Apple TV+ is well worth subscribing to for its premium content, which includes numerous must-watch shows, but it’s also not cheap. So if you want to partake in the Apple media buffet, here’s how to get the most entertainment for your dollar.
1 Look for Free Trial Bundles
Some Apple devices, or third-party partners, offer Apple TV+ trial bundles. Although usually you need to be a new subscriber to make use of them. That’s not always the case, as my PlayStation 5 came with six months of free Apple TV+. which worked even though I’d been subscribed for some time. Some trials are open to returning subscribers.
Now that Apple TV+ is more established, they don’t seem to be as liberal with the longer free trials, but you still get three months of Apple TV+ with a new qualifying Apple product. However, they don’t stack, and you can only redeem that once per person or per family group. If you qualify for a student Apple Music account, you also get Apple TV+ free.
So if you haven’t subscribed yet, have never redeemed the included trial with a new Apple product, are a student, or are a returning Apple TV+ subscriber, it’s worth looking into your options to get the most out of your first few weeks or months of subscription.
2 Binge for a Month and Quit
Apple TV+ actually has quite a large library of original content, but it’s entirely possible to watch all of the best stuff using only a single month of subscription time. You’d have to plan your watching carefully, and decide what appeals to you most beforehand, but it’s eminently doable. Then, just wait another year or so, then do it all again with the new stuff that’s released in the interim.
3 Make Use of Family Sharing
Unlike Netflix, Apple lets you share your Apple TV+ subscription with up to five family members. You don’t have to live in the same house, though you do all have to be from the same region in terms of the App Store. You can just add people to your family sharing group, which will also share other content such as music, books, and app purchases.
This is a great way to stretch that subscription fee between multiple people, and everyone can watch what they want at the same time. Which is another limitation other streaming services have that cost a premium to remove. Just think twice before you decide to add someone who isn’t family to your group, because photos and calendars are also shared, which are likely to have private information you may not want visible outside of your actual family.
4 Use Apple One to Save on Everything
Apple has a lot of great subscription services, and it’s likely you’d probably enjoy more than just Apple TV+. Apple Arcade is well worth it, Apple Music is one of the best music streaming services, and you can always do with more iCloud storage. If you subscribe to two or more Apple things already, Apple One makes perfect sense. The Apple One Premier Family plan comes with 2TB of iCloud storage, which is worth it by itself if you have a family group with lots of iPhones and Macs in it.
5 Find Shows and Movies Yourself
Lastly, watch the best stuff first. I know what counts as “best” will differ from one person to the next, but there are plenty of articles on the web that point out which are the best Apple TV+ originals out of the thousands of shows and movies that are already on the service. It’s fine if you like to just aimlessly browse through the frontend of the app, but I’ve found the best shows aren’t highlighted well by Apple and you really do need to do a little research to find the shows that are worth watching.
I would never have found great shows like Severance or Silo if I just relied on the app itself!
