Can't watch Apple TV+ movies on FireStick 4K, even though I have an Apple TV subscription

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17 points

Can't watch Apple TV+ movies on FireStick 4K, even though I have an Apple TV subscription

Received a year's subscription of Apple TV+ with the purchase of a new iPhone. Downloaded the app on our Amazon FireStick 4K. Signed into our iCloud account via that app.

I can see all the Apple TV+ content, but the app doesn't allow us to view it. Error message about purchases can't be made on this device. We have a subscription, but somehow it's not being recognized.

I mean, what good is this free subscription, really? I'm not about to stare at my laptop to watch TV shows and movies unless I'm traveling. And guess what? There's a global pandemic, so I'm not traveling.

Honestly, this is such a classically Apple style problem.

FireTVStick4K,

Posted on Feb 26, 2021 6:10 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Urquhart1244

Community+ 2024

Level 10

143,112 points

Feb 26, 2021 6:51 AM in response to TarlinTexas

Verify that you are signed in to the Apple TV app with the same Apple ID account that has the subscription.

Note that the subscription is not automatic, and has to be redeemed first, on your new Apple device in the TV app.

Apple TV+ features Apple Original programming. Other content in the Apple TV app is not part of that subscription, and will have to be purchased separately.

Unfortunately, the Apple TV app doesn’t allow in-app purchases on Fire TV at this time. But purchases, including subscriptions, done on other devices with the same Apple ID account, will be recognized and will be streamed on Fire TV.

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Answer 2

TarlinTexas Author

Level 1

17 points

Feb 26, 2021 9:38 AM in response to Urquhart1244

Thanks for the reply, and this maps to other responses I've seen to similar questions.

The gotcha here is that this has nothing to do with an in-app purchase. I'm trying to watch Apple TV + originals that should be streamable because I've signed into my Apple ID account from the Fire TV Stick. It seems that I've signed in to my Apple ID account, but it recognizes no subscriptions. So there's no recognition that this free Apple TV + subscription even exists.

I can watch all this content on my iPhone. But I don't want to watch a movie on my iPhone.

Look, it's not the end of the world, and it's a free subscription. I just wanted to watch that submarine movie with Tom Hanks. My needs are pretty straightforward, tbh. But needless complications and incompatibilities like these will ensure that I won't be renewing Apple TV + once it comes time to actually pay for the service.

Apple does some things very well. But other things it does can be confusing, and I believe needlessly so. (I'm lookin' at you, iCloud!) And I switched from Macs to Windows systems years ago when I grew tired of clients complaining they couldn't open the MS-Office docs I sent them because they were created on a Mac. As I say, needless.

I do appreciate the response. I just wish this service behaved the way your response suggests it should.

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Answer 3

Feb 26, 2021 11:35 PM in response to TarlinTexas

Similar issue. Everything was working fine until tonight. I watched last week’s episode For All Mankind. This week can only hear audio not video. Try to watch a few other programs like Ted Lasso and Dickinson. Press watch episode and nothing happens. Reinstalled, rebooted, same problem. Works fine on my iMac. Firestick TV issue or Apple issue. All I know is all my other subs work. Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu.

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Answer 4

vazandrew

Level 8

40,486 points

Feb 27, 2021 10:54 AM in response to TarlinTexas

If an offer has been claimed then it will show up as a subscription and be available to all devices once it is signed in with that same ID. If it is not showing as a subscription on the Fire device, but shows up on iPhone then that indicates that it isn't the same ID.

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Answer 5

TarlinTexas Author

Level 1

17 points

Feb 28, 2021 3:17 AM in response to vazandrew

It turns out that that was a case of operator error. My wife and I share the same iCloud account but we have different AppleIDs for our different devices. I was signed in using the wrong Apple ID.

I don't fully recant my rant about Apple stuff being too confusing, but in this case, I made it more complicated than it needed to be.

Thanks for the response. Problem solved. Have already watched Greyhound (good, tight submarine action flick) and have started The Morning Show (sort of a West Wing treatment of morning TV).

It's hard, however, to tell if Apple TV+ offers non-Apple original content for free viewing. Seems everything else requires a specific channel subscription. I could be wrong.

Thanks again.

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