Apple Expands iCloud+ in India With Apple TV and Apple Arcade at No Extra Cost
Apple is expanding iCloud+ in India by adding Apple TV and Apple Arcade at no additional cost. Here’s what the new iCloud+ plans include, along with pricing and changes to Apple One.
Apple is offering users of its iCloud+ service in India greater value from the subscription service by offering them Apple TV and Apple Arcade without any extra cost. The new service is expected to be rolled out this month and will provide iCloud+ subscribers with access to Apple TV+ and Apple Arcade along with the other existing cloud storage services.
The iCloud+ subscription starts at INR 75 per month for users to get 50 GB of cloud storage. They will also be able to share their iCloud+ subscription with up to five other family members using the Family Sharing option offered by Apple.
Apple TV and Apple Arcade Now Included With iCloud+
As part of the iCloud+ expanded plan, customers will have access to Apple TV that is Apple’s streaming platform featuring a range of original movies, shows and documentaries. These include popular titles like Ted Lasso, Severance, The Studio, and CODA allowing iCloud+ users to access streaming services provided by Apple without requiring an Apple TV plan subscription separately.
Apple Arcade is another addition to the plan that is a gaming service offering more than 200 games without ads or in-game purchases. Some of its offerings include Hello Kitty Island Adventure, Sneaky Sasquatch, and NBA 2K26 Arcade Edition. Apple Arcade games can be played on all iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV 4K compatible devices.
Apple Music Select is also included in the expanded iCloud+ plan and offers access to ad-free curated radio stations but not to the entire library of Apple Music unless an individual Apple Music plan subscription is purchased. Apple Music Individual plan costs Rs. 115 per month in India, while the Family plan is Rs. 145 per month.
Apple Changes How It Offers Entertainment Services in India
The new iCloud+ plan comes as part of a bigger change in the way Apple handles its subscription packages in India. There won’t be any more standalone Apple TV and Apple Arcade subscriptions directly offered by Apple in India. However, those who already have their subscriptions to these services would continue to get access via their iCloud+ subscription, as their standalone subscriptions would be canceled.
Apple notes that the progress and saved data for the Apple Arcade games will remain intact during the process, which means that the progress of the gamers using the standalone subscription would be safe once it has been replaced by the iCloud+ subscription.
Another notable change is that Apple One will no longer be available to new subscribers in India. Existing Apple One customers can continue using their current plans, but new users will instead see iCloud+ positioned as the main entry point for Apple's bundled cloud and entertainment services.
What the iCloud+ Changes Mean for Indian Users
If you are already an iCloud+ subscriber, then there is nothing much to ponder upon, and the most obvious benefit you have from this move by Apple is that both the Apple TV and Apple Arcade are being added without increasing the cost of the iCloud+ subscription. The customer who has been already paying Rs 75 for a month on the 50GB subscription plan can get all this without opting for a higher cloud storage subscription plan.
Apple will be able to adopt a different strategy to sell its services in India because Apple is offering more value to iCloud+ that already helps its consumers with their cloud storage needs along with some other features of privacy.
In this case, Apple TV and Apple Arcade services can be considered as complementary products for free since these are not included in the cost of the subscription. At the same time, these two can be useful only if the customer makes use of Apple’s streaming and gaming services.
Since Apple One is not available for new customers in India anymore, the upgraded iCloud+ services may be more significant for the company’s service offerings in this market as well. In case a user thinks about signing up for a subscription from Apple, he should consider his needs both concerning storage and entertainment services.
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