Judgment day for Apple Music: Will you be subscribing once the trial ends?
Today marks the three-month anniversary of the launch of Apple Music, but more importantly, the end of the streaming service's free trial period for anyone who signed up on day one. At last count, six weeks after its debut, Apple counted over 11 million trial users -- a figure that could've only swollen since. But none of that really matters. The initial success of Apple Music will be defined over the coming days and weeks as the earliest of adopters decide whether or not to become subscribers, paying $10 or £10 each month for continued access to over 30 million tracks.
With a relatively generous trial period and several platform exclusives already, Apple's made a concerted effort to win over early users. But, being late to the game, it's up against strong competition from Spotify, Google Play Music and others -- and many of you will have countless playlists and a comfortable familiarity with these established alternatives. Moreover, Apple Music doesn't have a free listening option of any kind, so the only way to give it the thumbs-up is to open your wallet. Also remember that Beats 1, the online radio station launched at the same time, is free for everyone (at least for now). So, if you've been digging the big-name DJs and the celebrity guest spots, you can continue to do so without spending a cent.
It's been suggested that plenty of Apple Music users have made their decision already. Just in case you weren't aware, though, you need to switch off your subscription auto-renewal if you don't want to get charged after the three-month trial period expires. Luckily, whether you want to do that on your iPhone or through iTunes, it's not too much trouble. Within the Apple Music app for iOS, you need to prod at the "Account" icon (top left) and head into "View Apple ID." From there, swipe down to the "Subscriptions" header and tap on "Manage," where you'll find the toggle to turn off auto-renewal.
Similarly, you can do the same in iTunes by clicking on the "Account" icon next to the search bar, and selecting "Account Info." Scroll down to the "Settings" header, find the "Subscriptions" field and click on "Manage." This is where you'll find the option to "Edit" your Apple Music Membership preferences and disable auto-renewal. If you're quite happy to pay for continued access to Apple's streaming service, however, then you can ignore these instructions. So, tell us: will you be subscribing?
