Following the recent release of their 2027 versions of software updates, Apple is expanding their iCloud+ subscription offering with additional perks while keeping the price unchanged. The official announcement was posted on their newsroom in UAE, yet it’s applicable to the entire MENA region. This is applicable to more than 100 countries, and many from the MENA region are included.
iCloud: Before and After
iCloud+ getting more for the same monthly price sounds too good to be true, especially when many others have raised prices. Apple is being quite generous with this revamp keeping the current price in mind. Apple offered iCloud solely as a cloud storage option with some smaller technical perks. Each tier could be used stand-alone or as an add-on for more storage to a current Apple One subscription.
| Before | Now |
|---|---|
| 50GB/200GB/2TB/6TB/12TB storage Hide my Email Custom Email domain iCloud Private Relay Apple Invites app | 50GB/200GB/2TB/6TB/12TB storage Hide my Email Custom Email domain iCloud Private Relay Apple Invites app Apple TV Apple Arcade HomeKit Secure Video Apple Music Select |
The upgrades now adds Apple TV and Apple Arcade to the mix. The revamp also sees users accessing a new ‘Apple Music Select tier, which includes curated selection of ad-free stations by Apple Music. If needed, users can then upgrade to the full Apple Music experience at a discounted rate.
The best part is that you can still share these benefits with up to 5 family members with Family Sharing enabled by the primary subscriber. While this is useful for people part of the Apple ecosystem (macOS/iPad/iPhone/Apple Watch), you can also watch Apple TV on Android with the same subscription.
Availability and pricing
Now this is where it gets interesting. As Apple said that this revamp is coming to more than 100+ countries, you’re likely wondering which ones. I took the effort of tabulating them by region.
| GCC | Middle East | North Africa | South Asia |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kuwait | Iraq | Algeria | India |
| Oman | Jordan | Egypt | Nepal |
| Bahrain | Lebanon | Libya | Pakistan |
| Saudi Arabia | Yemen | Morocco | Maldives |
| United Arab Emirates | Turkey | Tunisia | Sri Lanka |
| Qatar |
There are some additional changes being made to help simplify things, as the new revamped tiers look to offer better value for subscribers.
- Apple One will no longer be offered to new subscribers in these markets. This likely signals a shift maybe due to market size.
- Apple TV and Apple Arcade will no longer be sold as individual subscriptions. Standalone subscriptions will be cancelled and migrated to the improved iCloud+ offering.
- If you’re already subscribed to iCloud+, users will automatically gain access to the improved perks.
For countries where local currency is used, I’ve put some reference prices below (rest are using the US$ as the payment currency, keeping the same pricing structure as the USA)
| Country | 50GB | 200GB | 2TB | 6TB | 12TB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UAE | AED 3.99 | AED 11.99 | AED 39.99 | AED 119.99 | AED 239.99 |
| Saudi Arabia | SAR 3.99 | SAR 11.99 | SAR 39.99 | SAR 119.99 | SAR 239.99 |
| Qatar | QAR 3.69 | QAR 10.99 | QAR 36.99 | QAR 109.99 | QAR 219.99 |
| Egypt | EGP 49.99 | EGP 179.99 | EGP 599.99 | EGP 1,799.99 | EGP 3,599.99 |
| Others | US$ 0.99 | US$ 2.99 | US$ 9.99 | US$ 29.99 | US$ 59.99 |
As for why these markets are eligible, Apple is likely looking to grow their services offering either due to lack of Apple One adoption and even price-sensitivity in these markets.
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