Apple TV +: Everything you need to know
Nowadays there are several streaming services coming from many different companies. We have Amazon Prime Videos, Netflix, Hulu, HBO Go, among many others.
The creator of the iPhones could not be left out of this, no matter how much its Apple TV + platform has come a long way behind its competitors. It was launched in Brazil recently at a very affordable price, especially when compared to how much its rivals cost.
In this article, we'll look at what it is, how it works, and if it's worth it to you, the user, to subscribe to that company's service.
1. What is the service?
Apple TV + is the latest movie and series streaming platform on the market developed by Apple. It was officially announced after months of rumors on March 25, 2019 and had its international release on 11/01 in over 100 countries, including Brazil.
Even with such a recent launch, it already has millions of subscribers who, on average, spent more than one hour each on the service, which is an excellent sign for the company and helps to ensure the continuity of the series offered.
It costs the modest price of $ 9.99 a month in our country, which is a bargain considering that in the United States it costs $ 4.99 a month and that a subscription offers access to up to 5 people plus from you. The platform also offers a 7 day free trial before you make any payments.
You can also subscribe to college students on the music service, Apple Music and gain access to Apple TV + without paying anything extra. And considering that this music service plan only costs $ 8.50, there is no reason not to take advantage of it.
The company has a great offer where when you buy a new iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV or Mac on the latest version of iOS, iPadOS, tvOS or macOS from an Apple store or an authorized reseller, you get a free year of access to your new service. You have a period of three months after purchase to activate your free year.
2. Catalog
Apple TV + offers in its catalog only original programs, all available in 4K resolution with Dolby Atmos sound produced and licensed by Apple itself. It promises monthly releases of new content, so the user is never left without what to watch and allows the download to view offline of all media offered.
Some of the series offered are listed below, with their respective synopses.
The Morning Show is probably the show that the company has advertised most and with good reason, as it features excellent actors and actresses such as Jennifer Aniston, Steven Carell and Reese Witherspoon. It tells the story of how a TV anchor deals with the resignation of her 15-year-old partner and how she changes the way she works.
See is a series set in a dystopian future in which a virus has ravaged mankind and who has survived is blind for generations. However, in one tribe are born twins who can see and are persecuted by the queen of another. It has Jason Momoa and Alfre Woodard in its cast.
For All Mankind is set in an alternate universe, where unlike here, the Soviet Union won the space race and was the first to place a human on the moon, an event known as the Red Moon. This shows how it would be if the US and Soviet Union were conducting a new space race.
Dickinson is a 19th-century series about the maturing of young Emily Dickinson (played by Hailee Steinfeld) and her struggle to be heard and respected in very humorous episodes of about half an hour each.
Helpsters is a puppet series designed to be educational for preschool-age children, teaching the most fundamental programming concepts early on. It is produced by the same team that made Sesame Street.
Ghost Writer is a reboot of the series of the same name from the early 1990s; It's a children's adventure series, where when a ghost starts haunting local bookstores and libraries and bringing fictional characters to real life, four kids come together to solve this mystery.
In addition to these, there are some other series and movies that are also available on the service and others that are already scheduled for release: you can already watch The Elephant Queen and Snoopy in Space; Hala will be available on November 22nd and the Servant and Truth be Told series on November 26th and December 12th, respectively.
Thanks to the service's initial popularity, there are several unofficial sources reporting that four of the series have already been renewed for new seasons, even though only one of them has had all of its episodes released at the premiere, with the rest being modeled on a weekly episode, after the first 3 that came out, too, in the premiere.
All content is offered with voice acting and subtitles in almost 40 different languages, as well as specific subtitles for the hearing impaired. It also has audio description in 8 languages.
3. Support
Apple TV + is available primarily on company platforms: iOS, iPadOS, macOS and Apple TV, all in the latest software version and also has a browser version.
In addition, it also works on several Samsung Smart TVs, Roku devices, Amazon Fire TV, some LG Smart TVs and promises that it will soon support VIZIO Smart TVs.
