In addition to the Apple Music expansion, the App Store, Apple’s Podcasts, iCloud and the Apple Arcade will now be available in 20 more countries, bringing the first three up to 175 countries and regions total.
We’re delighted to bring many of Apple’s most beloved services to users in more countries than ever before,” said vp Apple Music and international content Oliver Schusser in a statement announcing the expansion.
We hope our customers can discover their new favorite apps, games, music and podcasts as we continue to celebrate the world’s best creators, artists and developers.”
For the 52 new countries that will gain access to its music streaming service, Apple Music is offering free six-month trials, locally-curated playlists that focus on local music scenes and genres – Africa Now, Afrobeats Hits and Ghana Bounce were identified by the company in a press release as examples and the artist-led programs and radio stations on Beats 1. Additionally, Beats 1 will now be broadcast in seven Middle Eastern countries that already had Apple Music: Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and Bahrain.
The expansion comes as the company has ramped up its hardware product distribution in many of those markets, bringing the services to iPhones in each region. It also brings Apple Music in particular to a number of musically-significant countries, not just in Africa (in May, the service will be celebrating the best in African music with exclusive playlists from artists like Angélique Kidjo and Davido, to name two), but in places like the Caribbean (most notably Jamaica) and Latin America, with an emphasis on catering to local tastes and genres.
Below are the additional countries in which Apple Music will now become available:
Asia-Pacific: Bhutan, Maldives and Myanmar.
Europe: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Georgia, Iceland, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.
Latin America and the Caribbean: the Bahamas, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Turks and Caicos and Uruguay.
Middle East: Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar and Yemen.
Oceania: Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu.
