If you bought a new Apple device recently but it slipped your mind to redeem a free year of Apple TV+, you must now do so in the next 90 days or it’ll be too late.
9to5Mac spotted Apple’s push notification warning those who purchased a new eligible Apple device recently but forgot to redeem their free offer to do so in the next 90 days.
If you bought a new iPhone, a Mac notebook, an iPad or other eligible device in late 2019, but forgot to activate your 12-month trial, then this message should concern you. Eligible devices include any iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iPod touch or Mac purchased after September 10, 2019.
From the article:
If the product was bought before November 1, the 3-month window starts from that date. This includes people who bought an iPhone 11 or iPhone 11 Pro on day one, for example. In that case, the redemption period expires at the end of this month, January 31. That means Apple is sending out these reminder alerts with about two weeks to go.
Apple TV+ debuted on November 1, 2019, but this is the first time the Cupertino company has publicly acknowledged when the 12-month free trial offer would come to an end.
TUTORIAL: How to redeem your free Apple TV+ offer
The notification, titled “Expiring Soon: Your Free Year of Apple TV+”, cautions the user that their recent Apple device purchase makes them eligible for twelve months of free service. It reminds the user to redeem the offer within 90 days of activating their new device.
9to5Mac commented on reports that some people are getting offered the free year even though they haven’t bought a new Apple product recently.
This is leading to some confusion on social media about whether the emails and alerts are legitimate, or some kind of scam. As far as we can tell, all reports of this nature are accounting errors on Apple’s side, not anything malicious. If you see the offer in the Apple TV app, then go ahead and take advantage of it if you can.
Apple TV+ is also available without an Apple device purchase in exchange for $5 per month after a 1-week free trial. Regardless of whether you take advantage of the 12-month offer or 1-week trial, don’t forget to cancel your subscription at least 24 hours before the trial expires to avoid unwanted charges stemming from the auto-renewing subscription.
Cancelling the subscription immediately cancels your free trial.