Apple chose not the best moment to remind everyone about itself. Since the day it became impossible to pay for subscriptions and apps in the Russian App Store, thousands of people started migrating to other regions, and changing your Apple ID region became an almost mandatory procedure. Now the company has raised prices on Apple Music, Apple One, and iCloud+ — and pulled the rug out from under users right where they had moved to. Let’s break down what exactly got more expensive, by how much, and why this hits hardest those who switched to an American or Turkish account.
Some Apple subscription prices have changed, get ready
New Apple Music and Apple One Prices
Let’s start with music. Apple Music has gone up in price for the first time in four years. The last increase was in October 2022, when the individual subscription rose from $9.99 to $10.99. And now there’s a new round.
Music subscription prices went up first
In the US and several other countries, Apple Music prices have increased as follows:
- Individual — $11.99 per month instead of the previous $10.99
- Family — $19.99 instead of $16.99
- Student — $6.99 instead of $5.99
Apple’s official reason is simple. The company stated that prices are going up due to increased licensing fees — that is, royalty payments to music rights holders. The wording is vague, but the point is clear: maintaining the catalog has become more expensive, and part of the costs have been passed on to subscribers.
Apple One bundles were also affected. The situation here is uneven, and the new prices look like this:
The Apple One bundle was also affected
- Individual — $19.95, remained the same
- Family — $27.95 instead of $25.95
- Premier — $39.95 instead of $37.95
As you can see, the individual plan was left untouched, while the Family and premium Premier plans each went up by two dollars. An interesting detail: shortly before this, Spotify itself raised prices in the US, and Apple even poked fun at the competitor on social media. And now it quietly did the same thing. Though, to be fair, even after the increase, Apple Music is still cheaper than Spotify — so the jab hasn’t entirely aged poorly.
Which Countries Saw iCloud+ Price Increases
If the music price changes didn’t affect everyone, the iCloud+ price increase will hit precisely and painfully. Apple updated its support document and raised cloud storage prices in eight countries at once.
iCloud didn’t escape the price hike either
The updated list of countries includes:
- Turkey
- Nigeria
- Vietnam
- Japan
- Egypt
- New Zealand
- Philippines
- Indonesia
Price increases range from 11 to 55 percent — depending on the plan and specific country. Nigeria was hit the hardest. There, the minimum 50 GB plan went from 900 to 1,300 naira, the steepest jump of all. But we’re much more interested in the second entry in this anti-ranking.
In second place for price growth is Turkey. The 50 GB plan there now costs 49.99 lira instead of the previous 39.99. A ten-lira increase looks modest only on paper — in percentage terms, it’s significant.
The reason for the price increase this time isn’t greed but currency exchange rate fluctuations. The Turkish lira has weakened significantly over the past year, with the dollar rising noticeably against it. A similar story applies to the Japanese yen, which dropped nearly 10 percent. Apple simply recalculated local prices to match the new exchange rate so that dollar revenue wouldn’t decline.
An important detail for those watching the US region: iCloud+ prices in the US have not changed. Nor in any other country not on this list of eight. So those who moved to a US account can breathe easy when it comes to cloud storage.
US or Turkey: Which Apple ID Region Is More Cost-Effective
This is where things get most interesting for Russian users. Turkey and the US are the two most popular destinations when changing regions, and the new price increases rearrange their pros and cons.
For a long time, the Turkish region was considered the budget option: subscriptions there traditionally cost less thanks to the weak lira. But that very weakness is now working against users. Since the lira keeps falling, Apple regularly revises prices upward, and yesterday’s savings are melting away. iCloud+ has already gotten more expensive, and there’s no guarantee this is the last time.
Apple raises prices less frequently in the US, plus Apple One is available
The US looks more stable in this regard. Yes, Apple Music got more expensive there, but cloud storage stayed the same, and the dollar as a currency doesn’t subject users to constant unpleasant surprises with recalculations.
There’s another point that people often forget. Changing regions brings along a bunch of minor consequences: from payment methods to the availability of specific apps and features. Before moving just to save a couple of dollars, it’s worth understanding the full picture.
