Apple News+

Updated 2025-11-10

Apple News+ is a premium subscription service offered by Apple Inc. that provides users with access to hundreds of magazines and select newspapers within the Apple News application. Launched in March 2019, it is an extension of the free Apple News service, offering an enhanced content library for a monthly fee.

Overview

Apple News+ aggregates content from a wide range of publishers, including major newspapers, popular magazines, and digital-only publications. Subscribers can read full issues of magazines, premium articles from newspapers, and ad-free content, all integrated within the existing Apple News app interface on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS devices. The service is often included as part of Apple One bundles.

Features

Extensive Content Library: Provides access to a diverse collection of magazines across various genres (e.g., lifestyle, technology, fashion, news, sports) and premium articles from renowned newspapers like The Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times. The specific content available can vary by region due to licensing agreements.
Integrated Experience: All News+ content is seamlessly integrated into the Apple News app, allowing users to switch between free and premium content without leaving the application.
Offline Reading: Subscribers can download magazine issues and articles for offline reading, making it suitable for travel or areas with limited internet access.
Personalization: The service leverages machine learning to curate a personalized feed of articles and magazine issues based on the user's reading habits and interests, aiming to present relevant content.
Audio Stories: For some articles, Apple News+ offers professionally narrated audio versions, allowing users to listen to stories on the go.
Family Sharing: A single Apple News+ subscription can be shared with up to six family members via Apple's Family Sharing feature, each retaining their personalized experience.
Ad-Free Experience: Premium content accessed through Apple News+ is generally presented without advertisements, offering a more streamlined reading experience.

History

Apple's foray into digital magazine subscriptions began with its acquisition of Texture (formerly Next Issue) in March 2018. Texture was a "Netflix for magazines" service that offered unlimited access to hundreds of magazines for a monthly fee. Following this acquisition, Apple rebranded and relaunched the service as Apple News+ on March 25, 2019, at a special event held at the Steve Jobs Theater. The new service aimed to combine Texture's magazine catalog with premium newspaper content, integrating it directly into Apple's ecosystem.

Availability

As of late 2023, Apple News+ is available in a limited number of countries, primarily:

United States
Canada
United Kingdom
Australia

The specific publishers and content available can differ significantly between these regions.

Pricing

Apple News+ is offered as a monthly subscription service. Its price point is consistent across available regions, adjusted for local currencies. It is also frequently bundled with other Apple services, such as Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and iCloud+ storage, under the various tiers of the Apple One subscription package.

Reception and Criticism

Upon its launch, Apple News+ received mixed reviews. While praised for its extensive magazine library and seamless integration, some critics and users pointed out that the newspaper selection was limited compared to the free News app, and that some major publications (like The New York Times or The Washington Post) were not included due to conflicts over revenue sharing and data access. Publishers have also expressed concerns about the revenue split and the lack of direct subscriber relationships when content is consumed through Apple News+.