If you’re an Apple user who likes to sign up and pay for services through the App Store, you’ll need to scratch Hulu and Disney+ off your list: Disney is no longer allowing new and returning subscribers to its streaming platforms to register through its iOS apps.
According to customer support pages for both Disney+ and Hulu, payment through the App Store is no longer available for users who do not already have an active Apple-billed subscription. Instead, new subscribers and those who are restarting their accounts will have to sign up on DisneyPlus.com and Hulu.com. You’ll be redirected to each respective website from the iOS apps.
This change does not currently affect existing Apple-billed subscribers, who can still manage their accounts via Apple Subscription settings, though it could in the future, as other companies have followed similar paths. Netflix ended new subscriptions via iOS in 2018 and cut off Apple billing for many existing users, including those in the U.S. and Canada, earlier this year. Spotify and Amazon have also limited App Store payments.
Why Disney is ending in-app subscriptions
The move by Disney to cut off Apple-billed subscriptions is likely the same as Netflix and Spotify, which stems from avoiding the up to 30% commission Apple has taken for in-app purchases. Apple has been the subject of numerous legal challenges related to its App Store policies, including an antitrust complaint by Spotify in 2019 and a class action suit comprised of U.S. customers who have made in-app purchases, which accuses the company of inflating prices. The former led to a nearly $2 billion fine from European Union regulators and changes to App Store fee structures for EU developers; the latter is scheduled to go to trial in February 2026. The U.S. Department of Justice has also filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple this year.
If you aren’t sure whether you are billed through Apple for your Disney+ or Hulu subscription, check your billing party and payment information in your account settings.
Note that Disney also recently raised subscription prices across the board for its streaming services—those increases took effect earlier this month.
