T-Mobile Ends Free Apple TV+ Perk in 2026 as Streaming Costs Rise

T-Mobile has declared that on January 1, 2026, it will end the offer of free subscriptions to Apple TV under the Apple TV on Us promotion program. 

The advantage, which was launched in 2022 and has been offered to customers on more advanced plans, is a significant strategic change to one of the largest wireless carriers in the United States and will affect millions of subscribers who have been consuming the growing catalog of Apple shows at no further cost in their daily routines.

Why the Change Matters

T-Mobile has around 140 million customers in the country at present. As a result, the carrier has attracted a significant number of households to Apple TV as part of their entertainment habits using the free subscription package. 

The end of the promotion is at a point when the cost of streaming is being increased and the families are already reducing their digital subscriptions. This effect is enhanced by the fact that Apple has just increased its price, and the monthly fee now costs US$12.99 as opposed to the previous US$9.99 in the first quarter of the year. 

This change further imposes financial burden on the partners like T-Mobile, which had already been providing a subsidy on the subscription as an incentive to the customers. 

All this is leading to T-T-Mobile shifting some of the cost burden to customers instead of meeting the entire cost.

What Customers Need to Know

Starting January 1, 2026, any customer paying for Apple product subscriptions with T-Mobile will see the new US 12.99 monthly charge on their bill. 

The customers who have enrolled in plans like Experience More, Experience Beyond, Go5G Plus, Go5G Next, Magenta MAX, Magenta Plus, and ONE Plus will have a discount of US$9.99 per month. It  means that they will be obliged to provide the US$3 out of pocket, with T-Mobile bearing the rest of the amount. 

In the short term, such subscribers can still enjoy the services of Apple TV without any charges over the next 6 months. This grace period will auto-renew the subscription at the full price and will not stop unless the user takes action to cancel the service by managing their T-Mobile account.

Why It Is Happening Now

The time when it will change is in close relation to the rising costs of content production and streaming. Apple is said to spend about US$4.5 billion per year on Apple TV content and has been making losses worth over US$1 billion per year. 

The previous increase in price is an indication that it is trying to reduce these losses and put the service on its path to profitability. This change by T-Mobile explains why the increasing streaming rates are changing the structure of telecom bundles and other related benefits.

What Comes Next

As early as June 2026, T-Mobile customers who want to continue having Apple TV will have to shoulder the full subscription cost on their own. Such trendy shows like Severance, Slow Horses, and 

The Studio might convince one to stay, but the others might drop the service as their subscription budgets become tighter. 

The cancellation of this free benefit also brings up a bigger issue: Are the carriers’ free-streaming incentives over the long-term becoming unsustainable? 

Telecom operators might be afraid to provide long-term free subscriptions, as various platforms can raise their charges. It is now a stark choice for T-Mobile users: either they pay a bit more money to have Apple TV or they cancel it before it starts charging.