Multiple streaming services are offering free content options right now, providing a wealth of free-to-watch TV shows and movies on a temporary basis. Below, we've rounded up all of the watch-free deals that we've found so far, and this is a great list to check out if you need something to do this weekend.
Apple TV+
Many people who have purchased a new Apple product lately already have a complimentary one-year subscription to Apple TV+, but for those that don't, Apple is offering several Apple TV+ shows for free, with content available through the TV app on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iPod touch, Mac, select Samsung and LG smart TVs, and Amazon Fire TV and Roku devices.
Shows and movies that are free are listed below:
Dickinson
Ghostwriter
Helpsters
For All Mankind
Servant
Snoopy in Space
The Elephant Queen
Little America
This is approximately a third of the content on Apple TV+, and it excludes some of the most popular shows like "The Morning Show." No subscription is required, but you will need to sign in with an Apple ID.
HBO
HBO is offering free access to many of its original TV shows, movies, and documentaries, with the content available sans subscription through the month of April using the HBO Go and HBO Now apps on iOS and Android.
Some of the free shows include "Barry," "Big Little Lies," "Silicon Valley," "Veep," "True Blood," and "The Wire," while free movies include "Small Foot," "The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part," "Pokémon Detective Pikachu," and more. A full list along with instructions is available on HBO's website.
Free content from HBO is limited to those in the United States.
AMC Networks
AMC is offering free content that includes the first half of "The Walking Dead" season 10, along with BBC nature documentaries, Sundance movies, and free IFC programming like "Brockmire" and "Mystery Science Theater 3000."
Free EPIX via Apple TV Channels
EPIX, a streaming service that offers a catalog of movies and TV shows, is currently free for those who access the service through the Apple TV Channels feature in the Apple TV app.
To get to the free content, open up the Apple TV app, choose "My Channels" and then select EPIX. EPIX will be free until May 3. The TV app is available on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iPod touch, Mac, select Samsung and LG smart TVs, and Amazon Fire TV and Roku devices.
Showtime is offering a one-month free trial, which will give people ample time to test out the service and watch some free TV shows and movies. It costs $10.99 per month after the one month trial, so make sure you set a reminder to cancel if you don't want to subscribe.
You can sign up on the web or on platforms like the Apple TV using the TV app's Showtime Channel feature.
CBS All Access
CBS's All Access service is available for free for a one month trial period before the $5.99 to $9.99 per month fee kicks in. It offers access to all CBS television as well as live TV.
You can sign up for a free month of CBS All Access using the TV app's CBS All Access Channel feature.
As with all subscription-based free trials, make sure to set a reminder to cancel so you don't accidentally get charged if this isn't a service you want to keep long term.
For the time being, PBS Kids has updated its iOS app to remove the requirement that people create a login to watch content, so kids can watch through the app with no hassle. PBS Kids content is free.
Amazon Prime Now
Amazon is offering free access to some kids movies and TV shows without a Prime subscription, in an effort to keep children entertained. Several movies and TV shows are available through IMDB TV, an Amazon-owned service that offers ad-supported content.
Amazon Prime Video can also be accessed through a free one-month trial of Amazon Prime for those who have not yet had a subscription.
Sling Free
Sling TV is providing free SLING content through its apps and through the Sling TV website. Free content includes "Hell's Kitchen," "A Quiet Place," "The Cabin in the Woods," "Rick and Morty," and more. No login or credit card is required to access content through Sling Free.
Hulu
For those who haven't previously signed up for a free trial, Hulu offers 30 days to try out the service. Hulu also allows free trial periods for some eligible returning subscribers. Pricing starts at $5.99 per month after the free trial for the ad-supported service.
Netflix
For those who haven't previously signed up for a free trial, Netflix offers 30 days to try out the service. Pricing starts at $8.99 per month after the free trial.
Quibi
Brand new short form streaming service Quibi is currently offering customers a 90-day free trial to test out the content. After the trial, Quibi costs $4.99 per month.
Other Services Offering One-Month Free Trials
Below, we've listed some other smaller streaming services that have free 30-day trial deals going on right now through the Apple TV Channels feature on the Apple TV. Some of these free trials are limited to the Channels feature, though others are also available on the websites for each service.
