You can no longer sign up for Disney+ and Hulu via the App Store

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in iOS

In an attempt to avoid paying Apple's App Store fees, Disney has removed the ability for users to pay for Disney+ or Hulu through the App Store.

Close-up of App Store icon showing three notifications, displayed on a smartphone screen with a red background.
Disney+ and Hulu no longer allow signups via the App Store.



By instructing their users to visit a website rather than pay via the App Store, Disney is able to save money and avoid paying Apple a fee. For in-app purchases such as subscriptions, Apple typically charges companies a fee for every transaction made within the app, which can be up to 30% of the payment.

The subscription-related change can be found on the official Disney and Hulu websites. New and returning subscribers cannot pay for their subscriptions through Apple, nor can they sign up for either of the services. Existing Apple-billed subscribers will remain unaffected, however, according to the Disney+ and Hulu websites.

As noted by MacRumors, users will still be able to enjoy their Disney+ and Hulu content on iOS but will need to sign in via the respective apps. For payments, however, users will need to turn to the Disney+ and Hulu websites. From there, it's possible to view all available subscription plans and sign up for a subscription directly.

In-app purchases and their associated App Store fees have often caused much controversy in the past, with companies such as Epic Games going so far as suing Apple. In February of 2024, streaming service Netflix also ended support for in-app payments.



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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 18
    Possum-usPossum-us Posts: 8member
    So this means their subscription fees for consumers are now 30% "lower", :D right ? 

     
    edited October 21 zeus423williamlondonsflagelappleinsideruserwatto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 18
    OriginalAppleGuyOriginalAppleGuy Posts: 14member
    Well - that definitely does it for me. Doubling the annual cost, now can't easily subscribe/unsubscribe? No way. Bye Bye, Disney.
    williamlondonwatto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 18
    mark fearingmark fearing Posts: 442member
    This has always been an option. All the lawsuits and screaming. If your business doesn't think there's an advantage of offering in app subscriptions, then do this. Easy. Disney Plus is in trouble anyway so they need every nickel they can sucker out of people.
    williamlondonwatto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 18
    zeus423zeus423 Posts: 272member
    I booted the mouse from the house a few years ago. 
    williamlondonwatto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 18
    hmlongcohmlongco Posts: 585member
    So they want me to give my personal and credit card information to yet another third party?

    No thanks.
    williamlondonssfe11appleinsideruserwatto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 18
    chasmchasm Posts: 3,614member
    I have been buying Disney annually through the App Store precisely because of its easy cancellation policies, which I haven’t needed to use.

    Dear Disney: I’m cancelling my annual subscription, and will now sign up for only the months the one show I really need from your service is on (Doctor Who), and cancel as soon as it’s over. Indeed, won’t I get a free week or month or something going this route every year?

    Nose. Cutting. Spite. Face.
    ssfe119secondkox2appleinsideruserwatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 18
    s.metcalfs.metcalf Posts: 995member
    Possum-us said:
    So this means their subscription fees for consumers are now 30% "lower", :D right ?  
    No because if they're anything like other streaming services (Paramount and Amazon come to mind) they give you less when you sign up through the App Store in order to cover Apple's 30% cut.  I know for a fact that if you sign up for Paramount through the App Store, you can only stream on Apple devices, not third party devices or a TV's built-in apps.  For Amazon, you pay I think almost the same or the actual same price for Prime Video as a Prime membership but it doesn't include Prime membership, whereas if you buy the Prime membership directly with Amazon it includes Prime Video.

    Other services like Tidal in fact do charge more when purchasing in the App Store.

    I don't know what the situation was for Disney, because I learnt the hard way that if you can avoid purchasing a subscription through the App Store you probably should.  And as for the security question, many of the services support paying with Apple Pay or PayPal when purchasing directly, so I don't think security is an issue.
    williamlondonbala1234watto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 18
    jeffharrisjeffharris Posts: 851member
    chasm said:
    I have been buying Disney annually through the App Store precisely because of its easy cancellation policies, which I haven’t needed to use.

    Dear Disney: I’m cancelling my annual subscription, and will now sign up for only the months the one show I really need from your service is on (Doctor Who), and cancel as soon as it’s over. Indeed, won’t I get a free week or month or something going this route every year?

    Nose. Cutting. Spite. Face.
    That's what I've done with Peacock in the past.
    Sign up only for Le Tour de France and la Vuelta España. Then it's arrivederci.

