There’s a lot of confusion about what you actually get if you sign up for an Apple TV+ subscription. Part of the confusion may come from the fact that the content that comes with an Apple TV+ subscription lives in Apple’s TV app, where you can find plenty of other content. In the Apple TV app, some shows and movies are free for TV+ subscribers, but many are not.
A person searching in the Apple TV app barbie Or Oppenheimer, for example, will see the possibility of purchasing or renting these films. Think of this movie purchase as being like buying music from Apple’s iTunes Store rather than streaming it on Apple Music. Previously, movies and TV shows could be purchased or rented from the iTunes Store. You can now purchase or rent movies and shows from the Apple TV app (unlike music, which must still be purchased from the iTunes Store app if you don’t have an Apple Music subscription). We told you, it was confusing.
A common misconception is that subscribing to Apple TV+ will give you access to all the content featured in the TV app. Unfortunately, only certain shows and movies are available to Apple TV+ subscribers.
It’s not so bad: the Apple TV app is a very convenient way to find content available on different streaming services, so you can find out where the movie or TV show you want to watch is broadcast and if you have a subscription to this service (be it Netflix, Disney+, Prime or other), you can watch the free content there.
In this article, we’ll explain exactly what’s free if you subscribe to Apple TV+. You can subscribe to Apple TV+ on the Apple website here or through the Apple TV app on your device. Apple TV+ costs $8.99/£8.99 per month (until October 2022 it was $4.99/£4.99 per month, then $6.99/£6.99 per month until in October 2023). However, you may not have to pay as much for Apple TV+, take a look at our tips for getting Apple TV+ for free. We also have tips for getting Apple Music for free. If you’re a student, here’s how to get Apple Music for half price, which includes Apple TV+ for free!
What do you get with Apple TV+
Unlike Netflix, for example, Apple TV+ is made up only of shows commissioned and exclusive to Apple. Apple generally doesn’t include shows and movies that stream elsewhere. Everything is original.
When Apple launched Apple TV+, there were only a few shows, including The morning show, SeeAnd For all humanitybut in the months and years that followed, more and more shows were added as Foundation, Monarch, Mythic Quest, Slow horses, Ted Lasso, Tryingand more.
There are now over 130 shows on Apple TV+ and over 60 movies. We have an article that covers every show on Apple TV+, as well as every show (and movie) currently made for Apple TV.
That’s a lot to watch, but when you consider the huge catalogs of content offered by Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, etc., you can understand why people feel like they’re not getting value for their money . Apple.
Where can I find what’s included with Apple TV+
If you’re an Apple TV+ subscriber and want to locate content that’s free for you, follow these steps:
- Open the Apple TV app on your device.
- Click on the Apple TV+ tab.
- This will take you to the section of the Apple TV app where the subscription content resides.
On older operating systems, you may need to navigate to the Channels section before tapping the Apple TV+ icon.
Free Apple TV+ shows
Apple has distributed more free content in the past. In April 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic, Apple made some programs free to watch. Free shows included For all humanity, Dickinsonwildlife document The Elephant Queen, Little Americaand that of M. Night Shyamalan Servant. This deal was in conjunction with HBO, which also offered free content at the time.
Apple lets you watch the first episode of many shows for free. There are at least 12 free episodes available to watch for free, including the premiere of Foundation, Monarch, The morning show, Ted Lasso, Chemistry lessons, Slow horses And For all humanity.
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Apple sometimes offers certain shows for free on a temporary basis. For example, every year Apple manufactures A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving free for Thanksgiving week and Charlie Brown’s Christmas is free during the holiday season.
Free Apple TV+ movies
The company also offered a number of free movies to Apple TV+ subscribers for a limited time. For example, from the end of April to May 31, 2023, Apple made three movies available to Apple TV+ subscribers as “Apple TV+ Bonus”. This included: Real lies
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Why do I have to pay to watch Apple TV?
If you’re reading this article here because you have an Apple TV+ subscription and are wondering why you can’t watch something in the Apple TV app without paying, you’re not alone. Many people ask this question. As we explained above, subscribers only get free access to Apple TV+ content, not everything you can see in the Apple TV app.
It’s not surprising that people make this mistake, though, given that Apple’s TV app features movies and shows that you have to rent from Apple if you want to watch them. You can rent or buy movies this way, but with the wealth of content available from Apple’s competitors, why would you want to?
In fact, the beauty of the TV app is that if you want to watch a movie, you can use the TV app to find out if it is available for free on any of the subscription services, and if it This is the case, and you are subscribed to this service, you do not need to pay to watch it.
If the movie or TV show you want to watch isn’t available for free anywhere else, you can choose to rent or buy it from Apple. Alternatively, you can choose to download it from Amazon Prime, where you can find many of the same movies, although we find that Apple often trumps Amazon in terms of quality.
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What’s free on Apple TV?
This question is not as simple to answer as it could be. Basically, the confusion is caused by the fact that Apple offers three different products with the Apple TV name: the Apple TV hardware, the TV+ subscription, and the TV app. We’ve said this once before, but seriously, it’s no wonder people are so confused.
In a nutshell, here’s what you can watch on Apple TV or in the TV app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac:
- Shows you purchased from Apple (either in the iTunes Store or in the TV app).
- Movies purchased or rented from Apple.
- Content that you uploaded yourself.
- Content available on any of the channels residing in the Apple TV app. These are third-party streaming services that you can subscribe to from the Apple TV app, including Paramount+, MLS Season Pass, and Friday Night Baseball.
- Content on the various subscription services you subscribe to, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+.
- Content from on-demand free TV channels, such as Player, Channel 4, My5 and ITV+ in the UK Amazon Freevee, Tubi TV and Pluto TV in the US
- Anything on Apple TV+ if you subscribe.
You can see exactly what services you can look for in your area on Apple’s site here.
You can use the TV app to find out where content is available so you can decide whether to watch it in the appropriate app on your device. Rather than trying to sell you a movie in its own store, Apple tells you where you can watch it for free.
For example, if you search for the show or movie you want to watch and scroll down to the How to Watch section, you can see if it is available for free in any of the services you have access to, or available at purchase or rent.
The Apple TV app is available on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and Mac.
Is Apple TV+ free if I buy an Apple TV box?
If you’re buying an Apple TV set-top box, you might wonder (or assume) that Apple TV+ is included. This isn’t the case, but you can get a free three-month trial of Apple TV+ with your purchase. The same goes if you buy an iPhone, iPad, or Mac. More here: How to get Apple TV+ for free.
If you want to buy an Apple TV, here are the best prices at the moment:
The 2022 32GB version of the Apple TV 4K is sold by Apple for $129/£149.
The 2022 128GB version of the Apple TV 4K is sold by Apple for $149/£169.
$174.98
$174.99
$180
$180
$180
$189
$189
$189
$189
$189
$195.96
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