Can I use Apple Music for free?

What is Apple Music?

Apple Music is a streaming service developed by Apple that gives users access to over 90 million songs, expert-curated playlists, music videos, live radio stations, and more (Apple Music). It allows subscribers to stream Apple’s extensive music catalog as well as their own library of purchased music. The service is available across Apple devices like iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV and is also accessible on Android and Windows.

The core of Apple Music is its streaming library of over 90 million songs that span a wide variety of genres (PCMag). This gives users a vast selection of music to stream on-demand. In addition to the core music library, Apple Music offers pre-curated playlists tailored to different genres, moods, activities and interests. There are also radio stations covering genres like hip hop, country, rock, pop and more. These are hosted by music experts and include original programming. To complement the audio, Apple Music provides a library of music videos that users can stream on-demand.

Is There a Free Trial Available?

Yes, Apple Music offers a free 3-month trial for new users. This gives you full access to Apple Music’s catalog of over 100 million songs, playlists, music videos, and more during the trial period. You can stream any song or playlist, create your own playlists, listen offline, get personalized recommendations, and use all of Apple Music’s features without paying during the trial. The free trial allows you to experience Apple Music as a paid subscriber would.

According to Apple’s website, “Listen free for three months, only with Apple Music. Get over 100 million songs, thousands of playlists, and endless artists, albums, and livestreams.” This highlights that the free trial provides complete access to Apple Music’s massive library and all the platform’s capabilities. As per BestBuy, the free trial lets you “Stream over 100 million songs ad-free” and “Hear sound all around with Spatial Audio.”

So in summary, new Apple Music users can take full advantage of a 3-month free trial to use all Apple Music features and access its entire catalog without paying. This allows you to get a comprehensive feel for the service before deciding whether to subscribe.

Can I Listen to Apple Music Without Paying?

Apple Music does offer some free listening options, but full access to the Apple Music library is only free during the trial period. Once the free trial ends, you need to pay for a subscription to continue streaming songs, albums, and playlists.

However, there are parts of Apple Music you can use for free even without a paid subscription:

Apple Music Radio – This includes stations like Beats 1 radio, country radio, classic rock radio, and genre stations. These function like traditional radio stations and do not require a subscription.
Music videos – You can watch music videos from Apple Music without a subscription.

Previews – You can preview any song in the Apple Music catalog, but only get to listen to a short snippet.

So while Apple Music Radio and previews allow some free listening, full songs on-demand require an Apple Music subscription after the trial ends. There is no way to get unlimited, free access to the full Apple Music library without paying.

Source: https://www.macworld.com/article/675739/how-to-get-apple-music-for-free-2.html

What Features are Included in the Free Trial?

The free trial of Apple Music comes with full access to Apple Music’s catalog of over 100 million songs. This allows you to stream any song in the Apple Music library without any ads interrupting your listening.

The free trial also includes the ability to download songs, albums, and playlists for offline listening when you don’t have an internet connection. This is a great feature for listening on the go when you may not have a stable connection.

Finally, the Apple Music free trial provides an ad-free music experience. You can enjoy uninterrupted listening without any audio or visual ads. This creates a seamless listening experience compared to free music platforms that interrupt with ads.

In summary, the key features included with the Apple Music free trial are:

Full catalog access
Downloads for offline listening

Ad-free music

What Happens When the Trial Ends?

When the free 3-month trial period for Apple Music ends, the subscription will automatically renew at the regular monthly price. This is $9.99 per month for an individual plan in the United States.

Apple will send reminders as the end of the free trial approaches, but if you do nothing the subscription will renew and you will be charged. According to discussions on Apple’s support forums, Apple does not offer refunds if you forgot to cancel and were charged for a renewal (Source).

So it’s important to be aware of when exactly your free trial ends if you do not wish to continue the paid Apple Music subscription. You can check your expiration date anytime under your Apple ID account settings.

How to Cancel Apple Music Before Paying

The key to avoiding getting charged for Apple Music is to turn off auto-renew in your account settings before the end of the free trial period. Here are the steps to cancel Apple Music before you get charged:

Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad and tap on your Apple ID at the top.

Select ‘Subscriptions’ and tap on your Apple Music membership.
Tap ‘Cancel Subscription’ and confirm you want to cancel when prompted.

This will turn off auto-renewal for your Apple Music membership so you won’t get charged when the trial ends. Just make sure to do this at least 24 hours before your free trial is set to expire. You can always go back and re-enable auto-renew if you change your mind and want to subscribe. For more details, see Apple’s support site.

Non-Subscriber Apple Music Options

While an Apple Music subscription provides full access to the Apple Music library of over 90 million songs, non-subscribers still have some options for listening to music in the Apple Music app without paying. Some key features available to non-subscribers include:

Radio Stations – Non-subscribers can listen to Apple’s curated radio stations like Beats 1, Apple Music Hits, Apple Music Country, and over 100 other genre and mood based stations. This provides a way to discover new music and limited on-demand playback.

Limited Playlists and Music Videos – Non-subscribers have access to a limited selection of Apple Music playlists and music videos. While the full library requires a paid subscription, non-subscribers can still enjoy some curated playlists and music videos.

Overall, non-subscribers have access to a smaller subset of Apple Music features. While full on-demand playback requires a paid subscription, non-subscribers can still use radio stations and some playlists to discover new music through the Apple Music app.

Using Family Sharing

One way to get access to Apple Music without paying is by joining someone else’s Family Sharing group. Family Sharing allows up to 6 people in a family to share subscriptions to services like Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and more.

With Family Sharing, the family organizer sets up the plan and invites other family members to join. Once joined, each person gets full access to all shared subscriptions and doesn’t need to pay anything themselves. This means you can get the full Apple Music experience including unlimited streaming and downloads at no cost if someone adds you to their Family Sharing plan.

According to Apple’s Family Sharing support page, “Family Sharing makes it easy for up to six family members to share Apple subscriptions including Apple Music…” (https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201088). So as long as there is room in the family group, you can be added and get Apple Music access completely free.

Student Discounts

Apple offers a discounted Apple Music student plan for eligible students enrolled at a degree-granting college or university. The Apple Music student plan costs just $4.99/month, compared to the regular $9.99/month individual plan (Apple Music). This student subscription rate is available for up to 48 months.

To qualify for the student discount, you must be 18 years or older and enrolled in an eligible college or university. You’ll need to verify your student status by providing documentation to Apple. Once verified, you can subscribe to the Apple Music student plan through your Apple ID account. The student plan gives you full access to Apple Music’s catalog of over 100 million songs, playlists, music videos and more.

The student plan can be shared with up to 5 additional family members through Apple’s Family Sharing feature. Each family member gets their own separate Apple Music account. This allows college students to share cheaper access to Apple Music with their family.

Other Ways to Get Apple Music Free/Cheap

There are a few other promotional offers that can get you Apple Music for free or at a discounted rate:

Bundle with Verizon Unlimited – Verizon offers 6 months of Apple Music for free when you sign up for certain unlimited plans (see https://www.verizon.com/plans/unlimited/). After the 6 months, you would need to pay $9.99/month to continue.

Free Apple TV+ trial – New Apple Music subscribers can get 3 months of Apple TV+ for free when signing up (see https://www.apple.com/apple-tv-plus/). This provides access to Apple original content and shows.

So bundling your phone plan or taking advantage of other Apple promotions can be a way to access Apple Music for free or at a discount, at least for a limited time.