- Kyle Chua
Apple Music to Increase Student Plan Price in Singapore, Philippines
Students in certain countries may soon have to pay more to stay subscribed to Apple Music, with the Cupertino company reportedly planning to raise the prices of its discounted plan.
Emails have already been sent out to some Student Plan subscribers, notifying them about the forthcoming increase in the monthly rate, as AppleInsider reports. Twitter user "Nikhil" shared a screenshot of the email she received from Apple, which says the price of the plan will go up from US$1.49 to $1.99 starting June 20.
Apple hasn’t revealed the exact price difference for each country and when exactly the change will take effect. Going by the case of “Nikhil”, it’ll likely start sometime next month, though there has yet to be an official announcement. The current price of an Apple Music Student Plan in Singapore is S$4.98 a month.
The company also has yet to announce which countries will be affected by the change, but not all students in the world will see an increase in their monthly rates. MacRumors reports, so far, countries confirmed to be subject to the rise include Australia, India, Indonesia, Israel, Kenya, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, the Philippines and Singapore. However, more countries could possibly be added to this list in the future.
It's unclear, as of writing, why Apple suddenly decided to raise the cost of its Apple Music Student Plan, but the report suggests that it could be due to several reasons, such as currency challenges, licensing costs becoming more expensive or simply the company wanting to raise its profit margins.
Apple has long offered students a discounted price for its Apple Music subscription. They could essentially enjoy the same benefits as standard subscribers for a fraction of the price. All they had to do was verify that they're indeed students by signing-up with their ".edu" e-mail accounts and presenting their school IDs. Other music streaming services like Spotify and YouTube Premium similarly offer discounts to students.
Students in certain countries may soon have to pay more to stay subscribed to Apple Music, with the Cupertino company reportedly planning to raise the prices of its discounted plan.
Countries confirmed to be subject to the rise include Australia, India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Singapore, among others.
Apple hasn’t revealed the exact price difference for each country and when exactly the change will take effect.