Apple TV Plus has been launched: What you need to know about it
1.11.2019
Translation: machine translated
New competition for Netflix and Prime Video: Apple TV Plus joins the service. Find out everything you need to know about price, availability, picture and audio quality at the launch.
We have known since June 2019: Apple TV Plus will be the first streaming provider of a new streaming generation that aims to make life difficult for Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. The service has been available since today, 1 November.
Time to take a look at the offer, availability and price.
Which devices support Apple TV Plus?
To use Apple TV Plus, you need the latest version of the Apple TV app. This is pre-installed as standard on the following devices:
- iPhone or iPod touch with the latest version of iOS
- iPad with the latest version of iPadOS
- Apple TV 4K or Apple TV HD with the latest version of tvOS
- Apple TV (3rd generation) with the latest Apple TV software update
- Smart TVs or streaming boxes that support the Apple TV app (e.g. Samsung) or AirPlay (e.g. LG)
- Mac with the latest version of macOS
- At tv.apple.com/ch for Switzerland and tv.apple.com/en for Germany (supports Safari, Firefox and Chrome browsers)
You can find out all about the latest iOS update here:
Apropos: The Apple TV app is currently only available on Samsung TVs. However, other suppliers such as Sony and LG are also expected to offer the app in the near future.
How do you sign up for Apple TV Plus?
To use Apple TV, you need an Apple ID. Launch your Apple TV app or click on the web link above. If you go to the app, you will first see all the on-demand titles that you can buy or rent in the Apple TV app. If you click on Apple TV Plus content, for example "See", a light blue button will appear: "Start free trial".
Once you have clicked on the web link, you will be taken directly to the overview page with the corresponding button. Click on it and log in with your Apple ID. Now you can finalise your plan.
How much does the Apple TV Plus subscription cost?
Every new sign-up is entitled to a 7-day trial subscription. After that, the Apple TV Plus plan costs 6 francs per month in Switzerland. In Germany, the plan costs 4.99 euros per month.
Attention: Anyone who has bought a new Apple device gets Apple TV Plus free for a whole year. All new iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV or Mac devices with the latest iOS, iPadOS, tvOS or macOS versions purchased after 10 September 2019 qualify.
If you have a device that qualifies for the 1-year trial, you can activate the plan by opening the Apple TV app via a qualifying device and then clicking on the relevant content.
Important: If you cancel the trial subscription early, the trial subscription expires immediately, not after one year. The same applies to the 7-day trial subscription. Both trial subscriptions can no longer be reactivated once they have been cancelled.
What does Apple TV Plus offer?
Apple TV Plus already offers thousands of paid on-demand titles, comparable to other on-demand suppliers such as Google Play or Teleclub On Demand. Since 1 November, however, it has been adding its own exclusive content: Apple Originals. They can only be watched with a plan, but are free and ad-free.
This content is produced by Apple itself. They have teamed up with renowned directors and actors. For example, Alfonso Cuarón, Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard and M. Night Shyamalan.
Among the most hotly anticipated titles available at launch are "See" and "For All Mankind".
In "See", Jason Momoa plays Baba Voss, a father of two twins in a post-apocalyptic world who were born with a mystical ability: to see. Mystical, because in this future in which humanity has destroyed itself, all people are born blind.
"For All Mankind", on the other hand, begins in 1969, when the first man sets foot on the moon. Only in this story, it wasn't Neil Armstrong. Yes, not even an American. In this alternative version of history, it is the Russians who are the first to conquer the moon.
According to rumours, Apple has invested 6 billion dollars in the production of the 30 Apple Originals that will be available at launch.
What picture and sound quality will the content be available in?
Most of the on-demand titles are already available in UHD resolution and support HDR10 and Dolby Vision. Apple Originals are also available in UHD HDR10 or UHD Dolby Vision quality - depending on which HDR format your playback device supports. Most Apple Originals also support Dolby Atmos.
To play the content in the appropriate quality on your TV, you need either the Apple TV Plus app on the corresponding TV or an Apple TV 4K box. Alternatively, you can also stream content from a third-generation iPad Pro with at least an 11-inch display to your TV if it supports AirPlay 2. You can find even more information on Apple's support page.
In the next few days, I'll be watching series on Apple TV Plus as part of my job to get an idea of what the new device is capable of. If you want to be notified of my first impressions, click on the "Follow author" button. <p
Luca Fontana
Senior Editor
Luca.Fontana@digitecgalaxus.chI'm an outdoorsy guy and enjoy sports that push me to the limit – now that’s what I call comfort zone! But I'm also about curling up in an armchair with books about ugly intrigue and sinister kingkillers. Being an avid cinema-goer, I’ve been known to rave about film scores for hours on end. I’ve always wanted to say: «I am Groot.»