My Apple ID is USA-based. I spend most of my time in Europe and I am aware that Apple does not block content based on physical location, but only on my billing address (which I appreciate and it’s one of many reasons why I love using Apple services). I would like to ask if the same applies to Apple Music (and Beats 1). I currently happen to be in Taiwan, which is one of the countries where Apple Music is not yet available. If I try to play Beats 1 on any of my devices (iOS or OS X), I get an error – due to my physical location. After I leave Taiwan (in September), I’m going to spend several months in Turkey, which, as luck would have it, is another market where Apple Music and Beats 1 is not yet available. If I subscribe to Apple Music using my US iTunes account, will I be then able to access Apple Music streaming and Beats 1 radio, even though I’m located in a country where it’s not available yet? Does Apple’s indifference to physical location apply to Apple Music too? I don’t want my free trial to expire without even a chance to use the service properly. Does anyone have experience with this?
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Using Apple Music in unsupported countries
- Thread starter valdikor
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This is what I got from Apple support:
I am sorry to inform you that Apple Music is country specific. If you will subscribe the Apple Music on US, you can use the same only in US. You can't use the Apple Music after changing the country or on those country where Apple Music is not available. Once you will subscribe in US, you will be able to use the Apple Music in US only. Once you will change the country you have to cancel the subscription and repurchase on new country. If it is not available on that country, then you can't use it.
I find it hard to believe, it would be a first for Apple. Are they pulling a Netflix on us? :-O I'm a but cautious about starting my trial now.
I am sorry to inform you that Apple Music is country specific. If you will subscribe the Apple Music on US, you can use the same only in US. You can't use the Apple Music after changing the country or on those country where Apple Music is not available. Once you will subscribe in US, you will be able to use the Apple Music in US only. Once you will change the country you have to cancel the subscription and repurchase on new country. If it is not available on that country, then you can't use it.
I find it hard to believe, it would be a first for Apple. Are they pulling a Netflix on us? :-O I'm a but cautious about starting my trial now.
I can ensure you that the above is not fully correct. You can access your Apple Music account linked to country A while physically being in country B if Apple Music is available in country B. I have now done this twice with two different accounts and countries.
Wow - how absolutely ridiculous! What if you are travelling for extended periods (30+ days)??
Does anyone know if spotify is any different?
I use Apple Music in an unsupported country with a US-based account and have no issues (excluding Beats 1 Radio. To use that I have to use a VPN).
Thanks for that, this is what I wanted to know. I'll subscribe sometime soon then and try it for myself. The part with Beats 1 sucks, though. I do listen to it occasionally using a VPN provided by my school (via Tunnelblick), but I can't have it on all the time and I can't use it on iOS. Oh well. Both Taiwan and Turkey are big and established markets for Apple, I'm sure it's just a matter of time before Apple secures the necessary deals with rights holders there (maybe by iOS 9?).
Presumably the hold up has something to do with licensing. In any case it's mildly frustrating to have to VPN just listen to Beats 1, so for now I'm don't listen to it much. As you noted, TW is a large market, it was years before Spotify launched in TW, and when they did they had to reduce their price to ~$5USD/month in order to compete with KKBOX (the dominant streaming service here).
The situation of Turkey is because of the licence holders. As appeared in Turkish media, they want Apple to pay an advanced payment of yearly licence fee and Apple does not want to do that since they haven't done such a deal in 100 countries they have launched their service.
Spotify and other streaming services agreed to the terms of the licence holders but Apple does not seem to be willing to do so. I hope they can solve the problem soon, but unfortunately I think it will take a long time.
So, you are able to stream music from the "For You" portion of Apple Music just fine without a VPN in an unsupported country?
If so, this is the same system that Spotify, Rdio, and the old Beats allowed for.
I'm talking to Apple Support on the phone, and they are telling me that you can only listen to offline music when in an unsupported country (no For You streaming, no Beats 1), which seems completely absurd, and much worse than what Spotify and Rdio offer (and the old Beats, which had this in their kbase: https://support.beatsmusic.com/hc/e...-use-Beats-when-traveling-outside-of-the-USA-)
I have subscribed about a week ago and I can confirm Apple Music works just fine here in Taiwan using a US Apple ID. If Apple Support says it won't work in unsupported countries, they're lying.
Beats 1 doesn't work though, even efter subscribing. I can only access it on my Mac with a VPN.
Beats 1 doesn't work though, even efter subscribing. I can only access it on my Mac with a VPN.