Apple’s long awaited streaming service has finally arrived, complete with a raft of original content about everything from morning show newsrooms, to Soviets on the moon, to 19th century poets. But should you subscribe? Can you subscribe? Here’s what you need to know to help you decide.
You don’t actually need an Apple device.
Apple TV+ is chiefly delivered through the Apple TV app, which you can find on Macs, iPads, iPhones, Apple TVs, and iPod touches running the latest versions of their respective operating systems. But! That is not the only place. Select smart TVs also support the Apple TV app and, if all else fails, it is also available on the web at tv.apple.com for viewing on browsers like Chrome and Firefox.
Everyone gets a week for free.
Just like any streaming service worth its salt, Apple TV+ offers a free trial. Just pop in to watch for the first time and you should be offered the chance to try it for seven days for free. Or, better yet:
If you bought Apple gear recently, you can get a whole year.
If you’ve purchased a new iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, or Apple TV since September 10th of this year, you’ll automatically be treated to a full _year_ free if you go to activate your trial. Just be aware that you’ve got a three month window to activate it before it disappears and you are demoted to the 7-day version.
You can coordinate with family and friends.
The free year of Apple TV+ isn’t just for whoever bought the gadget, it can also be for up to five other people as well through Apple’s Family Sharing feature. So even if you don’t qualify for the long trial, you might know someone close to you who does and who can loop you into the family. Just beware that if the official owner of the free trial cancels out of it at any time, everyone downstream loses access as well.
But it is pretty cheap regardless.
Even if you can’t get in on an extended free trial, at $5 per month, Apple TV+ is one of the cheapest streaming services currently on available, so you don’t have to wring your hands too much about whether or not to hop on for a month to finish any shows you’re interested in. Apple has dropped multiple episodes of a few of its shows (For All Mankind, See, and The Morning Show among them) here on launch day before moving to a weekly release schedule. So if you prefer to binge, maybe hold off a month or two for the content to accumulate.