A&E Crime Central
Acorn TV (Use promo code FREE30 on website)
Arrow Video Channel
History Vault
Lifetime Movie Club
Noggin
PBS Living
Shudder (Use code SHUTIN on website)
Smithsonian Plus
Sundance Now (Use code SUNDANCENOW30 on website)
Urban Movie Channel (Use code UMCFREE30 on website)
Guide Feedback
Know of a streaming service offering an extended free trial or free content that we left out? Send us an email here and we'll add it.
Apple today sent out emails to Apple Card holders letting them know that the three percent cash back perk at Walgreens has been expanded to include drive-thru ordering until June 30. When using an Apple Card to make a payment through the drive-thru ordering feature, Walgreens shoppers will get three percent cash back.
Apple and Walgreens are also continuing to offer three percent cash back when making touchless payments with Apple Card using Apple Pay in-store and when using Apple Card to shop online at Walgreens.com or in the Walgreens app.
Apple Card owners have been able to get 3 percent daily cash back when making purchases of all eligible health, beauty, personal care, household, and seasonal products at Walgreens and Duane Reade since September 2019.
iOS devices accounted for 44 percent of all U.S. smartphone activations during the first calendar quarter of 2020, the highest number of activations Apple has seen in a single quarter since 2016.
According to the data sourced from Consumer Research Intelligence Partners, Google's Android operating system was responsible for 56 percent of all activations due to the higher number of Android smartphones out in the wild.
Market share numbers for iOS and Android have largely remained stable over the course of the last few years with just minor fluctuations in activations due to operating system loyalty.
In the quarter ending in March, 89 percent of Android users remained with Android, while 91 percent of iOS users stayed with iOS when activating a new mobile phone. iOS and Android loyalty rates have also fluctuated little over the course of the last three years as people tend to stick with the operating systems they're familiar with.
"Operating system loyalty is stable at very high levels," added Mike Levin, Partner and Co-Founder of CIRP. "For the past four or so years, around 90% of new mobile phone activations stayed with the buyer's previous operating system. Despite Apple's efforts to attract Android users to iOS, and Android handset manufacturers' similar efforts to attract iPhone customers, operating system usage is among the stickiest of all consumer affinities."
CIRP's data was based on a survey of 500 U.S. subjects from April 1 to April 9 that activated a new or used smartphone in the January to March 2020 period. Given the small sample size, there is certainly some margin of error to these numbers, but the data provides a reliable look at activations and loyalty over time as it uses the same survey each quarter.
Apple's development schedule for iPhone 12 models will likely be pushed out slightly due to current travel restrictions and cargo flight delays, which could result in delayed availability of the highest-end 6.7-inch model, according to analyst Jeff Pu.
In a research note with Chinese research firm GF Securities, obtained by MacRumors, Pu said he believes that the current "EVT" or "Engineering Verification Test" stage of iPhone 12 development may have been extended by two weeks to late April for the 5.4-inch model and 6.1-inch models, and to mid-May for the 6.7-inch model.
As a result, Pu currently expects the 5.4-inch and two 6.1-inch models to be available in September, followed by the 6.7-inch model in October. This two-phase rollout would be similar to 2018, when the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max were released in September, followed by the iPhone XR in October. And in 2017, the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus launched in September, followed by the iPhone X in November.
Pu also believes that Apple's widely rumored iPhone SE successor will launch in mid-April, suggesting that the device could be announced as early as next week. The new iPhone SE is expected to be an upgraded version of the iPhone 8, with a 4.7-inch display, Touch ID home button, A13 chip, 3GB of RAM, and up to 256GB of storage.
On Wednesday, HBO announced that HBO GO and HBO NOW would no longer be available on the second and third generation Apple TV models from April 30, 2020. The company has now extended this deadline, and will remove HBO NOW from these platforms on May 15, 2020 and HBO GO will remain available for "a few additional months."
Speaking to Engadget, an HBO spokesperson described the decision to remove these streaming services from older Apple TV models as a "business-as-usual device deprecation that was planned several months ago." The company hopes that the extended deadline provides people with enough time to upgrade their Apple TV models and otherwise prepare for the day they are removed.
HBO GO and HBO NOW will remain functional on the newest Apple TV HD and Apple TV 4K platforms, which range from about $149.00 to $169.00 at this time. There are numerous shows and movies that can be streamed for free on HBO GO and HBO NOW as well, including Silicon Valley, Succession, The Wire, and more.