Apple Extends Free Apple TV+ Trials Until July

[ADR2000]

Does anyone know what happens to those of us who signed up for Apple One but had Apple TV+ free since launch?

Yes, I’m in the same boat with this one. I asked Apple support and the answer was, as soon as you start paying for a service like ‘Apple One’ which bundles in any free services you were getting (in this case Apple TV+) then you lose the free trial.
They did say however, that if for example you cancel ‘Apple One’ prior to the original ‘Apple TV+‘ free trial expiry date then the free trial would carry on until the original trial expiry date.
Which will now be July.

 

[MJaP]

At the moment Apple TV is just "value add" for their "One" service rather than being a standalone contender in its own right.

 

[DinkThifferent]

So much money in the bank, they really need to give us more shows and movies.

Yeah, If only there wasn’t a pandemic.

I like tv+! In my opinion they should have launched all episodes of the launch shows at once and also add two or three extra shows cause 6 wasn’t enough.

But Ted Lasso is really funny, I loved The Morning Show and Truth be Told. I hope I get the free extension too, because mine is about to end in two weeks.

 

[ADR2000]

I find Prime frustrating as hell because they also try to sell you rentals. I can't ever find anything to watch on there as I can't seem to figure out what's actually available to me.

I watched The Expanse but that's about it.

You do know you can click the ‘Free To Me’ option on the home page and that will only show you the free content rather than any rental stuff.
I dislike the rentals too as more often than not, when I find something I want to watch it’s a rental.
The ‘Free To Me’ option resolved this for me. Hope this helps.

 

[Duel]

They can give it away all day long, but it's still the worst streaming service available with the worst programming.
Even at "free" they are having a hard time getting market share. Ought to tell someone somewhere something.

I just took disney+ For a month and it’s hands down worst streaming service i have ever seen. Found 5 movies from there to Watch And now i just wait the month end, i’m not expecting anything good new content coming there in near future.

ATV+ has great very high production quality content, there just isn’t new stuff coming regularly thanks to covid. and people won’t pay for service which doesn’t have new content, that’s why Apple is giving it free, because people have already seen everything they want from there. It’s same with all services currently and iTunes movies too, new content comes very rarely. just like new movies isn’t coming to cinema as fast as before.

 

[Balkon]

Apple should have made it free for two years anyway because it takes some time to build up a library.

 

[tivoboy]

I think this is the right and a great move.. they really do need to do this and I don't jack it up to poor performance, but more to NO PRODUCTION. From the people I know in hollywood and around the world, movie, shows, production ground to a halt back in March 2020 for obvious reasons and it's only just NOW sort of recovering, but with much involvement from infectious disease specialists and much smaller production crews and casts. For the movies/shows that apple DID produce for the launch, they really couldn't confidently produce the same new content last year. Documentaries, especially ANIMAL shows are going to be the tip of the spear (okay, probably not the right cliche for animal documentaries) when new content really starts to come back. then its going to be the SEE and the For all Mankind stuff. (although, this one is coming out in Feb, must have already been "in the can" so to speak.

I think apple is just admitting the reality that content is king and until they get true 2nd seasons of the shows that people DID like, starting to charge people would really truly cannabalize current user base.

 

[neuropsychguy]

I just took disney+ For a month and it’s hands down worst streaming service i have ever seen. Found 5 movies from there to Watch And now i just wait the month end, i’m not expecting anything good new content coming there in near future.

Disney+ has a ton of strong content but if you don't like Disney movies/shows, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, The Simpsons, etc. then there's not much there for you.

 

[reubs]

I signed up for a free Fitness+ trial, and I think I've used that more than I've used Apple TV+, but I gotta do the math and see when the Apple One bundle is worth it for us as a family.

 

[kmichalec]

Apple TV+ loses points for not being available on Windows or other major platforms.

It works on my Amazon fire TV just fine. Have everything I need in one place. Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Apple TV+, HBO Max all on my Fire TV stick. Not sure how it loses points for that.

But agree the content needs to get better. Ted Lasso is brilliant. Everything else has been "Meh..."

 

[Haquers]

I’m an Apple One subscriber and get the $5 / month credit. I had an overlapping free trial from a hardware purchase so have certainly never been paying for Apple TV+ other than as part of my One subscription.

Good to know. Will be keeping my eye out for credits from now until July hopefully!

 

[Haquers]

It works on my Amazon fire TV just fine. Have everything I need in one place. Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Apple TV+, HBO Max all on my Fire TV stick. Not sure how it loses points for that.

But agree the content needs to get better. Ted Lasso is brilliant. Everything else has been "Meh..."

Ted Lasso, Mythic Quest, For All Mankind, The Morning Show, Truth Be Told, Little American and Defending Jacob are all great shows.

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

Yeah, but it all screams Disney...

That's because it is Disney.

 

[AstroRob]

I've been really impressed with "For All Mankind" and am delighted I get the second season without having to start paying. I've watched a handful of other shows on it which have been entertaining (Dickinson, Mythic Quest) but never something I'd subscribe to watch.

But when they drop "Foundation" I'll probably have to subscribe for a while.

