Tomorrow will mark three months since the launch of iOS 8.4 and Apple Music, and this means that the first free trial sign-ups will begin expiring. In its latest push to retain users, Apple has begun emailing users with set-to-expire trials as well as pushing notifications to their devices. As can be seen in the image above, the notification encourages users to renew.
As we learned in the summer, users who do not manually end their free trial with Apple Music will be automatically opted into continuing their subscription for either $9.99 or $14.99 (family plan). Users who wish to not continue with Apple Music can disable their subscriptions manually via their iTunes account page. Last week, our own Ben Lovejoy weighed the pros and cons of Apple Music in order to make his own renewal decision.
Today’s notifications and emails are the latest in string of moves to retain users. Earlier this week, Apple posted a series of guided tours to explain how to navigate the Apple Music interface. Earlier this month, Apple began posting new advertisements for the services on its YouTube channel. These ads follow up posters on bus stops and buildings as well as television ads from earlier in the launch cycle.
As for how Apple’s efforts are fairing, it is worth noting that Spotify remains toward the top of Apple’s Top Grossing list in the App Store (shown above), with Pandora not far behind. The latest unofficial stats indicate that roughly 37 million Americans have used Apple Music, which is actually available in several countries across the globe.
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Funny thing is, Apple probably makes more profit from taking 30% of the $13 Spotify charges on iOS than they do for a subscription to Apple Music.
Seriously people, stop paying $13 a month for Spotify for no reason whatsoever.