If you want to subscribe to Disney Plus or Hulu on your iPhone, this is no longer possible. Support documents for Disney Plus and Hulu now state that new and returning subscribers to these streaming services will not be able to sign in through Apple, as reported by MacRumors.
Since I don't currently pay for Disney Plus, out of curiosity I tried logging into my account via the iOS app to see what would happen. After entering my email address and password, I was greeted with the message: “Unfortunately, this app does not support in-app login.” Complete your account setup on the website. Create and manage your account at disneyplus.com/next.” Hulu's iOS app will also redirect you to the Hulu website if you try to sign in without an active subscription.
Screenshots by Jay Peters / The Verge
Presumably the company is making this change to prevent Apple from taking a cut of revenue from new subscriptions to Disney Plus and Hulu. However, if you already subscribe to these services through Apple, Disney says you will still be billed through Apple.
Disney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Disney is just the latest company to stop new subscriptions through its iOS apps. Netflix stopped allowing users to subscribe to its iOS app in 2018, and Apple stopped billing existing subscribers earlier this year. Spotify also doesn't allow you to log in via the iOS app – there's a cheeky message in the app: “We know it's not ideal.”