Apple announced an increase in the price of Apple Music and, yes, once again you have to pay more to listen to your usual playlists. This is the first increase the company has applied since 2022, so if you were wondering why your bill came in higher this month, here's the full explanation.

How much does each Apple Music plan go up?

Apple confirmed that the increase took effect on July 17, 2026 and affects all plans available in the United States. The company assures that the reason behind the adjustment is the music licensing costs that it continues to pay to labels and artists, and that they seek to ensure that music is never free for those who create it.

This is what you paid before and what you will pay now in each modality:

The plan that felt the blow the most was the Family plan, with an increase of $3 dollars per month, while the Individual and Student plans only rose by $1 dollar each. Nothing dramatic if you look at it month by month, but when you add it up over a year the difference is already quite noticeable, especially if the family account is shared between several people.

Apple One also got more expensive

If you have the Apple One package, which combines Apple Music with Apple TV , Apple Arcade and iCloud , you will also receive the increase although in a more even way. The Family plan went from $25.95 to $27.95 dollars per month and the Premier plan went from $37.95 to $39.95 dollars per month. The Apple One Individual plan remains the same at $19.95 per month, so if you have that version you will not notice any changes to your card.

The interesting thing is that Apple clarified that this adjustment does not depend on exchange rates or specific markets, but rather applies globally regardless of the local currency. That is, it is not something isolated to the United States, the increase reached practically all countries where the service is available.

What this means for your pocketbook and for Spotify

Here comes the part that probably interests you the most if you are comparing platforms. Apple Music is still cheaper than Spotify Premium, which this year also raised its price to $12.99 per month for its Individual plan. The difference between both services is now just $1 a month, but in family plans the gap opens up more because Spotify Family costs $21.99 compared to Apple's $19.99.

What many users are wondering is whether it is worth staying with Apple Music or looking for another alternative, and honestly the answer depends on your ecosystem. If you already use an iPhone, Mac, or iPad every day, an increase of a dollar or three probably isn't going to make you switch apps, especially since Apple Music is still seamlessly integrated with Siri, HomePod, and CarPlay.

Now, if you are one of those who share plans with the whole family or the budget is already tight, these types of gradual increases do end up weighing when the subscriptions accumulate one after another.

It is worth remembering that this is only the second price increase that Apple Music has applied since it launched the service, the previous one was in October 2022. That means that the company maintained the same price for almost four years, something unusual among streaming platforms that usually adjust rates every year or two.

If you're a current subscriber, chances are you've already received a notification from Apple alerting you of the new charge, so check your email or the Settings app to confirm when it will apply to your next renewal.

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