Apple offering free three-month Apple News+ trial through November 30

Posted:
in General Discussion edited November 2020
Apple launched a promotional Apple News+ offer this week that nets new users free access to the service for three months, two months longer than the typical one-month trial.

Apple News


Announced in a tweet posted to the official Apple News+ Twitter account, Apple's limited trial offer went live on Wednesday and is valid through Monday in Australia, Canada the UK and the U.S.

The standard Apple News+ trial period is capped at one month. Apple's news service is available for $9.99 a month or as part of the $29.95 Premiere Apple One bundle.

This week's promotion arrives as Apple struggles to gain new subscribers amid a tepid response from both customers and participating publications. In July, Apple issued a similar program to woo back former subscribers.

Apple rarely publicizes figures for Apple News, but in April said the service had 125 million users across its free and paid tiers.

Apple News+ launched in March 2019 with access to a number of publications, including The Wall Street Journal. Also included is access to a host of magazines previously offered through Texture, which Apple purchased in 2018.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 24
    stukestuke Posts: 122member
    Well, if they would move Apple News+ into the Family Share Plan of Apple One (rather than Apple Arcade...which as adults my wife and I could care less about), then I would use the service.  My wife an I shared an AppleID since iTools or MobileMe days (for those of you who remember).  When she got a watch, we decided to set her up with a separate AppleID and I then chose the Family Share Plan.  Besides having Apple Arcade which is useless to me (as was/is Game Center), sharing iCloud space with multiple AppleIDs on a share plan is not what I wanted.  Apps that can be shared (e.g., Notability) don't share the same library so what's the point?  If you could decide to have your own space (which is the default and only option with iCloud sharing), and a shared space, then Family Sharing makes sense when sharing Apps.  I think I'll end my Family Sharing Plan and go back to both of us having the 5GB Free options...anyway, I digress.  Apple One should be an a la carte system, build your own.  In fact, I will probably get rid of Family Share Plan of Apple One soon because of the limitation.  I'm not going up to the Ultimate package just to get News+...let the user decide what they want in their Family Share Plan!  
    Japheymontrosemacs
  • Reply 2 of 24
    JapheyJaphey Posts: 1,767member
    After getting countless offers for another free trial of News+, I clicked on this offer last night while half asleep, assuming it was the same thing. It wasn’t, and I was charged $9.99. So I immediately canceled and submitted a refund request today. I’m not complaining, as it’s on me for having assumed that I was one of the “eligible subscribers only” referenced in the fine print since I get these offers almost weekly. I’m only writing to warn others not to make the same mistake I did. This is literally only for those who have never tried it before, regardless of how many notifications and emails they send to lure you back. 
    gregoriusmjdb8167
  • Reply 3 of 24
    Paying for news...what a waste of money.
    PetrolDavechemengin1omasou
  • Reply 4 of 24
    fred1fred1 Posts: 1,108member
    Sarkany said:
    Paying for news...what a waste of money.
    Oh oh, cue all those who are going to start a tirade against this “Apple News Hater”!  
  • Reply 5 of 24
    Sarkany said:
    Paying for news...what a waste of money.
    Everything costs something, including and sometimes especially free things. 
    ivanhGeorgeBMac
  • Reply 6 of 24
    Rayz2016Rayz2016 Posts: 6,957member
    fred1 said:
    Sarkany said:
    Paying for news...what a waste of money.
    Oh oh, cue all those who are going to start a tirade against this “Apple News Hater”!  
    Oh oh, cue all those trying to shut down a discussion just in case someone disagrees with them. 
    king editor the grateomasou
  • Reply 7 of 24
    Rayz2016Rayz2016 Posts: 6,957member

    Japhey said:
    After getting countless offers for another free trial of News+, I clicked on this offer last night while half asleep, assuming it was the same thing. It wasn’t, and I was charged $9.99. So I immediately canceled and submitted a refund request today. I’m not complaining, as it’s on me for having assumed that I was one of the “eligible subscribers only” referenced in the fine print since I get these offers almost weekly. I’m only writing to warn others not to make the same mistake I did. This is literally only for those who have never tried it before, regardless of how many notifications and emails they send to lure you back. 
    The ad does say new subscribers only, but since Apple obviously knows who’s already tried it then I don’t see why they send the offer to everyone. Just send it to people who’re eligible. 

