Getting Apple TV+ free for an entire year sounds too good to be true, but it is possible! Apple offers one year free subscriptions to new device owners as a way to entice people to try out their streaming service. With popular original shows like Ted Lasso, Severance, and For All Mankind, Apple TV+ is definitely worth checking out. This guide will explain all the ways you can get Apple TV+ free for 12 months so you can start streaming original content completely free.
Overview of Ways to Get Apple TV+ Free for 1 Year
There are a few different ways to take advantage of Apple‘s 1 year free Apple TV+ offer:
Buying a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, or Mac: Get 1 year free when you purchase and activate a new eligible device.
Special promos with other companies: Occasionally Apple partners with other brands like Verizon or T-Mobile to offer free years of Apple TV+.
Student discount: College students get Apple TV+ free for 1 year as part of their Apple Music student plan.
Sharing with family: Family members can share their free year from new device purchases.
Free trials: Get 3 months free when you sign up for Apple TV+ directly.
As long as you haven‘t used Apple TV+ before, you should be eligible for one of these free year offers by either buying a new device or signing up independently. Here are the details on how each option works:
Get 1 Year Free with a New Apple Device Purchase
The most common way to get a free 12 months of Apple TV+ is by purchasing a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV 4K, or Mac computer. Here are the details on how it works:
Eligible devices: Any new iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Apple TV 4K, or Mac capable of running the latest iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, or macOS. This includes both devices bought directly from Apple or authorized resellers.
Activate device: You must activate your new device by setting it up with your Apple ID. The offer should appear immediately after launching the TV app during setup.
Redeem offer: Follow the on-screen instructions to redeem the offer within 3 months of activating your device. You‘ll be prompted to enter your Apple ID and payment info.
One offer per family: Each Family Sharing group can only redeem the 1 year free offer once, regardless of how many eligible devices are purchased.
Expiration: The free year expires 1 year after you first redeem the offer, not 1 year from device purchase. You‘ll be billed monthly after it expires.
So if you are planning to upgrade your Apple device soon, make sure to take advantage of this deal and get Apple TV+ free for 12 months.
Apple TV+ Special Promotions
In addition to new device purchases, Apple sometimes partners with other brands to offer free Apple TV+ subscriptions as a promo. Here are some examples of past and current Apple TV+ special offers:
Verizon Unlimited Plans: Verizon offers either 6 months or 12 months free of Apple TV+ with select Unlimited smartphone plans.
T-Mobile: T-Mobile has previously offered free Apple TV+ with their Magenta Max phone plan. Availability varies.
PlayStation 5: Sony offered 6 months free Apple TV+ with new PS5 consoles for a limited time.
Xfinity/Comcast: Comcast Xfinity customers may be eligible for 3 months free Apple TV+ through Xfinity Perks or for 12 months free with select internet plans.
The availability of these third-party Apple TV+ promotions changes frequently. Check with your mobile carrier, internet provider, or gaming console manufacturer to see if they currently offer any Apple streaming deals. Taking advantage of one of these partner offers is a seamless way to get your free year of Apple TV+.
Get Apple TV+ with the Student Discount
College students can access a free year-long Apple TV+ subscription through Apple Music‘s student pricing. Here‘s how the Apple student discount works:
Apple Music Student Plan: College students pay $4.99/month for Apple Music (50% off). This also includes Apple TV+ and Apple Arcade.
Redeem offer: Log in with your Apple ID through the Music app to access and redeem the Apple TV+ offer.
Remains free: Apple TV+ stays free as long as you maintain the Apple Music Student Plan subscription.
Expiration: If you end your student subscription, you lose access to the free Apple TV+ service.
Any student attending a college or university is eligible to take advantage of this deal. You‘ll need to verify your student status with Unidays. After verification, you can enjoy Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and more for the duration of your college career.
Share a Free Year with Family
The 1 year free Apple TV+ offer that comes with a new device purchase can be shared with up to 5 family members through Family Sharing. Here‘s how it works:
Set up Family Sharing: Have the family member with the eligible new device set up Family Sharing and add your Apple ID to their "family."
Redeem offer: After your family member redeems their free year, Apple TV+ will become available in your own TV app.
Separate subscriptions: Each family member gets their own Apple TV+ subscription even though it‘s shared. You‘ll have your own Watchlist and recommendations.
This is by far the easiest way to get a free year of Apple TV+ without having to buy a new device yourself. As long as you have a family member willing to share their 1 year subscription from a new iPhone, iPad, or Mac purchase, you can enjoy Apple originals completely free.
Get a 3 Month Free Apple TV+ Trial
Don‘t qualify for a full free year? No worries. Apple offers every new user a 7 day free trial which you can extend to 3 months free. Here‘s how:
7 day trial: Sign up for Apple TV+ directly in the TV app or at tv.apple.com to start a free 7 day trial.
