Upgrading your Apple Music subscription allows you to get access to additional features and benefits. Apple Music offers individual, family, voice, and student plans, so there are a few different upgrade options depending on your current subscription.
Can I upgrade from an Individual to a Family subscription?
Yes, you can easily upgrade from an Individual Apple Music subscription to a Family subscription. The Family plan allows up to 6 users to share the same Apple Music subscription using Family Sharing. To upgrade:
- Open the Apple Music app on your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch.
- Tap on the “Listen Now” tab at the bottom.
- Tap your profile picture in the top right corner.
- Tap “View Apple ID”.
- Tap “Manage”.
- Under Subscriptions, tap “Upgrade to Family”.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to upgrade your plan.
The Family plan costs $19.99 per month in the US, compared to $9.99 per month for an Individual subscription. All family members get access to Apple Music with their own accounts and personalized recommendations.
How do I upgrade from a Voice plan to an Individual or Family plan?
If you currently have an Apple Music Voice Plan that was purchased through Siri, you can upgrade to an Individual or Family subscription right from your iPhone or iPad:
- Open the Apple Music app.
- Tap the “Listen Now” tab.
- Tap your profile picture in the top right corner.
- Tap “View Apple ID”.
- Tap “Manage Subscriptions”.
- Under Active Subscriptions, tap “Upgrade Individual Plan” or “Upgrade Family Plan”
- Follow the instructions to complete the upgrade purchase.
The Voice plan is $4.99 per month, so upgrading to an Individual plan at $9.99 per month or a Family plan at $19.99 per month gives you full access to Apple Music’s catalog of over 100 million songs, playlists, music videos, and more.
Can I upgrade from a Student subscription to a regular Individual or Family plan?
Yes, when your Apple Music Student subscription expires, you can easily upgrade to a standard Individual or Family plan. Student plans last for 1 year before needing to be renewed. Here are the steps to upgrade when your plan expires:
- A few days before your Student plan expires, you’ll get a notification from Apple asking if you want to renew at the student rate or upgrade to an Individual or Family plan.
- Tap on the notification when it appears.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to select an Individual plan for $9.99/month or a Family plan for $19.99/month.
- Enter payment information and complete the upgrade.
You can also follow these steps at any time to manually upgrade from a Student subscription:
- Open the Apple Music app and tap your profile picture.
- Tap “View Apple ID”.
- Tap “Manage”.
- Under Subscriptions, tap “Upgrade to Individual” or “Upgrade to Family”.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the upgrade.
How much does it cost to upgrade my Apple Music subscription?
Here is a breakdown of the monthly subscription costs for upgrading your Apple Music plan:
- Upgrading from Voice to Individual:
- Voice Plan: $4.99/month
- Individual Plan: $9.99/month
- Upgrading from Voice to Family:
- Voice Plan: $4.99/month
- Family Plan: $19.99/month
- Upgrading from Student to Individual:
- Student Plan: $4.99/month
- Individual Plan: $9.99/month
- Upgrading from Student to Family:
- Student Plan: $4.99/month
- Family Plan: $19.99/month
- Upgrading from Individual to Family:
- Individual Plan: $9.99/month
- Family Plan: $19.99/month
So in summary, upgrading to an Individual plan costs $5 more per month than a Voice or Student plan. Upgrading to a Family plan costs $10 more per month than an Individual plan, or $15 more than a Voice or Student plan.
What features do I get when I upgrade?
Upgrading your Apple Music subscription unlocks additional features depending on the plan:
| Plan | Notable Features |
|---|---|
| Individual |
|
| Family |
|
| Voice |
|
| Student |
|
The main benefits of upgrading are getting full access to Apple Music’s catalog for offline and ad-free listening, and being able to share your plan with family members.
Do I lose any content if I upgrade my plan?
No, you will not lose any of your saved Apple Music content when upgrading your subscription. This includes:
- Your Apple Music library with saved songs, albums, and playlists
- Custom stations you’ve created
- Recent listening history
- Downloaded music for offline listening
All of your Apple Music content and data is stored in your account, so everything seamlessly transfers over when you upgrade to a higher subscription plan.
Can I get a discount when upgrading?
Unfortunately Apple does not offer any discounts for upgrading your Apple Music subscription at this time. The upgrade prices are fixed at the regular monthly prices:
- Individual: $9.99/month
- Family: $19.99/month
However, students can get a discounted rate of $4.99/month for an Individual Apple Music subscription for up to 4 years.
What if I want to downgrade my Apple Music subscription?
You can also downgrade your Apple Music subscription if you want. To downgrade, you will need to turn off auto-renewal for your Family or Individual plan subscription and then sign up for the lower subscription tier you want.
Here are the steps to downgrade from an Individual plan to a Voice plan:
- Go to Settings > [your name] > Subscriptions.
- Tap your Apple Music subscription.
- Toggle OFF the auto-renewal option.
- When your subscription expires, open the Apple Music app.
- Tap the profile icon, then “View Apple ID”.
- Under “Subscriptions”, select “Get Apple Music Voice Plan”.
- Follow the instructions to activate the Voice plan.
To downgrade from a Family plan, turn off Family Sharing so other members don’t get removed, then follow the same steps.
Will I lose favorites if I downgrade my Apple Music subscription?
Your music library, playlists, and other data will still be available if you downgrade your subscription, but you may lose access to some content:
- Downgrading from Individual to Voice: You’ll only have access to content available in Voice plan catalog.
- Downgrading from Family to Individual: Family members will lose access unless they have their own subscription.
- Downgrading from any plan to Student: Lose access when student eligibility expires.
So while your library is still intact, you may not be able to play certain songs if you’ve downgraded to a more limited subscription plan.
Should I upgrade my Apple Music subscription?
Upgrading your Apple Music subscription can be worth it if you want these benefits:
- Access to Apple Music’s full catalog of over 100 million songs, playlists, and music videos.
- Download music for offline listening.
- Ad-free, uninterrupted listening experience.
- Higher quality audio (e.g. Lossless).
- Share plan with family at a lower combined cost.
The Voice and Student plans offer more limited access, so upgrading provides a more complete Apple Music experience. But if you just use Apple Music occasionally or only care about a limited selection of music, a cheaper subscription may still meet your needs.
Overall, weigh the benefits of the expanded catalog, features, and family sharing against the higher monthly cost to decide if upgrading is worthwhile for you!
Conclusion
Upgrading your Apple Music subscription opens up Apple Music and provides a fuller experience. With an Individual or Family plan, you get unlimited access to Apple’s huge catalog of music, ad-free listening, the ability to download for offline playback, and premium audio quality. You can upgrade seamlessly from more limited Voice or Student plans. While upgrades come at an increased monthly cost, you get a lot of great extra benefits and features. Evaluate your personal needs and frequency of use to decide if paying more per month for an upgraded Apple Music subscription plan makes sense for you.