Apple News+ Audio finally arrives in UK, Canada, Australia

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After a long wait, Apple News+ Audio has finally expanded out from the United States to the UK, Australia, and Canada. It only took five years.

Two smartphones displaying an Apple News+ audio feature with cartoon imagery, separated by a large Apple News icon.
Apple News+ Audio is now available in the UK, Canada, and Australia



Apple has a habit of introducing new features for its U.S. users to enjoy, before rolling it out to other territories. In the case of one Apple News+ feature, that has taken a very long time to happen.

Subscribers of Apple News+ in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom can now access Apple News+ Audio, a section of the News app for listening to stories, instead of reading them. Accessed through the bottom button options and sitting to the far right of Sport, Audio provides a selection of curated stories to listen to on the iPhone or iPad.

The stories, narrated by voice actors, include stories from major publications including New Scientist and Bloomberg Businessweek, among others. Once selected, a new playing interface appears at the bottom of the screen, enabling users to quickly replay the last few seconds or to speed ahead in the audio.

Subscribers don't have to use the Apple News app to listen to the audio content, as it's also available via Apple Podcasts. Free Apple News users can listen to previews and a free audio clip.

The Apple News+ subscription is available at $12.99 per month in the United States and is also available as part of the Apple One Premier subscription.

A long sonic journey



The introduction of Apple News+ Audio in the three new countries is somewhat unusual, as it's a change that hasn't received much fanfare from Apple itself. It is also a feature that has taken a considerable amount of time to emigrate from the United States to the three other territories.

Apple originally launched Apple News+ Audio in July 2020, landing five years ago to the month in the United States.

While Audio has had a much slower move into other English-speaking countries than anticipated, it's not the only missing feature.

Though users in the United States can enjoy the puzzles included in Apple News+ since 2023, including the recently added Emoji Game, the same features are not available outside the United States and Canada.



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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 3
    This should be an accessibility feature, not a paid add-on.
    williamlondonpurplepearJanNLappleinsideruser
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  • Reply 2 of 3
    I’d rather have the games tbh..
    Alex1N
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  • Reply 3 of 3
    anthogaganthogag Posts: 132member
    It's a good feature. It's quick access to some podcasting. For example, when driving. 
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
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