Extend to 3 months: Shortly before your trial is set to expire, you‘ll see an offer in the TV app to extend your free trial to 3 months total. Follow the prompts to redeem.
One free trial per family: Similar to the 1 year offer, each family group is limited to a single 3 month free trial.
Expiration: After the 3 month trial ends you‘ll be billed the regular $6.99/month subscription (or $69.99 annually) so be sure to cancel if you don‘t want to pay.
While it‘s not an entire year free, taking advantage of the 3 month trial is still a great way to watch all of Apple‘s original movies and series completely free for 90 days. It‘s easy to set up and you can cancel anytime.
Activating Your Apple TV+ Free Year Subscription
Once you‘ve obtained your free year code through one of the above methods, here are step-by-step instructions to activate your Apple TV+ subscription:
Make sure your device is running the latest OS version (iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, or macOS).
Open the Apple TV app. You may be prompted to enter the code immediately.
Go to the Watch Now tab.
Tap on your profile icon in the top right corner.
Select "Redeem Gift Card or Code".
Enter the 12-digit promo code provided to you.
Tap "Redeem" and your 1 year free subscription will begin!
After activation, you‘ll have complete access to all Apple TV+ original movies and shows for 365 days. Make sure to add titles to your Watchlist so you don‘t forget what you wanted to watch.
Getting the Most Value from Your Free Year
Now that you know how to get your hands on a free year of Apple TV+, here are some tips to maximize the value you get from this promotion:
Add it to your regular rotation: Don‘t let the 1 year free trial go to waste! Add Apple TV+ into your regular streaming rotation along with services like Netflix or Hulu that you regularly watch.
Download for offline viewing: Download movies or shows to your device so you can keep watching even without an internet connection. Great for travel.
Use Family Sharing: As mentioned above, share your 1 year free subscription with family to help them save money too.
Give it a try upfront: Don‘t wait 11 months to start watching. Test out some Apple originals early in your trial so you know what content you like.
Cancel renewal if needed: Apple will automatically renew your subscription when the year is up. Go to your account settings to cancel renewal if you don‘t want to be charged.
Check for promo email reminders: Apple sends emails with watching recommendations and reminders about your trial expiration date so you get the full free year.
Enjoy ad-free viewing: Apple TV+ is completely ad-free, so take advantage and watch your shows without annoying interruptions.
Follow these tips and you‘ll be sure to maximize every minute of free viewing from your 12 month Apple TV+ trial.
Apple TV+ Free Trial vs Regular Pricing
Here‘s a quick comparison of what you get with the Apple TV+ free year trial versus paying the regular subscription cost:
| Free 1 Year Trial | Regular Paid Subscription | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | $0 for 365 days | $6.99/month or $69.99/year |
| Number of devices | Up to 6 | Up to 6 |
| Number of concurrent streams | Up to 6 | Up to 6 |
| Access to all Apple Originals | Yes | Yes |
| Share with Family Sharing | Yes | Yes |
| Watch online and offline | Yes | Yes |
| Ad-free viewing | Yes | Yes |
| 4K HDR picture | Yes | Yes |
| Cancel anytime | Yes | Yes |
As you can see, you get full access to the entire Apple TV+ catalog and features during the 1 year free trial period. The only difference is paying the monthly/annual cost.
What Devices Support Apple TV+
Apple TV+ is compatible with all of Apple‘s devices as well as smart TVs, streaming sticks/boxes, game consoles, and more. Here are all the devices that support the Apple TV app and Apple TV+ streaming:
Apple Devices
- iPhone
- iPad
- iPod Touch
- Apple TV 4K/HD
- Macs
Smart TVs
- Samsung
- LG
- Sony
- VIZIO
- TCL
- Others with AirPlay 2 support
Streaming Devices
- Roku
- Fire TV Stick
- Fire TV Cube
- Chromecast with Google TV
- NVIDIA Shield TV
Gaming Consoles
- PlayStation 4
- PlayStation 5
- Xbox One
- Xbox Series X/S
Others
- Android TV devices
- Amazon Echo Show
- Comcast Xfinity X1 & Flex
- Spectrum TV
Apple has done a great job making Apple TV+ highly accessible across platforms. Chances are your current TV setup supports the Apple TV app.
Summary
Here are the key points to remember about getting 1 year free of Apple TV+:
Buy a new iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV and redeem the offer within 90 days of device activation.
Look for special promotions from Verizon, T-Mobile or other partners.
College students get it free with an Apple Music Student subscription.
Family members can share a free year via Family Sharing.
New subscribers can get an extended 3 month free trial.
Redeem the code in the Apple TV app and enjoy 365 days of free access to top original movies, shows, and documentaries.
Take advantage of these Apple TV+ free trial options and you‘ll be streaming hit shows in no time. Enjoy 12 months of free entertainment!
