What is Apple News+, how much does it cost, and what's included?

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Apple is hoping to kill the paywall. (But not its own paywall, of course.) The company offers a subscription service, called Apple News+, which gives users unprecedented access to some of the biggest newspapers and magazines around the globe. It includes over 300 publications.  

Some of the big names include The Los Angeles Times, Vogue, and The National Geographic. It should therefore drastically cut back on the number of times you’ve been told you read the maximum amount of free articles for a month, but it won’t stop that altogether, as there are still several major news sources, like The New York Times, which are not included in the service. Nevertheless, Apple News+ should offer plenty to read.

What is Apple News+?

Despite the heavy focus on magazines during its unveiling, News+ is both a newspaper and a magazine subscription service that costs a monthly fee.

Apple News+ can be accessed within the existing Apple News mobile app. (Although the News app is free to use, you must pay a monthly fee to read content that's part of News+.) The Apple News app shows the following tabs: Today, News+, Audio, and Following. Simply tap News+ to access the subscription service. If you've never tried it before or haven't yet subscribed, you'll then be asked to subscribe through your device. 

Once opened, News+ shows a My Magazines section, as well as a Cover Story, a For You section, and other categories all curated by Apple News editors. 

Key features

  • You can expect full versions of your magazines, complete with animated covers and articles with immersive photography.
  • All layouts are optimised for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. 
  • Apple News editors will curate stories and serve them up. Expect everything from the latest headlines to in-depth special pieces.
  • Apple News will get better based on your interests, and it also uses "on-device intelligence" to recommend stories. 
  • Apple News will only accesses your information with explicit permission, and it doesn't allow advertisers and publishers to track you.
  • You'll be able to scan recommendations in your Today feed, including full magazine issues if you're an Apple News+ subscriber.
  • Current issues of your favourite magazines are automatically downloaded.

How much is Apple News+?

Standalone

The service costs $9.99 a month in the US ($12.99 Canadian). Apple is also offering a free month of the service if you’re interested in trying it. 

Family Sharing is available, too, providing access for up to six family members under the one monthly subscription fee.

Apple One bundle

Apple’s services bundle for Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple News+, and Fitness+ launched in October 2020. That means you can now subscribe to Apple News+ through one of three different Apple One bundle tiers: Individual, Family, and Premier. Apple One's Individual and Family plans are available in over 100 countries and regions, including in the US and UK. The Premier plan also launched, but only in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia.

Here's how much each Apple One tier costs at launch:

  • Individual: You get Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and 50GB of iCloud storage for £14.95/$14.95 per month.
  • Family: Up to six members of your family get Apple Music, Apple TV+, and Apple Arcade, and 200GB of iCloud for £14.95/$19.95 per month.
  • Premier: Includes all the other benefits, but ups the iCloud storage to 2TB per month and adds subscriptions to the News+ magazine and newspaper service and the newly announced Fitness+ service for £29.95/$29.95 per month.

First-time subscribers can follow these steps to subscribe to Apple One:

  1. Open the Settings app on your iOS device.
  2. Go to your name at the top of Settings.
  3. Select the Subscriptions menu.
  4. Select Get Apple One.
  5. Choose the Apple One tier you want.
  6. Select Start Free trial.

If you already have an Apple subscription, like to Apple News+, you’ll receive a pro-rated refund for any days remaining on your existing subscription(s).

For more details, check out our guide on Apple One.

Where do you find Apple News+?

You need the Apple News app to access the News+ subscription service - and that requires either an iPhone, iPad, or a Mac computer.

If you don’t have an Apple device, then you can’t use the Apple News app or the News+ subscription service. However, if you do have an Apple device, then signing up for Apple News+ is simple: Just open your Apple News app and find the button marked News+. It’s a tab on the bottom on the iPhone (or side menu on an iPad).

If you don’t see it, make sure your device has the most recent update installed.

What’s included in the subscription?

Apple News+ offers content from over 300 publications. Check out the full list here.

Which devices support Apple News+?

Just to reiterate, Apple News requires an Apple device like an iPhone, iPad, or Mac. If you don’t have one of those devices, you can’t use News+.

Where is Apple News+ available?

Apple News+ is available only in Australia, Canada, the UK, and the US.



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