Apple’s $ 4.99-per-month streaming service is starting to make a name for itself with popular, exclusive and even Emmy Award-Winning Shows As Ted lasso, Foundation, and The morning show. Slowly but surely, its little catalog is turning into a home for prestige-worthy television – the kind of reputation that defined HBO.
Although there is not exactly a plethora of content available (still), Apple adds new movies and TV shows every week, some of them are worth more than the frenzy, and the app experience, while imperfect, is better than many (hum, HBO Max). If you’re new to Apple TV +, here are the tips and settings you need to know to get the most out of the service.
How to get Apple TV + for free (for a little while at least)
First of all, it is very easy to try Apple TV + for free. Apple’s one-year free trial is a thing of the past, but new subscribers can still get a seven-day free trial, and if you buy a new iPhone, iPad, or Mac, it comes with a trial. three months free. Subscribe to Apple One plan and you will also get Apple TV + included.
Best of all, Apple TV + supports Apple Family Sharing at no additional cost. This means that if a member of your family or group of friends subscribes to Apple TV +, you can access it for free.
There is no app for Windows and Android users, but web streaming still works
Apple TV + is not exclusive to Apple platforms. Far from there: You’ll find Apple TV + apps for just about any console, Smart TV, and media library there, including those from competitors like Fire TV and Chromecast.
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What’s missing from the list are Windows and Android, but you can bypass this restriction by streaming using the Apple TV website.
Learn how to manage your queue Up Next
The interface of the Apple TV app is quite confusing at a glance. It includes original Apple TV +, TV channels, and iTunes Store rentals. It is quite easy to get lost. If you’re only interested in Apple TV +, look for the “Originals†or “Apple TV +†tabs.
You can improve your viewing experience using Apple A televisionthe Up Next feature of pp. When you find a show you want to watch, just hit the More button to add it to your Up Next queue.
If you start watching something, it will automatically appear in the Up Next queue (new episodes take priority here). But the Up Next queue can sometimes be too crowded (unlike Netflix, you don’t have separate “my list” and “currently w“hang” sections). Long press a show or movie to remove it from the Next queue in a second. (On Mac, you’ll find this option in the context menu.)
You can turn off notifications for new Apple TV + shows
Apple TV + ‘s notifications for new shows can be a bit intrusive – subscribers are likely to receive them even if you haven’t added the show to your Up Next queue. To turn off these notifications, go to Settings > Notifications > TV and deactivate the “Allow notifications“setting.
It’s easy to download movies and shows to watch offline
Just like Netflix or Prime Video, Apple TV + allows you to download shows for offline viewing on iPhone, iPad and Mac using the Apple TV app.
On your iPhone or iPad, you can download individual episodes or entire seasons of a show with one click. While browsing a TV show or movie, press the To download button to download it – pretty easy. You will find your uploaded media in the Library section.
There is no obvious subtitle option, but they are there
The closed caption feature is a bit hidden in the Apple TV app. You have to start playing something to access it. After starting playback, tap the three dots Menu button on the lower toolbar. So choose “Subtitlesâ€And select a language from the list.
You can adjust the playback speed
This one is controversial (at least, based on the response generated when Netflix started testing a similar feature), but you can adjust the playback speed in the Apple TV app. Say you watch to find out what all the For all mankind the buzz is about, but you don’t have time to binge all season – just press the three-dot Menu button while playing, then select “Reading speed”. You can choose to stream at half speed, 1.25x, 1.5x, or 2x.
The Apple TV app has a fairly soft dark mode
The Apple TV app has a really good dark mode, but there’s no obvious switch to turn it on anywhere in the app. Like many other Apple apps, Dark Mode is tied to the operating system running the app; you will need to enable dark mode for iOS or macOS to use the Apple TV app in dark mode.
On your iPhone or iPad, you can do this from Settings > Display and brightness. On your Mac, you can do this using the Control Center (in the Display section).
The same goes for the Apple TV. To activate dark mode, go to Settings > General > Appearance.
