Cupertino, California - Apple is rolling out a new subscription option for its music streaming platform that limits users to playing music by voice commands to Siri only.

Available as of December 13 as part of Apple's latest software updates to iPhones, iPads and smart speakers, the new Apple Music Voice plan is significantly cheaper than its biggest rival Spotify.

Costing $5 a month, it's about half the cost of the standard plans for Apple Music and Spotify. However, it comes with one major limitation: the only way to play music is by voice command to Apple's digital assistant.

This means that while you'll be able to request certain songs, albums, artists and playlists, browsing an artist's catalog or searching for a specific song within a playlist won't be possible.

Despite the limitations in searching for songs or controlling playback in the phone app, anyone subscribed to this plan can still access the entire Apple Music catalog of 90 million songs (if only by voice control).

Some users may find the plan difficult to use in public spaces, such as open-plan offices and public transport, as it requires announcing to Siri (and anyone around you) what you want to listen to.

To get full app control and the normal search function, users will need to upgrade to the standard Apple Music plan for $10 a month.