How to Pay for Apple Music in Nigeria

Music lovers gather around. What if I told you you could pay as low as 250 naira per month, for all the songs you could ever ask for in a single library. Then access that library from any device to listen or download for offline listening?

Well in this article, we’ll go over why you should subscribe, how to set it up, and how to pay for Apple Music in Nigeria.

Is Apple Music worth the Subscription?

Why should you pay at all for Music? Well let’s face it; recording and production cost money. Downloading free music is a form of piracy too. Plus you run the risk of getting your phone infected with a virus from untrusted, third-party sites.

All of that, and you don’t get to hear “more music at 9jaflaver” on every track. Not to mention, the best way to really appreciate the music you listen to is to support the artists. And with a music streaming service like Apple Music, it’s cheaper than ever; especially for us Nigerians.

With a catalog of over 40 million songs, you can probably listen to — and download — any song you wanted. And although it’s run by Apple, they have since made it available on Android and even Windows (PC).

However, since Apple Music is a subscription service, you lose access to your library if you don’t renew your plan the following month. So you need to renew every month to access your library.

Is Apple Music the same as iTunes?

Let’s clear up one thing first though…an Apple Music subscription is much different from iTunes. iTunes is Apple’s online store for purchasing media (Music, Movies, Ringtones). All content purchased on the iTunes store remains yours for life. And you can download it on any iOS device, Mac, or PC.

On the other hand, Apple Music is a subscription service, not a store. Rather than pay per song, you instead pay a single fee per month. That fee grants you access to all the songs on the Apple Music catalog. You can add any of these songs to your personal library and playlists; to stream or even download offline.

How much is Apple Music in Nigeria?

A Nigerian Apple Music subscription is 900 naira a month, a lot cheaper than most other parts of the world. The same service in the United States costs $10 or about 5,000 naira per month.

And that’s not even the best part. University students usually get discounts across Apple’s products and services. So if you’re a student, you get a 50% discount on the regular fee. Meaning you pay only 450 naira once you verify your student status with myUnidays.

How to verify your Apple Music student status

For University students in Nigeria, Apple gives you an option to verify with myUnidays for a discount. The caveat, however, is you need to sign in with a .edu (or .edu.ng) email address, provided and managed by your institution. The verification takes less than 10 minutes and your university is most likely covered. I tested this out for FUT Minna successfully.

Enter your name, email address, and other details as required, then hit the submit button at the bottom of the page. This only takes a few minutes to complete, so sit back and wait for an email verification link sent to your school email.

Apple Music Family Plan in Nigeria

Even if you’re not a student, there’s a family plan that could still help you save more. It costs 1,400 naira (shared among up to 6 people), and everyone gets full access to Apple Music.

While you share the payment with your family members, you don’t share music; with each member having access to their own exclusive library. That adds up to as low as 230 naira per person if your family is up to 6 people. They still have to sign-up for their own music library on the Apple Music app on iOS or Android.

How many devices can use Apple music family plan?

A single Apple Music family subscription can have 6 users, each with a separate library. Every member could sign in with their Apple ID on all the devices they own if it supports Apple Music.

How to sign up on Apple Music

The process is pretty straightforward. First, head over to App Store (on iOS or Android) and look for Apple Music in the navigation. Once launched, you’ll be offered a trial (if you haven’t claimed it already) to start your subscription process. You may need to create an Apple ID if you don’t have one. And don’t worry, it’s easy and free. Just name, email, and address.

How to Pay for Apple Music

Before Apple Music subscription became available in Nigeria, using the streaming service required a US account, or a gift card, or PayPal. And most bank cards had issues processing. Thankfully, you can now pay with your Nigerian bank cards without all the hassle.

Once you fill in your card details as a payment method, Apple will attempt to deduct $1. This is just a security measure, and the $1 would be returned almost immediately. So be sure you have that amount available in your debit card (or its linked account), else it will decline.

How do I get my 6 Months Free Apple Music?

The very best part of Apple Music is that whatever plan you go with, you first get a trial to see for yourself if it’s worth it. You don’t have to pay anything till your trial period expires; by which time you’d have found friends to form a family or gotten your student status verified on Unidays.

Apple Music trial periods vary from 1 month, all the way to 6 months! But whichever promotion only applies to first-time users.

How to Use Apple Music on Android

Luckily for Android users, you no longer need an iPhone to access Apple Music. Their official app is available on Google Play Store so you can download it, sign in or create an account, and enjoy the same 40 million songs the service offers.

What about Windows?

As for Windows users, I’ve had many ask me if they could use Apple Music on their Windows devices. And thankfully, when you sign in using your Apple ID on iTunes, it automatically registers the device to play music on that PC. You’ll need the official Windows iTunes application and an Apple ID.

What happens if I Don’t Renew My Apple Music

If you decide to cancel your plan, or Apple isn’t able to charge your card and renew your plan, you will lose access to your songs, both online and offline. However, your library remains intact so once you renew in the future, you can pick up where you left off.

How can I buy songs on iTunes?

Sometimes you may want some songs on your Apple Music library but they aren’t available for streaming. Or you may just want to own them forever. On iTunes, you might find offline music worth purchasing and adding to your own personal library.

Similar to Apple Music, Nigerians still pay much less than most other countries. Songs are typically about 200 naira each, and albums about 1000. Definitely worth it for a handful of your favorites.

How to Cancel Apple Music

If at this point you’re worried about forgetting to cancel your subscription before it renews, just head to Settings, and choose ‘Cancel Membership’ under “subscriptions”. You still get to enjoy your free trial or your current plan up till the next due date.