Apple Music, when it launched, wasn’t shy about giving away access to the app. New device owners found themselves netting multiple months of access, and even now you can snag six months of streaming without paying a cent. Other than the cash money you gave Apple for a new audio device, obviously.
But if you’re just a regular person trying to get a regular free trial, we’re sorry to say that Apple’s got enough users now. Apple Music is popular enough now that the company is able to trim back how much free access you get.
Marketing Apple Music
Most recently, the standard trial period for Apple Music was a weighty three months of free streaming. The company’s cut that back to just one month for new subscribers. After that, the service starts charging users R60 a month.
First spotted by MacOtakara, the drop has occurred with very little fanfare at all. It’s also a universal change. Even South Africa’s version of the app has the update, but we’re not special. Every other location on the planet also has to deal with the fact that instead of 90 days of free Apple streaming, they’re only allowed 30.
Apple hasn’t given any reasons for paring back its free trial, but the answer is likely just visibility. It made sense to give out a year’s free access when the company was trying to get on the radar. Now that the streaming service is a force in the global arena, Apple can afford to be a little less generous.