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Apple Music appears to be testing tiered plans with skip limits

Strings found in the Apple Music Android beta reference "premium access" and a skip limit, suggesting Apple is trialling subscription tiers with different usage limits.

by TechDefused Newsroom
Apple Music appears to be testing tiered plans with skip limits

Apple appears to be testing tiered subscriptions for Apple Music after strings in the Android app beta refer to "premium access" and an error reading "Can't skip any more tracks."

The strings, reported by Aaron Perris in the beta build, describe usage gating that would introduce differentiated limits to Apple Music, Apple's music‑streaming service that currently costs $10.99 per month with a one‑month free trial.

"I think 'free' was a terrible idea," Apple Music head Oliver Schusser said in a Bloomberg interview.

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Skip limits are a common way streaming services separate free and paid plans, and Perris noted the strings could instead relate to a feature such as radio stations; Spotify, by contrast, advertises skipping "as many times as you want" as a paid benefit.

Their presence in the Android beta indicates Apple is actively testing the behaviour ahead of any public rollout.

by TechDefused Newsroom