Netflix No Longer Allowing Subscribers to Pay Through Apple's App Store

Netflix subscribers who still pay their monthly fees through the App Store in-app purchase system will soon need to add a new payment method to keep their accounts active, Netflix is telling customers.

Netflix Smaller 2
Though Netflix stopped allowing customers to subscribe to its streaming service on iOS devices way back in 2018, it has allowed customers that were already subscribed that way to continue using in-app purchase to pay. Payment through Apple's platform is set to stop, however, because Netflix does not want to continue to pay Apple a 15 percent cut of those subscription fees.

As noted by 9to5Mac, the U.S. Netflix support site now says that customers in "some" countries will need to add a new payment method. It isn't clear which countries the new Netflix policy is applicable to, but given that it was added to the U.S. site, it likely applies to customers in the United States.

Some Apple-billed members in select countries may be prompted to add a new payment method to continue their subscription.

There is no word on how many Netflix subscribers are still paying through in-app purchase since it's been nearly six years since Netflix removed the option. Since 2018, Netflix has required customers who have Apple devices to sign up for a new Netflix subscription on the Netflix website. There is no option to subscribe through the Netflix app on the iPhone or iPad, and these devices open to a sign-in screen.

When Netflix first removed the option to pay through the ‌App Store‌, it said customers who paid for subscriptions with in-app purchases could continue to use that billing method until their accounts were canceled, but Netflix seems to have run out of patience.

Update: Netflix has clarified that the changes affect basic plan members in some countries including the US and Canada, and it does not impact all Netflix users.

Tag: Netflix

Popular Stories

iOS 18

Apple Says iOS 18.4 Will Be Released in April With These New Features

Wednesday February 26, 2025 7:15 am PST by
In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 18.4 will be released in April. From the Apple News+ Food announcement:Coming with iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 in April, Apple News+ subscribers will have access to Apple News+ Food, a new section that will feature tens of thousands of recipes — as well as stories about restaurants, healthy eating, kitchen essentials, and more — from the...
Generic iPhone 17 Feature With Full Width Dynamic Island

Latest iPhone 17 Series CAD Images in Line With Redesign Rumors

Friday February 28, 2025 2:51 am PST by
Apple is expected to embrace a new camera system design for some models in its upcoming iPhone 17 series, and the latest purported CAD images don't deviate from what we have been hearing lately about Apple's new lineup. If you do not like the sound of an iPhone with a Google Pixel-style camera bar, look away now. Seasoned leaker Sonny Dickson shared the following images in a post on X...
iphone 16e usb c feature

Apple Provides Reason for iPhone 16e's Lack of MagSafe

Friday February 28, 2025 4:39 am PST by
Apple has offered a reason why the iPhone 16e doesn't include MagSafe, one of the more notable omissions from its latest entry-level smartphone. According to Apple representatives who spoke to Daring Fireball's John Gruber, MagSafe is not included in the iPhone 16e because "most people in the iPhone 16e's target audience exclusively charge their phones by plugging them into a charging...
apple intelligence black

These New Apple Intelligence Features Are Coming in iOS 18.4

Friday February 28, 2025 3:17 pm PST by
iOS 18.4 was supposed to bring new Apple Intelligence Siri features, but Apple ended up needing to pull those capabilities from the update to continue testing. There are fewer new Apple Intelligence additions now, but there are still some new features that will make the update worth installing when it comes out in April. Priority Notifications Apple introduced Priority Notifications back at ...
Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Rumored to Include These New Features for Your iPhone

Saturday March 1, 2025 11:00 am PST by
iOS 19 is still around three months away from being unveiled, but there are plenty of rumors about the upcoming update. Below, we recap iOS 19 rumors so far. Redesigned Camera App A leak earlier this year allegedly revealed a redesigned Camera app coming with iOS 19. On his YouTube channel Front Page Tech in January, Jon Prosser shared a video showing what the new Camera app will...
cook trump

Trump Responds to Apple Keeping Diversity Policies

Wednesday February 26, 2025 6:32 am PST by
In an all-caps post on Truth Social today, U.S. President Donald Trump said Apple should fully end its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. Tim Cook meeting with President Trump in 2017 "APPLE SHOULD GET RID OF DEI RULES, NOT JUST MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO THEM," he wrote. Trump's post comes one day after Apple held its annual shareholders meeting, during which a majority of...
apple watch ultra snow

6 Features Coming to the Apple Watch Ultra 3

Tuesday February 25, 2025 9:00 am PST by
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is expected to launch later this year, arriving two years after the previous model with a series of improvements. While no noticeable design changes are expected for the third generation since the company tends to stick with the same Apple Watch design through three generations before changing it, there are a series of internal upgrades on the way. By the time the ...
airpods pro purple

Here's When AirPods Pro 3 Are Rumored to Launch

Monday February 24, 2025 9:14 am PST by
According to a post on X today from a leaker known as Kosutami, Apple plans to launch AirPods Pro 3 in May or June this year. The leaker also claimed that an AirTag 2 will launch around the same time. Kosutami is best known as a collector of prototype Apple hardware, but they have occasionally shared accurate information about Apple's future product plans. For example, they accurately...
apple c1

How Fast is Apple's First-Ever 5G Modem? The Results Are Surprising

Friday February 28, 2025 10:08 am PST by
iPhone 16e reviews are now out, and Apple's custom-designed C1 modem has been put to the test. The results so far are quite surprising, as the C1's speeds are not as slow compared to Qualcomm modems as originally expected. While the C1 does not support ultra-fast mmWave 5G in the U.S., it appears to offer comparable 5G performance to Qualcomm's Snapdragon X71 modem found in the iPhone 16,...

Top Rated Comments

TigerNike23 Avatar
13 months ago
Don’t have to change your payment method if you don’t subscribe.

Attachment Image
Score: 77 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HobeSoundDarryl Avatar
13 months ago
Based on past Netflix threads, I'm thinking every outraged Apple person has quit Netflix 6 or 7 times in the last 12-18 months or so... so I presume this affects no one. ;)

However, that said, can you blame them? Pay direct and keep 15%. Facilitate another kind of payment and lose 15% "right off the top." If roles were reversed, what would Apple Inc. do?
Score: 46 Votes (Like | Disagree)
@Brett Avatar
13 months ago
The rate Netflix is going I don’t think I will be paying for them much longer.
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
btrach144 Avatar
13 months ago
Cancelled Netflix 6 months ago and haven’t looked back. Their refusal to work with the Apple ecosystem such as AppleTv app integration or Vision Pro app and now this, has left a bad taste in my mouth.

Not to mention their content is subpar now and their price increases were not justifiable.
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mrkevinfinnerty Avatar
13 months ago
How dare they not donate some of their revenue to Apple! I'm going back to watching DVDs
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tornadowrangler Avatar
13 months ago
I haven't been a subscriber for a long time, but GOOD ON THEM!

I don't see why Apple deserves any percent of a Netflix subscription, or any streaming platform's subscription. I make a point to sign-up on the web for all my streaming apps.

It would make more sense to me, maybe, if they paid Apple a one-time customer finders-fee on someone who signs up for a subscription on an iPhone, but not a monthly commission. Apple isn't doing anything monthly to retain the customers.

If I were Netflix, I would completely remove the app and just go webapp for the iPhone.

No need to argue. That's just my opinion. Not trying to change yours!
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)