Apple appears to have killed off its lowest-cost Apple Music subscription. The Apple Music Voice Plan allowed folks to access the streaming service for $5 per month, as long as they were willing to use it only via Siri voice control. However, as of Wednesday, the plan is no longer listed as an option on the Apple Music webpage, as first spotted by MacMagazine. It's no longer possible to sign up for the Apple Music Voice Plan, 9to5Mac notes. It's unclear if current users will be grandfathered into their current subscription or why Apple seems to have ditched the offering. Engadget has contacted Apple for comment.

And while the idea of a discounted streaming service you have to talk to may seem a little odd, even that isn't all that weird. Two years ago, Amazon launched a cheaper version of Music Unlimited service that only runs on Echo speakers, and Apple Music's voice plan seemed tailor-made to compete with it on affordable smart speakers like HomePod minis. And if the promise of cheaper music access gets more people talking to Siri, that could mean more training data Apple could use to improve its voice assistant's performance down the road.

Apple Music's recently announced Voice Plan will launch alongside iOS 15.2, according to the patch notes the company shared for the update's release candidate. When Apple first announced the more affordable tier at its fall Mac event in October, the company said it would become available "later this fall" in 17 countries, including the US, UK and Canada. Apple also confirmed Apple Music Voice Plan will launch with iOS 15.2 pic.twitter.com/6uHeaTdr41 The plan will offer access to Apple Music's entire song catalog for $5 per month, provided you're willing to rely on Siri for control. You can play specific tracks and playlists, as well as complete albums on your Apple devices.