Netflix's Limited Free Access Works on Mac and iPad, but Not iPhone

Netflix is offering limited free access to a variety of original programming, reports OnlyTech. iOS appears to be inexplicably excluded from the limited free access, which is available on Android and in-browser.

IMG 35FF71DF225C 1

The limited free access includes admission to "Stranger Things," "Murder Mystery," "Élite," "Boss Baby: Back in Business," "Bird Box," "When They See Us," "Love Is Blind," "The Two Popes," "Our Planet," and "Grace and Frankie."

The feature allows users to watch a movie or the first episode of a series for free, after which they will be prompted to subscribe for continued access. One 30-second skippable ad for Netflix is played before every title. The feature is available worldwide, no account or sign-up is needed, and the available content will reportedly change on a regular basis.

A Netflix help page spotted by Gadgets360 reveals that only browsers on computers, tablets, and Android devices are supported. iOS devices are unable to use the limited free access.

netflix not supported iphone

The help page does not explain why iOS blocked from access. Given that the free access is available on macOS and iPadOS in-browser, it is unclear why Netflix has excluded iOS.

Amid an increasingly competitive video streaming market, free access to selected Netflix programming hopes to attract more subscribers to the platform. Last week it was reported that Apple is planning to extend the free trial of Apple TV+ in an effort to lure in more subscribers.

Tag: Netflix

Popular Stories

New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

20 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Monday December 16, 2024 8:55 am PST by
Apple released iOS 18.2 in the second week of December, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. Apple has added a handful of new non-AI related feature controls as...
iphone 16 apple intelligence

Apple Drops Plans for iPhone Hardware Subscription Service

Wednesday December 18, 2024 11:39 am PST by
Apple is no longer planning to launch a hardware subscription service that would let customers "subscribe" to get a new iPhone each year, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman first shared rumors about Apple's work on a hardware subscription service back in 2022, and at the time, he said that Apple wanted to develop a simple system that would allow customers to pay a monthly fee to gain...
iPhone 17 Pro Dual Tone Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Rumored to Stick With 'Triangular' Camera Design

Wednesday December 18, 2024 2:36 am PST by
Contrary to recent reports, the iPhone 17 Pro will not feature a horizontal camera layout, according to the leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post on Weibo, the leaker said that a source has confirmed that while the appearance of the back of the iPhone 17 Pro has indeed changed, the layout of the three cameras is "still triangular," rather than the "horizontal bar spread on the...
elevation lab airtag battery

Your AirTag's Battery Will Last for Up to 10 Years With Elevation Lab's New TimeCapsule Enclosure

Wednesday December 18, 2024 10:05 am PST by
Elevation Lab today announced the launch of TimeCapsule, an innovative and simple solution for increasing the battery life of Apple's AirTag. Priced at $20, TimeCapsule is an AirTag enclosure that houses two AA batteries that offer 14x more battery capacity than the CR2032 battery that the AirTag runs on. It works by attaching the AirTag's upper housing to the built-in custom contact in the...
apple tv 4k yellow bg feature

New Apple TV Rumored to Launch Next Year With These Features

Tuesday December 17, 2024 9:02 am PST by
The current Apple TV 4K was released more than two years ago, so the streaming device is becoming due for a hardware upgrade soon. Fortunately, it was recently rumored that a new Apple TV will launch at some point next year. Below, we recap rumors about the next-generation Apple TV. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman last week reported that Apple has been working on its own combined Wi-Fi and...
blackmagic vision pro

Blackmagic Debuts $30K 3D Camera for Capturing Video for Vision Pro

Monday December 16, 2024 4:17 pm PST by
Blackmagic today announced that its URSA Cine Immersive camera is now available for pre-order, with deliveries set to start late in the first quarter of 2025. Blackmagic says that this is the world's first commercial camera system designed to capture 3D content for the Vision Pro. The URSA Cine Immersive camera was first introduced in June, but it has not been available for purchase until...
mac pro creativity

Apple Launched the Controversial 'Trashcan' Mac Pro 11 Years Ago Today

Thursday December 19, 2024 7:00 pm PST by
Apple launched the controversial "trashcan" Mac Pro eleven years ago today, introducing one of its most criticized designs that persisted through a period of widespread discontentment with the Mac lineup. The redesign took the Mac Pro in an entirely new direction, spearheaded by a polished aluminum cylindrical design that became unofficially dubbed the "trashcan" in the Mac community. All of ...
iPhone 17 Slim Feature

'iPhone 17 Air' With 'Major' Design Changes and 19-Inch MacBook Detailed in New Report

Sunday December 15, 2024 9:47 am PST by
Apple is planning a series of "major design" and "format changes" for iPhones over the next few years, according to The Wall Street Journal's Aaron Tilley and Yang Jie. The paywalled report published today corroborated the widely-rumored "iPhone 17 Air" with an "ultrathin" design that is thinner than current iPhone models. The report did not mention a specific measurement, but previous...

Top Rated Comments

Krizoitz Avatar
56 months ago
To all the people making the snarky comments about in app purchase and the App Store, note that this feature is available on THE iPAD. It’s got nothing to do with either of those things.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WiiDSmoker Avatar
56 months ago
Netflix has every right to dictate which platform can watch their free content.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jakewilk Avatar
56 months ago
I guess the costs of a walled garden are starting to show. Who needs the fastest processor when you can stream AAA games to your android with xbox game pass? And why not go android when it comes with free netflix? More evidence suggesting that apple doesn’t have a monopoly or monopoly level control, but also stronger indication that industry is getting fed up with apple’s strict rules
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macsrcool1234 Avatar
56 months ago
no doubt there's some 'rule' somewhere in the ios store preventing this
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Unami Avatar
56 months ago
Duh, it‘s pretty obvious why they don‘t do it on iOS - nothing „unclear“ about it. There’s no in-app subscription to netflix on iOS, because they don’t want to pay the 15-30% to apple (which makes absolutely sense, it‘s quite a steep cut if applied every month - especially when compared to a „pay once“ app that get‘s the same service from apple for a fraction of the price). so that free promo with the „buy now“-link won‘t work in the app store.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ViDeOmAnCiNi Avatar
56 months ago
Is iOS excluded because they cannot link to external site for the subscription cost? I'm sure NF does not want to take that 15-30% hit from Apple app store...
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)