How to cancel your Apple TV+ subscription, and the best alternatives explained
Save some money after watching shows like ‘Ted Lasso’ and ‘Criminal Record’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.There are more streaming services to choose from than ever before. Netflix was the dominant player, but now it is fighting for your attention against Disney+, Amazon Prime, Now and more. With consumers in the grip of the cost of living crisis looking to lower their monthly bills, it might be the right time to take stock of which streaming services you actually need.
While the Apple TV+ library has grown steadily since it launched in late 2019, it still has one of the smallest content catalogues, with the pandemic slowing the iPhone maker’s plans to truly rival the scale of Netflix and Amazon Prime. Still, a subscription to Apple TV+ grants access to Apple TV’s exclusive originals, that you won’t find elsewhere.
For those thinking about signing up, it’s worth keeping in mind that Apple has recently launched a seven-day free trial, so you can watch bingeable shows, such as Ted Lasso and The Morning Show, as well as new and exclusive releases, without paying a dime, like the season finale of psychological horror Servant, streamed exclusively on Apple TV+.
Once the free seven-day trial is over, there are still ways to watch for free. The first episode of every original Apple series is free to watch without a subscription – although you still need an Apple ID to log in – so you can get a feel for a show before stumping up any cash for the remaining episodes. If you’ve managed to binge two seasons of Ted Lasso in a weekend and don’t fancy any of the other shows on offer, we’re pleased to report that cancelling your subscription is easy.
Here, we’ll explain exactly how to cancel your Apple TV+ subscription and look at some alternative streaming services.
How much is Apple TV+?
A subscription to Apple TV+ costs £8.99 per month. For this, you get full access to the entire catalogue and at the highest resolution and audio quality each show is offered in – so if it’s available in Ultra HD with Atmos sound, that’s what you’ll get. This differs from Netflix, where improved sound costs more.
Apple offers a three-month free trial if you buy a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV or Mac, and take out a subscription within 90 days of your purchase.
Lastly, Apple TV+ is available with all three bundles of Apple One, a package that includes several Apple subscription services for one monthly fee, which is also available with a one-month free trial.This starts at £18.95 a month for access to Apple Music, TV+, Arcade, and 50GB of iCloud+ storage, rising to £24.95when upgrading to 200GB of iCloud+ storage, and capping at£36.95 a month when iCloud+ is increased to 2TB. This premium tier also includes Apple’s News+ and Fitness+ subscription services.
What to watch on Apple TV+?
An early success story for Apple TV+ was the Emmy award-winning Ted Lasso, a feel-good comedy starring Jason Sudeikis as a hapless American football coach hired to manage a British football team.
If you’re looking to get your teeth into a compelling crime thriller, the new series Criminal Record sees tensions run high between a veteran Met Police officer and a detective who is newer to the role, coming up against each other in a cold murder case investigation. Available to stream now, the police drama looks at issues within the police force, exploring themes of justice, and institutional racism, sexism and corruption.
Critically acclaimed and boasting an A-list cast, including Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carell, The Morning Show is another series to consider adding to your watchlist, as a workplace drama set inside a news production company amid the #MeToo movement.
A handful of films are also available exclusively on Apple TV+, such as Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, which, based on true events, takes place in Fairfax, Oklahoma in the Twenties, when many Osage people were murdered in a string of strange happening following an immensely lucrative amount of oil being found under their land.
How to cancel Apple TV+
There are several ways to cancel your Apple TV+ subscription, depending on which device you using to access the service.
If you want to cancel your subscription on a browser, go to the Apple TV website and click the profile icon at the top of the page. Make sure you are signed in with the Apple ID you have used for your subscription and click “settings”. Scroll to “Subscriptions” and then choose “Manage”. From there, you should have an option to cancel your Apple TV+ subscription.
If you want to cancel the subscription on your iOS device, open the Settings app, click on your name/Apple ID and then click on Subscriptions. Here you can manage your individual memberships, so click “Cancel Subscription” on the service you want to stop using, in this case, Apple TV+.
If you’re unsubscribing from a Mac, open up the App Store and either click the sign in button, or your name at the top of the sidebar. Next, click “Subscriptions” and select the one you want to cancel and then “Cancel Subscription”. If you can’t see this button then you should already be unsubscribed.
If you’re logged into a Windows PC, you can use iTunes to cancel your membership. From the menu bar at the top of the iTunes window, choose “Account”, then choose “View My Account” where you may be asked to sign in. Click “View Account” then, as above click through “Subscriptions”, then “Manage” and “Edit” next to the subscription you want to change and then click “Cancel Subscription.”
Read more: How much does Netflix cost in the UK and US and what’s included?
You can even cancel your Apple TV+ subscription through your Apple Watch. Simply go to the App store, scroll to “Account” and tap it, tap “Subscriptions” and then “Cancel Subscription” for Apple TV+.
On Apple TV devices, you can only edit subscriptions for installed tvOS apps, so to cancel use one of the methods listed above instead.
Best alternatives to Apple TV+
If you’ve decided to part company with Apple TV+, you might be interested in alternative video streaming services. The obvious first port of call is Netflix, which is full of movies and exclusive TV shows that it has pumped billions of dollars into over the last decade. From Fool Me Once and Dune to, Black Mirror, Stranger Things and Drive to Survive, you are bound to find a Netflix original to sink your teeth into.
The cheapest package available is priced at £4.99 a month, but it’s less expensive because adverts will play either before or during most shows and films. Next up, is the standard package, which costs £10.99 and allows you to download, and watch on two devices at once. If you’re willing to pay quite a lot more than this, the premium package will come in at £17.99. With this plan, you can watch on four devices at the same time, download on six, and it also comes with better sound quality, thanks to Netflix’s spatial audio.
Read more: How much does Now cost and what are the best packages?
Alternatively, there’s Now, formerly known as Now TV. The service is owned by Sky and brings Sky Cinema, Sky Entertainment and Sky Sports content to those without a Sky contract, meaning premium TV on a rolling monthly contract.
Prices start at £4.99 a month for the Now Hayu package full of reality TV, climbing to £9.99 a month for Now Cinema, and £33.99 for Now Sports – however, one-day sports passes are also available. You can read more about Now’s subscriptions in our extensive guide.
Amazon Prime, which gives access to Prime Video, as well as other Amazon services like free next-day delivery and Prime Music streaming, is currently priced at £7.99 a month or £79 a year. However, the retail giant announced in July that from 15 September the price of Prime (for all subscribers, new and old) will increase to £8.99 a month or £95 annually.
Alternatively, if you only want Prime Video, this is priced at £8.99 a month. If you aren’t yet a Prime subscriber, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial to see if this is the streaming service for you.
Read more: How much does Amazon Prime Video cost in the UK vs the US and what’s included?
Alternatively, there’s Disney+, which launched in 2019 and came to the UK in 2020. It already boasts around 150 million subscribers globally and includes access to Disney’s entire back catalogue, plus all titles from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the entire Star Wars collection, all 33 series of The Simpsons, and exclusive documentaries like The Beatles: Get Back.
Disney+ costs £7.99 per month in the UK or £79.90 annually. Subscribers in the US pay $7.99 a month or $79.99 per year. For more information about the subscription service that is most definitely not just for kids, read our guide before signing up.
Free seven-day trial is for new subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.
Voucher codes
For the latest discounts on TVs and other tech offers, try the links below:
Compare the best broadband and tv packages with Independent Advisor
Before you start streaming, you may want a new TV to watch your favourite shows on and we’ve rounded up the best deals this month