In 2022, Apple Music surpassed 78 million subscribers, making it the second-largest audio streaming platform in the world behind only Spotify.
Does Apple Music have ads?
Since it was created, Apple Music has always been ad-free. This means you won’t be interrupted by advertisements when listening to your favorite music if you subscribe to the platform, which most people agree can be very annoying especially if you’re part way through an album.
Being free of ads is just one of the many reasons that millions of music lovers prefer to use Apple Music around the world. The smooth functionality of the app, combined with the massive selection of music and podcasts are just two of the reasons that Apple Music is so popular.
In this guide, we’ll look into why Apple Music doesn’t have ads, and whether there are any exceptions to this rule.
Is Apple Music Ad-Free?
Apple Music is unlike many other streaming platforms, in that there is no permanent free subscription available. When you first sign up for Apple Music, you get a three-month free trial, then you can choose between three different paid plans.
Whether you choose the individual plan for $9.99 per month, or you opt for the family plan for $14.99 per month, you can guarantee that there will be no ads interrupting you while you listen to your favorite music.
The lack of ads is one of the main reasons that millions of users prefer Apple Music over other popular streaming platforms. It can be extremely annoying when you’re listening to an album or playlist and an advertisement interrupts the flow of the music.
Apple has stated that keeping Apple Music ad-free is one of their priorities, and so far they’ve managed to do so. Nevertheless, there has been some controversy recently, when users have suggested different Apple One radio shows in between songs in some playlists.
Indeed, there’s a big difference between first-party and third-party advertising, and Apple could argue that they are simply directing users to content within the platform that they believe they will enjoy.
Some users have stated their dissatisfaction with this recent addition to playlists, and have accused Apple of backtracking on its “ad-free” promise.
Other than this issue, Apple Music remains free of advertisements and that is likely to remain the case for the foreseeable future.
Check out this YouTube video that shows how to use Apple Music.
Which Streaming Platform Has the Least Ads?
Apple Music is one of the most popular streaming platforms in the world, along with the likes of Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, and Tidal. Each of these platforms has different policies when it comes to advertisements.
Spotify is available both as a free platform and as Spotify Premium, which costs $9.99 per month and allows users to access several benefits. One of these benefits is that it removes all ads from the service. The free version includes adverts after approximately 20-30 minutes of listening.
When you sign up for Spotify Premium, all of the ads will be removed from the platform, just like Apple Music.
Amazon Music is also available as a free version, or as a paid subscription. The free version, like Spotify, includes ads, while the paid subscription will allow you to enjoy music without being interrupted.
If you already use Amazon Prime for its video and shopping benefits, you will also get ad-free music as part of your membership.
YouTube Music is the same as Spotify and Amazon in that you only get ads if you use the free version of the platform. Once you sign up to YouTube Music’s paid subscription, the ads will disappear.
Apple Music is the only streaming platform that is ad-free without costing any money, but this will expire after the three-month trial ends and you will have to pay to continue using the platform.
| Streaming Platform | Monthy Cost | Ads |
| Apple Music | $9.99 (initial free 3-month trial) | No |
| Spotify | Free | Yes |
| Spotify Premium | $9.99 | No |
| Amazon Music | Free | Yes |
| Amazon Music Unlimited | $9.99 | No |
Why Streaming Platforms Have Ads
With millions of users worldwide, you might be wondering why streaming platforms like Spotify and Amazon Music have ads in the first place. The answer to that question is simple – it generates income from users that don’t want to pay for a subscription.
If you’ve ever heard the saying that “if something is free, that means you’re the product”, it is quite appropriate here. When you sign up for a free version of a streaming platform, you get to listen to music without giving any money to the company.
If the streaming platform didn’t earn anything from its users, it would be unable to continue providing a service. Therefore, taking money from advertisers is an effective way to monetize every user, regardless of which subscription they choose.
Apple Music has opted to go down a slightly different route to other popular platforms by refusing to include any ads at all. However, rather than allowing users to stay on a free subscription indefinitely, they force them to decide after three months.
This is a very clever tactic because the chances are after three months of using Apple Music on a free trial, the user isn’t going to want to give it up. They, therefore, are willing to pay the $.9.99 monthly subscription to retain access to the ad-free streaming of their favorite tracks, albums, and playlists.
Related Questions
What’s the difference between iTunes and Apple Music?
Apple Music is a streaming platform that allows you to subscribe for access to a wide range of songs and albums. iTunes is a free program that is used to manage your library of music and sync it to your devices.
Can you download songs from Apple Music?
Apple Music allows its users to download any song or album for offline listening. This means that you can enjoy your favorite tracks even when you don’t have an internet connection or mobile data.
Does Apple Music drain your battery?
Apple Music will use battery power if it is being used, or if it is open in the background of your device. However, the amount of battery it uses isn’t significantly more than any other app.
