All articles tagged with #premium
Apple reportedly plans a broader foldable iPhone rollout, targeting about 10 million units to be produced this year—up from 7–8 million earlier estimates—as part of a multi-model lineup slated for the second half of 2026 into 2027, aiming to strengthen its position in the premium smartphone market where Samsung leads; Apple has not publicly commented on the plan, and the stock moved modestly in the prior session.
Ubisoft+ Premium is free for five days on PC and Xbox, unlocking Premium Editions of most Ubisoft titles (including Assassin's Creed Shadows and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora). Sign up on Ubisoft's site (not via Xbox), link your Ubisoft and Xbox accounts, and provide a payment method to avoid charges after the trial ends on June 23. Games become installable on Xbox in about 15 minutes, and you’ll have access to over 60 titles during the trial, with the option to cancel at any time to avoid a paid subscription, which the trial is designed to upsell you into ahead of the July launch of Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced.
Forbes reports Apple is pursuing a foldable iPhone around $1,999, a move designed to expand its high-end lineup and help keep the average iPhone selling price elevated by capturing demand for premium devices while potentially offsetting pricing pressure on standard models.
Spotify announced at its investor day that US premium subscribers will soon be able to generate AI-powered personal podcasts tailored to their interests and listening habits, using prompts (like daily city updates or local concert roundups) and scheduling episodes daily or weekly; users can pick a voice and add context with PDFs or links, with episodes saved to their library and linked to relevant content. The company also unveiled a real-time podcast Q&A feature, Studio by Spotify Labs for desktop podcast creation, creator sponsorships, and perks such as AI-generated covers/remixes and early access to concert tickets, with rollout starting next month and a credit system for ongoing use.
YouTube says it can detect when live-chat engagement peaks during a livestream and automatically skip ads for everyone watching, as part of broader monetization tools including Super Chats and other gifts; this comes as YouTube Premium pricing rises and gifting expands to horizontal streams, with more customization on the way.
YouTube has raised Premium pricing in the US to $15.99/month for individuals and $26.99 for families, with Premium Lite at $8.99; the changes take effect on June 7, 2026, and are noted in subscriber emails. Separately, reports of 90-second unskippable ads are said to be a UI bug that inflates ad timers; YouTube says there is no 90-second non-skippable format and a fix is rolling out. Free users will still face more ads as the service monetizes content.
Uber Technologies said it will acquire Blacklane to broaden its high-end chauffeur offerings for executives and wealthy clients, a deal expected to close by the end of 2026 with undisclosed financial terms. Blacklane operates in 500+ cities across 60+ countries, and the purchase is poised to bolster Uber Elite, the company's premium chauffeur option, amid growing competition in luxury ride-hailing.
Spotify announced Taste Profile, an opt-in, AI-powered feature that lets Premium users fine-tune its recommendations by describing what they want more of or less of—such as upbeat music for workouts or news podcasts during commutes—and by giving ambiguous prompts. The feature, demonstrated at SXSW, is rolling out in beta to New Zealand Premium users before expanding to other regions, and can cover music, audiobooks, and podcasts. Taste Profile adds to Spotify's existing AI tools like Prompted Playlist and remains optional for those who prefer to rely on the standard algorithm.
Spotify Premium users can now automatically sort Mixed playlists with a new Smart Reorder option in Mix, arranging tracks by BPM and key for a smoother flow between songs while warning that it will override any manual sorting; this follows a recent move to automate playlists with Prompted Playlists.
YouTube Music now caps the number of song lyrics non‑Premium users can view, requiring a Premium subscription to unlock more lyrics. This follows other features being gated behind Premium, with US pricing around $11/month for Music Premium or $14/month bundled with YouTube Premium; European pricing varies.
Google is running an experiment in YouTube Music that limits free users’ access to song lyrics, showing only a few lyric views before prompting a Premium upgrade; the rollout appears broader but non-final, with lyric access varying by test. Lyrics are provided by third parties, and pricing for premium is $11 for music-only or $14 for music plus video. Google says most users won’t see changes as it evaluates the feature.
Free YouTube Music users can view lyrics for up to five songs per month; beyond that, lyrics are blurred and a prompt to unlock with Premium appears, signaling a broader rollout after earlier testing.
YouTube has begun blocking background playback in mobile web browsers for non-Premium users, ending a loophole that had allowed Brave, Vivaldi, Edge, and some Firefox users to play audio or video in the background without a subscription; Google says background playback is exclusive to Premium across platforms, and browser updates aim to close inconsistencies, though some users had previously bypassed the block via user-agent changes.
A premium K-Pop themed collectible, the Demon Hunters figure, is priced at $280 and is now available for preorder, signaling a high-end addition to pop-culture merchandise.
Spotify is expanding its Prompted Playlist beta to Premium listeners in the United States and Canada after testing in New Zealand in December 2025. The feature lets users describe what they want to hear in their own words—moods, moments, or cultural moments—and Spotify generates a playlist drawn from their listening history and current trends. Users can edit prompts, set daily or weekly refreshes, and receive one-line explanations for each track. The idea is a more intuitive, collaborative approach to discovery, with editors providing inspiration prompts; the rollout is in beta and may evolve with usage limits as Spotify learns from feedback.