    This year they stopped offering the ad-free international feed for meathead 'Murikan football style coverage, so I bailed for FloSports.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 18
    22july201322july2013 Posts: 3,736member
    Even if it was available on the App Store, that wouldn't suffice for me. I would get it only if it was available as a "channel" in the Apple TV app. I just subscribed to a channel in the Apple TV app last week. Any company that fights privacy, convenience, and ease of use won't get my business.
    9secondkox2watto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 18
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,652member
    chasm said:
    I have been buying Disney annually through the App Store precisely because of its easy cancellation policies, which I haven’t needed to use.

    Remember this article from 5 days ago? 
    https://appleinsider.com/articles/24/10/17/ftc-click-to-cancel-rule-makes-canceling-subscriptions-as-easy-as-starting-them
    9secondkox2muthuk_vanalingam
  • Reply 11 of 18
    ITGUYINSDITGUYINSD Posts: 550member
    hmlongco said:
    So they want me to give my personal and credit card information to yet another third party?

    No thanks.
    Spare me.  Your address and phone number are probably all over the internet already.  Your CC info isn't a secret.  Do you hand it to a total stranger at a restaurant and they walk away with it, out of sight?  Do you only online shop at one establishment?

    Everyone is so dramatic.  
    mikethemartiangatorguy9secondkox2bala1234
  • Reply 12 of 18
    9secondkox29secondkox2 Posts: 3,145member
    Whelp… say goodbye to easy impulse purchases. LOL
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 18
    appleinsideruserappleinsideruser Posts: 664member
    ITGUYINSD said:
    hmlongco said:
    So they want me to give my personal and credit card information to yet another third party?

    No thanks.
    Do you hand it to a total stranger at a restaurant and they walk away with it, out of sight?  
    You Yanks are so cute the way you still handover little pieces of plastic to pay… 🤣
    croprwatto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 18
    bulk001bulk001 Posts: 795member
    In a big win for Disney on 13 diehard Apple fans say they will cancel their membership. Reading the comments I think they should count it a blessing to lose you few blowhards as customers. 😂 Every year our company would fire a few customers as a Christmas gift to us as they cost us more than they were worth with their constant whining and always wanting things cheaper or free. Hulu is probably the most useful subscription to have for general family viewing and ESPN is still king for sports. If you are going to buy those then it makes sense to get the discounted package and have Disney shows for the kids. 
    gatorguy
  • Reply 15 of 18
    le studiosle studios Posts: 209member
    Disney+ sucks anyways. They have raised their prices again. Disney Bundle Trio Premium (Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+) is now $26.99 from $24.99 per month. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 16 of 18
    croprcropr Posts: 1,142member
    ITGUYINSD said:
    hmlongco said:
    So they want me to give my personal and credit card information to yet another third party?

    No thanks.
    Do you hand it to a total stranger at a restaurant and they walk away with it, out of sight?  
    You Yanks are so cute the way you still handover little pieces of plastic to pay… ߤ㦬t;/div>

    Replace cute by old fashioned.  The last time i gave my credit/debit card to the waiter was some 20 years ago.    And the last time I used the magstripe on the card was still in the 20th century.   We stopped using cheques in the nineties
    edited October 23 appleinsideruser
  • Reply 17 of 18
    beowulfschmidtbeowulfschmidt Posts: 2,357member
    The glop on Disney lately isn't worth watching anyway.  And no, I'm not referring to any alleged "woke" nonsense.  The quality as gone way, way down.

    Like someone above mentioned, if something comes along that I absolutely must watch, I'll subscribe long enough to watch it then unsub.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 18 of 18
    hmlongcohmlongco Posts: 585member
    ITGUYINSD said:
    Spare me.  Your address and phone number are probably all over the internet already.  Your CC info isn't a secret.  Do you hand it to a total stranger at a restaurant and they walk away with it, out of sight?  Do you only online shop at one establishment?

    Everyone is so dramatic.  
    Well, actually. Almost everywhere I go I tap to pay with Apple Pay on my iPhone. Works at my gas station, and now works with most Toast terminals and the like.

    And almost everything I buy online these days is ALSO done using Apple Pay.

    I've had credit card numbers stolen about a dozen times over the years prior to this. Since Apple Pay, Apple Card, and shutting down access to my other cards and accounts... not once.
    watto_cobra
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