Apple is loath to admit it, but iCloud+ is effectively mandatory when you buy an iPhone or iPad, and probably for most Mac owners as well. The 5GB you get for free isn’t enough to back up a single iPhone, much less multiple devices and a reasonable photo and video library. If you want to use iCloud as a universal file locker, I can’t imagine getting away with less than a 200GB iCloud+ plan, or more plausibly, 2TB.
The company does try to compensate with extra perks. In most regions, you get access to extra privacy features, as well as HomeKit Secure Video for compatible cameras and doorbells. Some Apple Intelligence features are limited to the most expensive iCloud+ tiers. Recently, Apple decided to sweeten the pot in many markets. I’ll explain how and where, as well as some unexpected twists.
The new iCloud+ deal
A mysterious set of discrepancies
On September 16, Apple announced that in over 100 countries, it’s now bundling iCloud+ with two streaming services: Apple TV and Apple Arcade. In supported regions, this applies to all storage tiers. I probably don’t have to explain Apple TV to you, but it’s worth noting that Arcade offers access to hundreds of games, some of them permanent or temporary exclusives that you can’t buy separately.
One of the twists here is that where this bundle applies, Apple is removing the option to subscribe to TV or Arcade independently, and migrating the people who did pay for those services. Presumably, Apple is shifting customers to the cheapest possible iCloud+ tier if they’re not already paying for it, but that’s obviously difficult to confirm with so many regions involved. Existing Apple One customers should be unaffected, although you may no longer be able to sign up as a new One customer.
Another perk is access to Apple Music, but only partial. What you’re really getting is Select, a set of curated stations with “regionally relevant music,” as Apple describes it. To play music on-demand, or even the full set of stations and playlists, you need to pay up. You may, however, qualify for a discount if you do. Check terms on your country’s website.
There’s no comprehensive list for availability, but India, Mozambique, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates are among the confirmed countries. What’s bound to disappoint most of you is the list of excluded regions. The highlights are (but may not be limited to):
- Australia
- Canada
- Denmark
- Germany
- France
- Italy
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Russia
- Spain
- Sweden
- United Kingdom
- United States
If you’ve been told you’re in a supported country but haven’t been migrated yet, don’t panic. Apple is rolling out the bundle over the course of September, so all that’s required is a bit of patience. And when you get it, you’ll be able to share it via Family Sharing.
Why is Apple splitting iCloud+ features this way?
A question of real-world economics
Apple never explains this sort of discrepancy, which is no doubt irritating if you live in one of the excluded zones. In the US, Apple TV alone is now $15, and Apple One starts at $22 for individuals. The closest you can get to one of the new iCloud+ bundles is a student plan.
Most likely, Apple is trying to boost low subscription rates in markets where the wealth gap is huge. An American worker can easily earn more in a month than an Indian one earns an entire year. Affording any new Apple device can be tough in many places, much less adding multiple subscription services on top of it. From Apple’s perspective, it’s casting a wider net, while still reaping plenty of profit from the richest nations.
Profits aren’t necessarily taking a lethal blow where the bundle is available, either. Labor and infrastructure costs may be cheaper, and in some circumstances, datacenters can serve multiple countries simultaneously. There’s also the long run to consider. Even if an iCloud+ bundle generated zero profit directly, it could lock someone into the Apple ecosystem, enticing them to buy more hardware down the line.
Might Apple decide to import the new scheme to rich countries, some day? Possibly, but I doubt it. A 50GB iCloud+ plan is just a dollar in the US, so there’s no way the company could sustain Apple TV or Arcade unless it jacked up domestic prices, or suddenly had a lot of 6 and 12TB customers to compensate. Shows like Foundation and Severance cost millions of dollars per episode.
Prices hikes aren’t out of the realm of possibility. As I mentioned, some Apple Intelligence features are already barred behind more expensive iCloud+ plans, so Apple could conceivably start charging for the privilege of more Siri AI queries, or perhaps a future agentic service. I hope not, but Apple clearly isn’t a charity.
