Apple has launched a multitude of subscriptions over the past few years as it continues to bolster its services – and while Apple Music and TV+ get the headlines, some of its lesser-known offerings are the most uniquely compelling.
Case in point: Apple News+. Here are eight reasons you shouldn’t sleep on Apple’s premium magazine and newspaper service, plus everything you need to know to try it out.
Disclosure: as an Apple News+ partner, we earn a commission if you sign up via our link – at no extra cost to you.
All you can read
Forget subscribing individually to the apps, websites, and physical editions of your favorite publications. Here, one single subscription grants unlimited access to over 300 magazines, stored in one place. It’s a modern-day newsstand. Topics include entertainment, fashion, politics, health, travel, food, cars, and more. Apple says that “just about every passion under the sun” is covered here, and it shows.
Big names galore
With very few exceptions, you can name a well-known magazine and it’ll be represented here. Don’t believe us? Here are some of the biggest names you’ll find within the app: The New Yorker, National Geographic, TIME, New York Magazine, The Atlantic, Vanity Fair, People, Car and Driver, WIRED, Bon Appétit, Sports Illustrated, and O, the Oprah Magazine.
Not just magazines
You’ll also get access to a bunch of regional and local newspapers, from the San Francisco Chronicle to the Miami Herald, plus the Times and Sunday Times from the UK. There’s nothing quite like flipping through the broadsheets on a lazy weekend morning, and on the iPad especially these papers are really done justice. You’ll also get access to premium content from online-only publications including Vulture and TechCrunch.
More beautiful than paper
The mobile-friendly adaptive magazine layouts are gorgeous, with many publications opting for fancy features like “Live Covers” that would never be possible in print format. The mags designed with iPhone and iPad in mind are stunning throughout, but even older issues and those not designed with News+ in mind look great as full PDFs, perfectly mimicking the layout of the physical versions.
Expand your horizons
Physical magazines are expensive, and most people stick with buying the same few they’re familiar with. But once you’ve paid up for an unlimited subscription, you can start dipping into articles from other mags to widen your interests and pick up some new stuff to talk about around the water cooler (or Zoom chat). It helps that Apple has nailed the discovery aspect – subscribe to your existing favorites and it will learn what interests you and offer up new sources to try.
Listen to your news
News+ subscribers also get access to a couple dozen exclusive “audio stories” each week, summarizing key news articles into bite-sized mini-podcasts. If you struggle to find the time or energy to stay abreast of current events, this is a really nice way to pipe the latest news directly into your mind, no reading or TV-watching required.
There’s nothing quite like it
Apple Music is good, but Spotify is as good or better. TV+ has some fun exclusives, but is overshadowed by Netflix, Amazon, Disney, and Hulu. Fitness+ is a hard sell when Nike offers a similar service for free. Apple Arcade is great value, but many gamers’ preferences lie elsewhere. But News+ is unparalleled. You won’t find this many magazines and newspapers presented so nicely, anywhere, for any price.
It’s surprisingly good value
News+ clocks in at the same cost as Apple Music and Fitness+, $10/£10 per month. If you’re in the habit of buying two magazines a month, you could replace them with literally hundreds for the same cost – and if your newspaper of choice is in the mix, that’s another expensive subscription you can throw out the window in favor of Apple’s solution. Oh, and did we mention it works with Family Sharing, giving up to 6 users unlimited access at no extra cost? You can also pick up News+ as part of an Apple One subscription, though the gains are meagre unless you’re all-in on every one of Apple’s services.
Still not convinced? Try the one-month free trial and see if the habit sticks.