    I tried it for a few weeks, and found it to US centric. Readly’s much better. 
    edited November 2020 PetrolDave
  • Reply 8 of 24
    ivanhivanh Posts: 597member
    Sarkany said:
    Paying for news...what a waste of money.
    Everything costs something, including and sometimes especially free things. 
    especially fake news.  Actually I just unsubscribed CNN, NY Times and considering WSJ as well. 
    edited November 2020 Japheychemengin1
  • Reply 9 of 24
    JapheyJaphey Posts: 1,767member
    Rayz2016 said:

    Japhey said:
    After getting countless offers for another free trial of News+, I clicked on this offer last night while half asleep, assuming it was the same thing. It wasn’t, and I was charged $9.99. So I immediately canceled and submitted a refund request today. I’m not complaining, as it’s on me for having assumed that I was one of the “eligible subscribers only” referenced in the fine print since I get these offers almost weekly. I’m only writing to warn others not to make the same mistake I did. This is literally only for those who have never tried it before, regardless of how many notifications and emails they send to lure you back. 
    The ad does say new subscribers only, but since Apple obviously knows who’s already tried it then I don’t see why they send the offer to everyone. Just send it to people who’re eligible. 

    I tried it for a few weeks, and found it to US centric. Readly’s much better. 
    That’s what it says now, but last night it said “eligible subscribers only”. I checked it twice before clicking. My fault for making assumptions though. 

    Thanks for the tip on Readly. I checked it out and the first thing I saw was “5000 magazines”. Damn! I’ll definitely be giving that a try whenever my iPad Air finally arrives. 
    edited November 2020
  • Reply 10 of 24
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member
    Pretty good, I'll certainly take a 3 month free trial.

    But, I notice that if I go to Settings > Apple ID > Subscriptions, I can't set Apple News+ to not auto renew without cancelling the subscription.  This is different from all non-Apple subscriptions, which you can opt out of auto renew and continue using for the remainder of the period.  

    I'll set myself a Reminder to cancel after 2 months and 20 days, but that's a bit shady of Apple.
    muthuk_vanalingam
  • Reply 11 of 24
    fred1fred1 Posts: 1,108member
    Rayz2016 said:
    fred1 said:
    Sarkany said:
    Paying for news...what a waste of money.
    Oh oh, cue all those who are going to start a tirade against this “Apple News Hater”!  
    Oh oh, cue all those trying to shut down a discussion just in case someone disagrees with them. 
    And they’re off!  . . . with a comment that makes no sense. 
  • Reply 12 of 24
    Rayz2016Rayz2016 Posts: 6,957member
    “I tried it for a few weeks, and found it too US centric.”

    Grammar gaff. 

  • Reply 13 of 24
    Rayz2016Rayz2016 Posts: 6,957member
    Japhey said:
    Rayz2016 said:

    Japhey said:
    After getting countless offers for another free trial of News+, I clicked on this offer last night while half asleep, assuming it was the same thing. It wasn’t, and I was charged $9.99. So I immediately canceled and submitted a refund request today. I’m not complaining, as it’s on me for having assumed that I was one of the “eligible subscribers only” referenced in the fine print since I get these offers almost weekly. I’m only writing to warn others not to make the same mistake I did. This is literally only for those who have never tried it before, regardless of how many notifications and emails they send to lure you back. 
    The ad does say new subscribers only, but since Apple obviously knows who’s already tried it then I don’t see why they send the offer to everyone. Just send it to people who’re eligible. 

    I tried it for a few weeks, and found it to US centric. Readly’s much better. 
    That’s what it says now, but last night it said “eligible subscribers only”. I checked it twice before clicking. My fault for making assumptions though. 

    Thanks for the tip on Readly. I checked it out and the first thing I saw was “5000 magazines”. Damn! I’ll definitely be giving that a try whenever my iPad Air finally arrives. 
    Yup, and the Readly list is still growing, while Apple doesn’t seem to have done much outside the US. Shame because the quality of the content is really good. 
    edited November 2020
  • Reply 14 of 24
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member
    Sarkany said:
    Paying for news...what a waste of money.
    You get what you pay for.  If your only payment is your attention then you just get attention-grabbing trash.
    lkruppGeorgeBMacking editor the grate
  • Reply 15 of 24
    Rayz2016Rayz2016 Posts: 6,957member
    crowley said:
    Pretty good, I'll certainly take a 3 month free trial.

    But, I notice that if I go to Settings > Apple ID > Subscriptions, I can't set Apple News+ to not auto renew without cancelling the subscription.  This is different from all non-Apple subscriptions, which you can opt out of auto renew and continue using for the remainder of the period.  

    I'll set myself a Reminder to cancel after 2 months and 20 days, but that's a bit shady of Apple.
    Mmm. I’ve used a lot of apps that work the same way. If you cancel the subscription it runs until the next payment date, though it’s not always clear that’s what’s happening. I often sign up to stuff and cancel straight away so I don’t get charged by mistake. 

    Don’t try it though! 



    edited November 2020
  • Reply 16 of 24
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member
    Rayz2016 said:
    crowley said:
    Pretty good, I'll certainly take a 3 month free trial.

