Apple One is finally here. Announced during Apple’s September event, the bundle plans provide a more economical way to subscribe to Apple’s online services (Apple Music, Apple Arcade, iCloud, Apple TV+, News+, and Fitness). Apple One has three different tiers. The individual plan, for $15/month USD, gets you an individual Music subscription, TV+, Arcade and 50GB of iCloud. The family plan, for $20/month, provides a family Music plan, TV+, Arcade and 200GB of iCloud. And finally, the premier plan, for $30/month, gives you family Music, TV+, Arcade, 2TB of iCloud, News+ and Fitness+ (when it launches later this year).
However, a question I had was how Apple was planning on dealing with customers who already had subscriptions to Apple services and were switching to Apple One. Here is a breakdown of the different Apple One subscription scenarios.
Not currently on any Apple services
If you currently have no subscriptions to any Apple services, then signing up is pretty straightforward. When you subscribe to Apple One, your first month is a free trial. After your first month, you are then charged monthly. Apple One is only available as a monthly subscription.
Currently using one or more Apple services, but one or more services you never used the free trial
This scenario is a bit more complicated. If you are currently subscribed to one or more Apple services, but there is one or more Apple service you never signed up for and thus never used the free trial for, you will enrol in the month free trial for Apple One, but not get refunded for the last month you paid.
For example, say you are subscribed to Apple Music, Apple Arcade and iCloud, and you never signed up and used the free trials for News+ and Apple TV+. When you sign up for Apple One, you will be put on the month free trial so that you can get News and TV free for the month, but you will not be refunded for Music, Arcade and iCloud. Instead, when Apple One rolls into the next month, and you start paying, all your previous subscriptions will just be cancelled. And, if you pay annually for any services, you will get a pro-rated refund for those once you start paying for Apple One.
Currently on one or more Apple services, and used all free trials
This is the situation I was in and I am sure many people are in. You are already subscribed to one or more Apple services and you are switching over to an Apple One bundle, and you’ve used all the free trials in the past.
To start, you do not get the free trial of Apple One. Instead, Apple will immediately charge the monthly Apple One fee, and then you will be refunded for all the services you paid for. In my case, I was paying monthly for Apple Music, 2TB of iCloud and Apple Arcade. I signed up for Apple One which immediately cancelled my three subscriptions and triggered a refund of the last monthly payments I made.
For anyone making annual payments, you will get a pro-rated refund for the services you had been paying yearly for and will start paying monthly for Apple One.
Greater Value for What You’re Already Paying
Apple One is a great way to dive deep into Apple’s ecosystem. If you already pay for two or more Apple services, you will greatly benefit from switching to an Apple One bundle. Essentially, if you subscribe to two or more of Apple’s services, it is well worth it to subscribe to one of these plans. You will either save money or gain access to additional services for the same price you are paying now.
