Deciding whether to redeem complimentary iCloud+ offer after iPhone purchase

HolUp wrote:

Hi! I'm from India and bought a new iPhone in July this year. As expected, I got Apple Music, TV+, Arcade, and Fitness+ free trials after setting it up. Since I don't use free trials unless required, as I am comfortable with the alternatives, these were showing intact in my device's Settings. but then the news comes that TV+ and Arcade have now been integrated into iCloud+ paid plan rather than standalone services.

When I first started replying to this question, I thought you must have heard wrong. To the best of my knowledge, iCloud+ plans do not include access to Apple TV+ and Apple Arcade. There's no indication of there being such a feature on the U.S. version of the iCloud+ - Apple page - and while I subscribe to iCloud+, the TV apps on my devices display screens trying to get me to start a trial (that will convert to a paid subscription).

There is Apple One - Apple, a bundle subscription which provides access to several Apple services.

After doing a Google search, now I see where your news is coming from: Apple Newsroom (15 September 2026) – Apple expands iCloud+ to include Apple TV and Apple Arcade in Madagascar .

A footnote in Apple's press release says "Cloud+ with Apple TV and Apple Arcade will roll out to over 100 countries and regions through the end of September, including India, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates, and more. With the introduction of iCloud+ with Apple TV and Apple Arcade, Apple TV is expanding to 59 new countries and will be available in 170 countries across the globe."

When I looked at an iCloud+ site for Singapore residents (https://www.icloud.com/en-sg/info/icloud-plus-tv-arcade), it said "iCloud+ subscribers get Apple TV and Apple Arcade included at no additional cost". A footnote on the page said "The Apple TV subscription included with iCloud+ does not include third-party branded subscription services or content available for rental or purchase in the Apple TV app."

There was a FAQ entry that listed the countries that have, or will be getting, the "no extra cost" Apple TV and Apple Arcade services. I did not see the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Japan, or Western European (EU) countries on that list. Looks like customers in those areas who want Apple TV or Apple Arcade must continue to pay Apple for separate subscriptions, or for an Apple One subscription.

Thanks for looking into it and sharing the press release, that really clears up why there was confusion regarding US versus other regions!

My main dilemma is because I bought my iPhone right before this change came into force, I already had the standalone TV+ and Arcade trials sitting in my Settings, which disappeared and Apple then sent me this complimentary iCloud+ offer to make up for them. What would make my decision super easy is if someone from India (or any of the other eligible countries) who bought a new iPhone after these changes rolled out could confirm what they are seeing in their Settings. Are new buyers now getting a complimentary iCloud+ trial directly with new device purchase, or has Apple completely dropped TV/Arcade benefits for new hardware and only offering Music and Fitness+ now?

If Apple has officially started bundling an iCloud+ trial with new hardware purchases going forward, I can comfortably let this current offer expire and just redeem a fresh one when I buy my Mac (or anotjer device) next year. But if this is just a special one-off compensation for people caught in the transition, I might consider using it now before it goes away. Would really appreciate if any recent buyer from eligible regions could check and confirm this!