Apple is a long ways from Prime/Netflix/Disney/HBO in terms of significant catalogs of content I'm willing to pay for. It's closer to CBS in catalog (though CBS vastly overcharges for a very limited catalog compared to other services).

 

[derekamoss]

What are you talking about? The stories are well done for their target audience. It's nice to have a small curated library of quality content. There was a time when 'Netflix Original' was a sign it was going to be good but those days are long gone. Amazon's original programing isn't bad but it's hidden in a secret garden of IAP.

By target audience you must mean Tim Cook.

 

[dmk1974]

Dammit, I just cancelled my free trial of Apple TV+ 6 days ago just to make sure I didn't forget at the end of the month. Figures. Not worth $5/mo, but if free I'd hang onto it just in case.

 

[kmichalec]

Ted Lasso, Mythic Quest, For All Mankind, The Morning Show, Truth Be Told, Little American and Defending Jacob are all great shows.

Obviously, we have different opinions, which is totally ok, but my wife and I thought Mythic Quest writing and dialogue was terrible, and almost none of the jokes hit. It clearly wanted to be like Silicon Valley (which is great), but really couldn't come close. We couldn't make it past two episodes.

 

[derekamoss]

The only two things I have watched on Amazon are Grand Tour and Fleabag. Honestly, I think Amazon is slowly melting Clarkson's soul.

Jack ryan is pretty good. Honestly I can't ever hit Amazon on lack of content available like I can Apple TV+ because prime video is really only a bonus add on for the other Amazon Prime benefits I actually signed up for. Don't get free shipping from apple when I'm signed up for tv+

 

[TriBruin]

Ted Lasso, Mythic Quest, For All Mankind, The Morning Show, Truth Be Told, Little American and Defending Jacob are all great shows.

Obviously opinions can differ, but other than maybe TMS and Ted Lasso, none of those shows have any real impact on the general public. I have Apple TV+ an have never watch Mythic Quest of Little American. I haven't heard of Truth Be Told.

Until Apple can get the general public excited about their shows like Netflix can, people are never going to sign up. I can promise you way more people have heard of Queen's Gambit or The Crown than any show on Apple TV+

 

[derekamoss]

Ted Lasso, Mythic Quest, For All Mankind, The Morning Show, Truth Be Told, Little American and Defending Jacob are all great shows.

Ted Lasso is THE ONLY thing good about Apple tv and it is at a huge disadvantage being on it compared to the other streaming sites like it deserves to be.

 

[TriBruin]

Jack ryan is pretty good. Honestly I can't ever hit Amazon on lack of content available like I can Apple TV+ because prime video is really only a bonus add on for the other Amazon Prime benefits I actually signed up for. Don't get free shipping from apple when I'm signed up for tv+

Amazon Prime has been the least for shows my wife and I watch. If it wasn't included with my Prime membership, I would not subscribe.

However, I would add "The Boys" to the list of excellent shows on Prime.

 

[dmk1974]

Amazon Prime has been the least for shows my wife and I watch. If it wasn't included with my Prime membership, I would not subscribe.

However, I would add "The Boys" to the list of excellent shows on Prime.

Agreed. "The Boys" is one of my favorite streaming shows I've ever seen. Of course, to each their own. You'll know by the end of the first episode if you'll like it.

 

[bankshot]

Oops I cancelled mine a few weeks ago so I wouldn’t forget and accidentally get billed.

Really regretting cancelling my free trial about 2 weeks early back in November. Missed these two extension periods.

Dammit, I just cancelled my free trial of Apple TV+ 6 days ago just to make sure I didn't forget at the end of the month. Figures. Not worth $5/mo, but if free I'd hang onto it just in case.

The article says that Apple will credit paying customers $4.99/month through July, so presumably you could sign back up and get it free until then. Might wait until it's confirmed that people are really getting credited, though.

Edit: the 9to5Mac article has slightly different wording: "Any paying subscribers to Apple TV+ monthly plan as of today, January 15, will receive $4.99 store credit for the February to June period, offsetting the cost of their subscription. The same is true for people who currently pay for the Apple One bundle subscription." That makes it sound like anyone who starts or restarts a subscription after this news came out will not get the $4.99/month credit?

 

[Apple_Robert]

Just because Apple keeps extending the free viewing, that doesn't necessarily mean Apple TV+ is in big trouble. It could be that by doing this, Apple is getting more and more people to look into and continue viewing programming that they wouldn't have otherwise. And through this, Apple may end up securing more subscribers.

 

[derekamoss]

I just took disney+ For a month and it’s hands down worst streaming service i have ever seen. Found 5 movies from there to Watch And now i just wait the month end, i’m not expecting anything good new content coming there in near future.

ATV+ has great very high production quality content, there just isn’t new stuff coming regularly thanks to covid. and people won’t pay for service which doesn’t have new content, that’s why Apple is giving it free, because people have already seen everything they want from there. It’s same with all services currently and iTunes movies too, new content comes very rarely. just like new movies isn’t coming to cinema as fast as before.

You must not have any young kids.