4. Competition
There are many websites to watch files and series online. Apple TV +'s biggest competitors are Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. The first is considered to be the largest movie and series streaming platform in the world, with thousands of movies and series in its catalog and more than 150 million subscribers in the world.
The second is Amazon's competitor, which has a large catalog of third party productions and own productions. Their numbers, however, are smaller, so almost everything in Netflix has it, but the opposite is not true.
As for pricing, Netflix is by far the most expensive of all, with its cheapest plan costing more than double the other services. It has three plans, the most basic at $ 21.90, the intermediate, which allows you to watch up to 2 screens, for $ 32.90 and the most expensive, which has UHD resolution and allows up to 4 screens, for $ 45 90
Amazon Prime Video costs just $ 7.90 for the first 6 months and $ 14.90 later, with access to up to 3 simultaneous screens. In addition, the user can still subscribe to Amazon Prime, which arrived in our country in September for $ 9.90 per month, which comes with several other things, including Amazon Prime Music, Prime Reading and free shipping.
5. How to use Apple TV +
Let's start by talking about what you need to do to subscribe to the service: You need an Apple ID. If you don't have one yet, you need to create one, which is a very simple process we covered in this guide on how to create an Apple ID.
If you already have one, go to the platform's official website, log in with your Apple ID and click “Start Free Trial” and follow the walkthrough available on the site. If you do not like the service, you can very easily cancel the test before it runs out and you will not make any payment.
If you recently purchased an Apple product, such as the new iPhone 11 earned a year from Apple TV +. Upon entering the site and logging in, a screen will appear saying “Enjoy a free year”. Click continue and confirm the "purchase".
Now that you have access to the service, you will probably want to watch something it offers. To do this, there are a few different ways depending on which device you are using.
If you're accessing from an iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Mac, or Apple TV, open the app. "TV", click in “Following”where you will show all the series you have to watch or click “What to watch” or select what you want to watch and click Play episode or go to the bottom of the page and click on the download cloud to watch offline.
To watch from any browser, go to the service homepage, click "Begin session" in the top right corner of the screen, sign in with your Apple ID and click Play episode to start watching or in “Go to the program” to see more information about the series.
The iPhones creator service also offers the ability to enable parental control to restrict what little ones can watch. To do this, go to the platform page, log in, click your "account" in the upper right corner click Account Settings in the menu that opens. Then just configure as you want.
Apple TV + was created with the idea that you can access content on any compatible device and keep watching from exactly where you left off. To do so, it takes "pause" what you are seeing and on another device click on the series that is in the option “Following”.
If you wish to unsubscribe, simply click your account in the upper right corner of the Apple TV + home screen, then Account Adjustments go to the bottom of the page where you will have a "To manage". Click on it in “Unsubscribe” and confirm. If you cancel the year you won for free, you cannot reactivate it or earn another.
6. Family Sharing
With Apple TV +, you can watch up to 6 screens simultaneously through the familiar sharing tool, with 6 different interconnected accounts. The price of the plan is the same regardless of whether this tool is active or not.
To activate is quite simple, but remember that you can only be in a family group. To create it on smartphones, click "Settings“, in your name, in “Family Sharing” is at “Start Using”; already on the Mac, go to the menu Apple, “System Preferences” is at “Family Sharing”. Then follow the onscreen instructions.
To add members to the family group, you must follow the same steps above, go to the “Family Sharing” and click on it “Add Familiar”
7. Troubleshooting
If you happen to have a problem, there are a few steps you can take to try to solve it.
First, try logging out of your Apple ID and logging in if you have any issues related to the download. Second, restart or even format your compatible device, and finally make sure Home Sharing is set up correctly. If none of this works, contact Apple at this link.
So what did you think of our review of Apple TV +?
We hope you enjoyed what you saw and were useful to you. Let us know what you think of this new platform and if you think it's worth exchanging your current streaming service for this one or subscribing to it with what you already use.