What's Changed
Apple has rolled out subscription price increases across multiple markets, affecting Apple Music, the Apple One bundle tiers (Individual, Family, Premier), and iCloud+ storage plans. The increases vary by country but follow a consistent pattern: higher prices with no additional features or storage to justify the change.
For UK users, the changes affect:
- Apple Music Individual — up from £10.99 to £11.99/month
- Apple One Individual — up from £19.95 to £21.95/month
- Apple One Family — up from £25.95 to £27.95/month
- iCloud+ 50GB — unchanged at £0.99/month
- iCloud+ 200GB — up from £2.99 to £3.49/month
- iCloud+ 2TB — up from £8.99 to £9.99/month
The increases were applied quietly — most users discovered them on their billing statements rather than via any announcement.
💡 Check your current plan: Settings → [your name] → Subscriptions. Many users are paying for iCloud+ tiers they selected years ago without reviewing whether they still need that much storage.
Is Apple One Still Worth It?
The value of Apple One depends entirely on how many of the included services you actually use. At £21.95/month for Individual, you're paying for:
- Apple Music (£11.99 if purchased alone)
- Apple TV+ (£8.99 if purchased alone)
- Apple Arcade (£6.99 if purchased alone)
- iCloud+ 50GB (£0.99 if purchased alone)
That's £28.96 if bought separately — Apple One saves you £7/month on paper. But only if you use all four. If you're watching TV+ occasionally and never touch Arcade, you're paying a premium for services you don't need.
Apple One makes sense if: you're an Apple TV+ regular watcher, use Apple Music as your primary streaming service, and have an iPhone/iPad/Mac where Arcade games make sense.
Apple One doesn't make sense if: you have a Netflix or Disney+ subscription that largely replaces TV+, use Spotify instead of Apple Music, or rarely play mobile games.
5 Ways to Reduce Your iCloud Bill Right Now
1. Audit what's actually using your storage
Settings → [your name] → iCloud → Manage Account Storage. Most people are surprised to find old app backups from devices they no longer own taking up gigabytes. Delete backups for devices you don't use.
2. Turn off iCloud Photos and use Google Photos free tier
Google Photos offers free storage for photos at 'Storage Saver' quality. For most people, this is indistinguishable from original quality and removes the biggest single driver of iCloud storage use.
3. Offload unused apps automatically
Settings → App Store → Offload Unused Apps. This removes the app but keeps its data. For large games and apps you use occasionally, this can free hundreds of megabytes without losing any content.
4. Delete old device backups
Settings → [your name] → iCloud → Manage Account Storage → Backups. If you've ever backed up an old iPhone or iPad, the backup is still there. A backup from a device you no longer own can be deleted immediately.
5. Use the AppCompat tool to check if your old device apps are still needed
Many users keep apps installed 'just in case' on old devices that take up backup space. If an app is no longer compatible with your device's iOS version, it doesn't need to be in your backup at all. Check which apps are actually useful on your device and uninstall the rest before your next backup runs.
The Free 5GB Tier Is Actually Usable Now
Apple's free 5GB iCloud tier was practically useless when Photos auto-synced everything and apps backed up fully. With selective backup settings and Google Photos handling your camera roll, 5GB can be sufficient for contacts, calendars, health data, and a handful of key apps.
If you haven't used more than 5GB before the price increase, consider dropping to free entirely and using a combination of Google Photos + manual Mac/PC backups via Finder or iTunes. It takes 30 minutes to set up and saves £0.99–£9.99 a month.
Our verdict
Apple One is worth it only if you use at least three of the four included services regularly. iCloud+ at any paid tier is worth auditing right now — most users have storage they're not actively using. The five steps above can realistically get most iPhone and iPad users down to the free 5GB tier or save at least one tier of paid storage.
Check which apps you actually need on your device
Before you back up — use AppCompat to see which apps are still compatible with your device and iOS version. Uninstall the rest before your backup runs.
Check app compatibility →Also see: Can I still use my old iPhone in 2026? · Stuck on iOS 26 — your options · Best refurbished iPads to buy in 2026