Earlier this month Apple announced that it would end the free radio-listening feature at the end of January but would remain available to Apple Music subscribers.
True to earlier reports, today Apple officially announced the end of free streaming of its iTunes Radio channels worldwide. The catalogue of stations will now be incorporated into its subscription-based Apple Music service.Although the stations are not entirely gone, if users want to access them again they will need to pay $9.99 for the Apple Music streaming subscription service.
As of this morning, iOS Music app users who tap on a radio station are bounced to a screen prompting them to join Apple’s premium streaming music service. Likewise, iTunes users on a Mac who attempt to access the stations or create their own are met with a dialog window asking them to “Get on Our Wavelength” and join Apple Music. Users with an iTunes Match subscription are also no longer able to access the stations. However, Apple’s Beats 1 radio channel remains available to iTunes users worldwide as a free listening option.
Apple had quietly continued to offer ad-supported iTunes Radio stations in the United States and Australia even after the launch of Apple Music on June 30, 2015. However, the feature was already being limited in other regions to those who pay for Apple’s streaming music service.
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