If you want Siri to tell you everything there is to know about music you might need an Apple Music subscription to get the right answers.
The three-month trial period for Apple Music has finally ended, and it appears that not signing up for the monthly service may cost you a bit of Siri functionality.
Angel investor Tom Conrad discovered that Siri refuses to tell users what the top songs are in the U.S. if they’re not Apple Music subscribers.
I guess Siri won't talk to you about music unless you pay her boss? pic.twitter.com/b6Xwcf3EYR
— Tom Conrad (@tconrad) October 26, 2015
Siri isn’t exactly taking on a HAL-like personality and refusing to give you data it has access to, though. If you have an Apple Music subscription, asking for the top songs opens up to the Top Songs section in the Apple Music app, so there’s really nothing the personal assistant can do — Apple hasn’t created a secondary resource for it to look for answers in.
Interestingly, if you ask Siri for the top movies, it will take you to iTunes and ask if you want to buy a title. Apple is apparently taking a different tack when it comes to promoting its music service.
The Verge also found that Siri won’t search or music hits in the past if you’re not an Apple Music subscriber. Asking Siri, “What was the top song in the US in March 1983?” without a subscription will yield no results. But if you are a subscriber, Siri will start jamming out to “Baby, Come to Me” by Patti Austin and James Ingram.
All music-related Siri queries have been run through Apple Music ever since the service launched this summer, but it’d be a lot better if Apple at least gave users the option to run a web search instead of having Siri stick out her tongue.
Source: Business Insider
Buster Hein is a freelance writer who lives in Phoenix, Arizona. Twitter: @bst3r.
20 responses to “Siri won’t answer music questions if you’re not an Apple Music subscriber”
For gawd’s sake proofread:
“Apple is apparently taking a different tact…”
The correct word is tack: Apple is apparently taking a different TACK…
It is not a matter of proofreading. He wrote it is he thinks that it should be. If Buster were to read that sentence ten times, he would always think that it looks fine.
I don’t really see the issue with it. It’s a minor inconvenience, if anything it’s one of the benefits to being subscribed to Apple Music. I am subscribed but don’t really take advantage of Siri’s integration as much as I should. Normally when I actually do use Siri with Apple Music, the most I’ve used it is to say “Play Beats 1” haha.
No it’s more than a minor inconvenience. Apple are forcing you away from better competition like Spotify. It’s nothing more than anti-competitive behaviour. It sucks- there should be a web alternative.
I don’t see how they are forcing you away from Spotify?
Also, I don’t see how Spotify is “better” competition? That’s your personal opinion. I used both extensively to compare which service I was going to pay $14 a month for and decided to stick with Apple Music because it is more convenient, has more exclusive content, and enjoy the radio shows and playlists.
The only advantages Spotify has over Apple Music is Facebook integration and Discovery Weekly. Apple Music is gaining support and getting better as a service. Idk just works for me.
Spotify’s playlists put Apple Music’s to shame.
how’s that? much prefer Apple Music playlists myself
Apple uses algorithms based on iTunes listener habits while Spotify has people that create and curate their playlists. Spotify is more likely to surprise me. Apple Music always played the greatest hits of this artist or that. There were no surprises. If I wanted a playlist based on the Beatles, I expect to hear Gerry and The Pacemakers. What I don’t expect is to hear Wilco- which is the kind of band Spotify will give you. The here’s an element of surprise that Apple lacks.
these guys wanted to pay Spotify for their service but at the same time get the perks that Apple Music subscribers get….their argument could be almost a joke really…
“Apple is” not “Apple are”. Apple is a singular noun (as are pretty much all company names).
I see it more like Apple acting like dicks because someone didn’t subscribe to their service. Read the Siri response and ask yourself how difficult it would have been for it to just google the answer and give it to the customer, instead of giving this response.
Remember, someone at Apple thought this response was the proper way to talk to their customers, and programmed it into the phone.
…and, fixt. Siri now takes you to iTunes when you ask about music.
“Siri sticking out her tongue” more like apple sticking out their middle finger to anyone who is sticking with an alternative music service.
When I try this, I get web results.
Apple seems to be trolling us. Is Siri supposed to be satirical? Like a parody of Google Now?
so if I understand right non-Apple Music subscribers are complaining they can’t use one of the features that Apple Music subscribers get for paying Apple for their service…..laughable….
Let me translate your answer for the non-Apple fanboyz. Apple is now charging everyone to use basic Siri services, the very same services the competition offers for free. LAUGHABLE.
since when are Apple Music queries a “basic Siri service” ?? did you have that feature before Apple Music? your argument is laughable…..as an Apple Music subscriber I would be well pissed if non-subscribers got any other thing than the BASIC Apple Music features…..I would not be expecting anything else from Spotify either……pay up or shut up!
Cortana *AND* Google for the win… again.
“Siri, you’re acting like a dick.”