Spotify Launches Cheaper $10.99/Month Premium Plan Without Audiobooks
Spotify today announced the launch of a new Basic paid plan that offers a small discount for dropping access to audiobooks. Priced at $10.99 per month, the Basic option includes all of the music benefits of Spotify like ad-free playback, but without added monthly audiobook listening time.

The $11.99 standard Premium Individual plan that Spotify offers includes ad-free playback and 15 hours of audiobook listening time per month from a catalog of more than 250,000 titles. Until now, Spotify did not let customers opt for a cheaper plan that did not include audiobook access, as it was automatically bundled in the lowest-tier plan.
Spotify in June raised its base price from $10.99 to $11.99 to "bring users the best experience," but with the new Basic plan, customers who don't want to use the audiobook feature can get the prior $10.99/month price.
Spotify's new $10.99 per month option is on par with the $10.99 price of Apple Music, so Spotify is no longer $1 more expensive than Apple Music for base music subscription service.
There have been no changes to the prices of other plans. Duo is priced at $16.99, and Family is priced at $19.99. Spotify also has a $9.99 per month plan that offers 15 hours of audiobook listening with ad-supported music.
Popular Stories
Spotify today announced a new Running Mode that turns playlists into structured running sessions built around workout type, tempo, and listening habits. It's launching on iOS first.
Located in the app's Fitness Hub, the feature lets runners choose from 25 presets that can be tweaked to fit workout type (interval, steady, or pyramid, for example), with options for duration, beats per minute,...
Apple is developing an all-new operating system that is essentially a mix of tvOS, watchOS, and iOS, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
In a report this week, he said the operating system will feature a grid of icons, widgets, and apps, along with customizable clock faces.
The new software platform is intended for Apple's long-rumored smart home hub. With built-in facial recognition,...
Apple this year acquired Israeli startup Q.ai for close to $2 billion, according to the Financial Times. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone maker Beats in 2014.
This is also the largest known Apple acquisition since the company purchased Intel's smartphone modem business and patents for $1 billion in 2019.
Q.ai...