What is Apple News+, how much does it cost, and what’s included?
Apple 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 hundreds of magazines and newspapers.
Some of the big names include The Los Angeles Times, The Times and Sunday Times, and The National Geographic. The service should – in theory – 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 paywalls altogether, as not all news sources are included in the service.
Nevertheless, Apple News+ offers plenty to read through your iPhone, iPad or Mac. Here is everything you need to know about the subscription service.
What is Apple News+?
Apple News+ is both a newspaper and a magazine subscription service that costs a monthly fee. The service can be accessed within the existing Apple News mobile app. While the News app itself is free to use, you will need to pay a monthly fee to read content that’s part of News+.
The Apple News app shows the following tabs in the UK (US may differ): Today, News+, Following and Search. 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+ has a selection of tabs at the top, including a My Magazines tab, Downloaded, Newspapers and Catalogue. Within the catalogue section is where you will see all the titles on offer and follow those that appeal to you. When you follow a title, new issues of it will then appear in your My Magazines section, alongside issues of other magazines or newpapers you have read previously.
What are the key features of Apple News?
- Full versions of magazines.
- All layouts optimised for iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
- Apple News editors curate stories and serve them up.
- Apple News gets better based on your interests, and it also uses “on-device intelligence” to recommend stories.
- Apple News only accesses your information with explicit permission, and it doesn’t allow advertisers and publishers to track you.
- Scan recommendations in your Today feed of the Apple News app, 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 and £9.99 a month in the UK. Apple offers a one-month free trial so you can see how much you use it before you sign up.
If you have Family Sharing set up, all users in your Family Sharing group (up to six) will get access to News+ 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. It allows you to 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 is available in fewer countries, but the US, UK, Canada, and Australia all offer it.
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 Fitness+ service for £29.95/$29.95 per month.
First-time subscribers can follow these steps to subscribe to Apple One:
- Open the Settings app on your iOS device.
- Go to your name at the top of Settings.
- Select the Subscriptions menu.
- Select Get Apple One.
- Choose the Apple One tier you want.
- 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 iPod touch, or side menu on an iPad or Mac.
What’s included in the Apple News+ subscription?
Apple News+ offers content from hundreds of publications. Check out the full list here.
Some of the publications included are: The New Yorker, National Geographic, WIRED, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, The Times and Sunday Times, New York Magazine, Bloomberg Businessweek, Vogue, Macworld, PCMag, PC World.
Which devices support Apple News+?
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.
