plan was probably a gateway drug to more expensive Apple Music memberships. If you didn’t have an active Apple Music subscription and asked Siri to stream a song, it would offer you a free trial for the Siri Voice Plan. That said, the voice-only plan was relatively unpopular and may have confused some customers. Apple hasn’t provided a reason for its discontinuation.

All Apple Music plans offer Siri voice functionality. If you’ve enjoyed your Siri Voice Plan membership, an upgrade to the Apple Music Individual for $11/mo plan may be worthwhile. The Family plan, which costs just a few dollars extra at $17/mo, can be shared among six people. And Apple One for $20/mo unlocks a suite of Apple services, including Arcade, News+, and additional iCloud storage. At the time of writing, the Apple Music Student plan is the cheapest entryway to Apple Music, though it’s only available to students persuing a degree or equivalent higher education course.

Source: Apple via MacMagazine