• Home
  • News
  • Fortune 500
  • Tech
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechBest Companies

Some Apple Music Free Trial Users Charged Fee for Access

By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
May 22, 2017, 12:11 PM ET

Apple Music’s free trial isn’t free any longer for some testers.

The iPhone maker has started charging customers in Australia, Spain, and Switzerland to access Apple Music for three months, Apple-tracking site AppleInsider is reporting. Apple’s divisions in those countries are charging the equivalent of 99 cents in the local currency. Fortune separately confirmed the charges, which are listed on Apple’s site.

Since its release in 2015, Apple Music has provided customers a paid streaming-music option. Apple (AAPL) has also offered a free, three-month trial for customers to try out the service before they buy. Upon gaining access to Apple Music, users can stream millions of songs from Apple’s library and create playlists. Apple Music also has a recommendation engine that will recommend songs based on user taste.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter

It’s unclear why Apple is charging for access to its service and why some countries are affected and others are not. AppleInsider speculated that Apple pays royalties on all streams, including those played over free trials, and might be trying to defray some of those costs by charging customers.

For its part, Apple hasn’t commented on the change and whether other fees will be assessed on people trying out Apple Music in other countries. The company did not respond to a Fortune request for comment on the move.

About the Author
By Don Reisinger
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

person
CybersecurityDigital
Dictionaries’ words of the year are trying to tell us something about being online in 2025
By Roger J. KreuzDecember 5, 2025
33 minutes ago
Greg Peters
Big TechMedia
Top analyst says Netflix’s $72 billion bet on Warner Bros. isn’t about the ‘Death of Hollywood’ at all. It’s really about Google
By Nick LichtenbergDecember 5, 2025
2 hours ago
Elon Musk, wearing a suit and in front of a dark blue background, looks to the side and frowns.
Big TechTesla
Elon Musk says Tesla owners will soon be able to text while driving, despite it being illegal in nearly all 50 states
By Sasha RogelbergDecember 5, 2025
3 hours ago
Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive officer of Meta Platforms Inc., during the Meta Connect event in Menlo Park, California, US, on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023. Meta Platforms Inc. introduced its latest lineup of head-worn devices, staking fresh claim to the virtual and augmented-reality industry just ahead of Apple Inc. pushing into the market. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Big TechMeta
Mark Zuckerberg rebranded Facebook for the metaverse. Four years and $70 billion in losses later, he’s moving on
By Eva RoytburgDecember 5, 2025
4 hours ago
Construction workers are getting a salary bump for working on data center projects during the AI boom.
AIU.S. economy
Construction workers are earning up to 30% more and some are nabbing six-figure salaries in the data center boom
By Nino PaoliDecember 5, 2025
4 hours ago
Robert F. Kennedy
PoliticsHealth
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. turns to AI to make America healthy again
By Ali Swenson and The Associated PressDecember 5, 2025
5 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
Two months into the new fiscal year and the U.S. government is already spending more than $10 billion a week servicing national debt
By Eleanor PringleDecember 4, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
‘Godfather of AI’ says Bill Gates and Elon Musk are right about the future of work—but he predicts mass unemployment is on its way
By Preston ForeDecember 4, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Nearly 4 million new manufacturing jobs are coming to America as boomers retire—but it's the one trade job Gen Z doesn't want
By Emma BurleighDecember 4, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang admits he works 7 days a week, including holidays, in a constant 'state of anxiety' out of fear of going bankrupt
By Jessica CoacciDecember 4, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Real Estate
‘There is no Mamdani effect’: Manhattan luxury home sales surge after mayoral election, undercutting predictions of doom and escape to Florida
By Sasha RogelbergDecember 4, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Tariffs and the $38 trillion national debt: Kevin Hassett sees ’big reductions’ in deficit while Scott Bessent sees a ‘shrinking ice cube’
By Nick LichtenbergDecember 4, 2025
1 day ago
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.