Apple One Explained

Apple One
Developer:Apple
Type:Subscription service bundle
Launched:October 30, 2020
Status:Active

Apple One is a subscription service that bundles several premium services from Apple into tiered packages, first offered in late 2020. The three tiers offered are Individual, Family, and Premier, with all three providing access to Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and iCloud storage (50 GB for Individual, 200 GB for Family, and 2TB for Premier). The Premier tier also includes Apple News+ and Apple Fitness+. Both family and premier packages allow family sharing for up to six accounts. Additional iCloud storage can be purchased on top of an Apple One subscription.

Description

Apple One was announced on September 15, 2020, during the Apple Event and later launched globally on October 30.[1] Plans for a services bundle had been in development at Apple for years, as part of the company's efforts to increase its revenue from services and decrease its reliance on hardware sales.[2]

The subscription groups' premium services are provided by Apple in tiered packages. The three tiers offered are Individual, Family, and Premier, with all three providing access to Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and iCloud storage (50 GB for Individual, 200 GB for Family, and 2TB for Premier). The Premier tier also includes Apple News+ and Apple Fitness+. Both family and premier packages allow family sharing for up to six accounts. Additional iCloud storage can be purchased on top of an Apple One subscription.

Apple One subscription bundles are designed to entice users to subscribe to other services they might not otherwise consider, such as Apple Arcade or Apple News+, by offering them together at a discounted price.[3] [4]

At launch, the service cost $14.95/month for an Individual Plan, $19.95/month for a Family Plan, and $29.95/month for a Premier Plan. At these prices, a user who would intend to pay for each component service contained in the Individual bundle would save roughly $6 monthly by instead paying for Apple One at the Individual tier, while under the same premise, a Family tier subscriber would save $8 per month, and a Premier tier subscriber roughly $25 per month.

Currently, Apple One is priced as $19.95/month for the Individual Plan, $25.95/month for the Family Plan, and $37.95/month for the Premier Plan.[5] At these prices, assuming the user intended to purchase the services separately, the Individual Plan saves users roughly $9 monthly, a Family Plan saves $11 monthly, and the Premier Plan saves $29 monthly.

In late 2025, after the Apple TV rebrand, Apple also rebranded the Apple One logo, displaying the Apple logo in 6 color slices, resembling its former Apple logo used in the Jobs' era. Each color in this new logo reflects one of Apple's services.[6]

Price increases

On October 24, 2022, Apple announced it would increase the prices of Apple One (along with Apple Music and Apple TV+) subscriptions in many regions. The Individual plan increased $2 to $16.95/month, the Family plan increased $3 to $22.95/month, and the Premier plan increased $3 to $32.95/month.[7]

At these prices, assuming the user intended to purchase the services separately, the Individual Plan saved users about $7 per month, the Family Plan saved $8 per month, and the Premier Plan saved $24 per month.

On November 3, 2023, Apple announced it would increase the prices of Apple One subscriptions. The Individual plan increased $3 to $19.95/month, the Family plan increased $3 to $25.95/month The Premium Plan increased $5 to $37.95/month.[8]

Under the current pricing scheme, assuming the user intends to purchase services separately, the Individual Plan saves users roughly $9 monthly, the Family Plan saves $11 monthly, and the Premier Plan saves $29 monthly.

Reception

The Verge has compared the service to Amazon Prime, through its bundling of Amazon Prime Video and Amazon Music.[1] CNET noted that the service's biggest draw is its inclusion of iCloud services.[9]

Competitor Response

Spotify has raised concerns that Apple may be exploiting a dominant position, claiming that Apple One puts competitors at a disadvantage as consumers are favoured for using Apple's own services over alternatives, due to Apple's control of the iOS platform. Spotify called on competition regulators to act, arguing that the practice should be considered anti-competitive and, as such, subject to restrictions and regulation.[10]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Alexander . Julia . Apple confirms Apple One subscription bundle, bringing together Music, TV Plus, Arcade, and more . September 15, 2020 . . September 15, 2020 . en.
  2. News: Apple's Two-Word Plan for the Future of the Internet: Subscribe Now. Pullen. John Patrick. Forbes. March 24, 2019. March 25, 2019. March 25, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190325135825/http://fortune.com/2019/03/24/watch-apple-event-live-stream-television-news-service/. live.
  3. News: Katz. Brandon. May 19, 2020. Apple TV+ Switching Up Its Strategy to Lock Horns With Netflix. . May 19, 2020. May 20, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200520145913/https://observer.com/2020/05/apple-tv-plus-buying-old-shows-for-library-netflix/. live.
  4. News: Mayo. Benjamin. May 19, 2020. Bloomberg: Apple TV+ tops 10 million subscribers, company buying TV show and movie back catalog to expand service . 9to5Mac. May 19, 2020. May 26, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200526151238/https://9to5mac.com/2020/05/19/apple-tv-plus-back-catalog-subscribers/. live.
  5. Web site: Apple One . December 5, 2023 . Apple . en-US.
  6. Web site: Clover . Juli . 2025-11-03 . Apple One Gets New Colorful Logo Following Apple TV Rebrand [Updated] ]. 2025-11-19 . MacRumors . en.
  7. Web site: Apple Increasing Pricing of Apple Music, Apple TV+, and Apple One. MacRumors. Juli Clover. October 24, 2022. November 9, 2022.
  8. Web site: Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and Apple News+ Receiving Price Increases . October 25, 2023 .
  9. News: Cheng . Roger . The Apple One bundle's real killer app is its least sexy service . September 15, 2020 . CNET . September 15, 2020 . en.
  10. News: Duffy . Clare . Why Spotify is picking a fight with Apple over Apple One . November 30, 2020 . . September 19, 2020 . en.