If you want to subscribe to Disney Plus or Hulu on your iPhone, you can no longer do so. Supporting documents for disney plus and Hulu Now they say new and returning subscribers to those streaming services can't sign up through Apple, as reported by MacRumors.
I'm not currently paying for Disney Plus, so out of curiosity, I tried logging into my account through the iOS app to see what would happen. After entering my email and password, I received a message saying: “Unfortunately, this app does not support in-app registration. Finish setting up your account on the website. Create and manage your account on disneyplus.com/next.The Hulu iOS app also takes you to the Hulu website if you try to sign in without an active subscription.
Screenshots by Jay Peters/The Verge
Presumably, the company is making this change to prevent Apple from taking a cut of new subscription revenue from Disney Plus and Hulu. However, if you already subscribe to those services through Apple, Disney says you will still be billed through Apple.
Disney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Disney is just the latest company to stop new signups through its iOS apps. Netflix stopped allowing users to subscribe through its iOS app in 2018 and cut Apple billing for legacy subscribers earlier this year. Spotify also doesn't allow people to subscribe through the iOS app; in the app, includes the bold message that “we know it's not ideal.”