    But, I notice that if I go to Settings > Apple ID > Subscriptions, I can't set Apple News+ to not auto renew without cancelling the subscription.  This is different from all non-Apple subscriptions, which you can opt out of auto renew and continue using for the remainder of the period.  

    I'll set myself a Reminder to cancel after 2 months and 20 days, but that's a bit shady of Apple.
    Mmm. I’ve used a lot of apps that work the same way. If you cancel the subscription it runs until the next payment date, though it’s not always clear that’s what’s happening. I often sign up to stuff and cancel straight away so I don’t get charged by mistake. 

    Don’t try it though! 
    Yes, me too.  That;'s what I'm trying to say, Apple News+ doesn't work like that; if you cancel it then it's cancelled straight away.  Check the screenshot, it's pretty explicit:


  • Reply 17 of 24
    Rayz2016Rayz2016 Posts: 6,957member
    crowley said:
    Rayz2016 said:
    crowley said:
    Pretty good, I'll certainly take a 3 month free trial.

    But, I notice that if I go to Settings > Apple ID > Subscriptions, I can't set Apple News+ to not auto renew without cancelling the subscription.  This is different from all non-Apple subscriptions, which you can opt out of auto renew and continue using for the remainder of the period.  

    I'll set myself a Reminder to cancel after 2 months and 20 days, but that's a bit shady of Apple.
    Mmm. I’ve used a lot of apps that work the same way. If you cancel the subscription it runs until the next payment date, though it’s not always clear that’s what’s happening. I often sign up to stuff and cancel straight away so I don’t get charged by mistake. 

    Don’t try it though! 
    Yes, me too.  That;'s what I'm trying to say, Apple News+ doesn't work like that; if you cancel it then it's cancelled straight away.  Check the screenshot, it's pretty explicit:


    I see what you mean!

    I don’t remember it cancelling straight away when I tried it, but it was a while ago. 

    Yup, I agree, that’s not a good way to do it. 

    News+ is starting to look a little bit desperate if you ask me. Annoying that if I want to sign up to AppleOne Premium I can’t swap it out for extra cloud space or something. 
    edited November 2020
  • Reply 18 of 24
    fred1 said:
    Sarkany said:
    Paying for news...what a waste of money.
    Oh oh, cue all those who are going to start a tirade against this “Apple News Hater”!  
    Well, I am not sure if the indignation is directed towards paying for Apple News+ or towards paying for news (the noun). I suspect that it is the latter... in which case they deserve all the hate that they get 
  • Reply 19 of 24

    crowley said:
    Rayz2016 said:
    crowley said:
    Pretty good, I'll certainly take a 3 month free trial.

    But, I notice that if I go to Settings > Apple ID > Subscriptions, I can't set Apple News+ to not auto renew without cancelling the subscription.  This is different from all non-Apple subscriptions, which you can opt out of auto renew and continue using for the remainder of the period.  

    I'll set myself a Reminder to cancel after 2 months and 20 days, but that's a bit shady of Apple.
    Mmm. I’ve used a lot of apps that work the same way. If you cancel the subscription it runs until the next payment date, though it’s not always clear that’s what’s happening. I often sign up to stuff and cancel straight away so I don’t get charged by mistake. 

    Don’t try it though! 
    Yes, me too.  That;'s what I'm trying to say, Apple News+ doesn't work like that; if you cancel it then it's cancelled straight away.  Check the screenshot, it's pretty explicit:


    All Apple free trails work this way... including Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple Music, etc. 
  • Reply 20 of 24
    JapheyJaphey Posts: 1,767member
    Flytrap said:

    crowley said:
    Rayz2016 said:
    crowley said:
    Pretty good, I'll certainly take a 3 month free trial.

    But, I notice that if I go to Settings > Apple ID > Subscriptions, I can't set Apple News+ to not auto renew without cancelling the subscription.  This is different from all non-Apple subscriptions, which you can opt out of auto renew and continue using for the remainder of the period.  

    I'll set myself a Reminder to cancel after 2 months and 20 days, but that's a bit shady of Apple.
    Mmm. I’ve used a lot of apps that work the same way. If you cancel the subscription it runs until the next payment date, though it’s not always clear that’s what’s happening. I often sign up to stuff and cancel straight away so I don’t get charged by mistake. 

    Don’t try it though! 
    Yes, me too.  That;'s what I'm trying to say, Apple News+ doesn't work like that; if you cancel it then it's cancelled straight away.  Check the screenshot, it's pretty explicit:


    All Apple free trails work this way... including Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple Music, etc. 
    Not true, at least from my experience. The several times I’ve tried Music, it allowed me to finish out the remainder of the month after canceling. Not sure about the other two, but my initial News+ experience was there same as Crowley’s above. However, this time after cancelling, Apple Is allowing me to finish. So, whether they can’t make up their mind, or whether it’s different for each person, the whole situation is inconsistent at best. 
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