Apple is moving Apple TV and Apple Arcade to iCloud+ at no extra cost in more than 100 countries, starting with the cheapest storage plan. Where this applies, individual subscriptions to both services will be discontinued, and Apple One will no longer accept new customers. Germany, Austria, and Switzerland are not on any of the lists.
The change was announced via a notice in the Apple Newsroom, which Apple distributed regionally. The key point: Anyone subscribing to iCloud+ in one of the affected countries will receive Apple TV and Apple Arcade at no extra cost – even with the 50GB plan, which starts at the equivalent of $0.99 per month in those countries. Details on what iCloud+ previously included and how the different tiers differ can be found in the overview of iCloud and its plans.
Key Facts at a Glance
- Apple TV and Apple Arcade will soon be included in iCloud+ at no extra cost in over 100 countries, starting with the smallest plan.
- Individual subscriptions to both services will be discontinued there; existing subscriptions will be moved to iCloud+; game saves will be retained.
- Apple One is no longer accepting new customers in these countries.
- Apple TV is launching in 59 new countries and will then be available in 170 countries.
- The list of countries does not include a single EU member state, nor Switzerland, Great Britain or the USA.
What is changing in the affected countries
The transition will last until the end of September. Affected countries include India, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as large parts of Africa, the Caribbean, and Central Asia.
| Service | Until now | After the changeover |
|---|---|---|
| Apple TV | Single subscription | Included in the iCloud+ plan, individual subscription not required |
| Apple Arcade | Single subscription | Included in the iCloud+ plan, individual subscription not required |
| Apple Music | Single subscription | Apple Music Select with ad-free stations included, full access at a reduced price |
| Apple One | Bundle available | No new registrations allowed; existing customers retain access. |
Existing individual subscriptions will be canceled; access will continue via iCloud+. Apple explicitly guarantees that game saves and progress will be retained for Apple Arcade. The plan can be shared with up to five other people via Family Sharing.
The list is not subject to any regulation, but rather reflects market conditions
The list of European countries includes only those outside the EU: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Armenia, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Ukraine. No member state of the European Union is represented, nor is Switzerland, and the major established markets are also missing – the United States, Great Britain, Japan, Canada, and Australia.
For German-speaking countries, this simply means: everything remains the same. Apple TV and Apple Arcade will continue to cost extra, Apple One remains available to new customers, and iCloud+ will remain a storage service with the familiar additional features. Anyone reading this as an announcement of a cheaper bundle in Germany will be disappointed.
What the layout says about the strategy
In the affected countries, Apple One is now closed to new customers, while the cheapest storage plan includes two services that were previously billed separately. Access to Apple's services will now be via the storage plan rather than a subscription package.
The jump in reach is remarkable: 59 new countries at once, followed by a total of 170. For a service whose catalog is almost entirely produced in English, expanding into markets with other languages is an attempt at growth through price, not programming. Whether this translates into paying subscribers depends on dubbing and local productions – both of which are currently unavailable for most of the new countries.
This approach relies on price being the deciding factor for entry. Is price the deciding factor for you – or rather what the catalog says and in which language it's available? Let us know in the comments what it's all about for you.
