A single Apple TV Plus subscription can be shared with other people, and multiple users can watch different episodes or movies on different devices at the same time. Even though there are some limits on the number of simultaneous streams, Apple TV Plus is fairly generous when compared to other streaming services.
As more people turn to streaming, the more likely simultaneous streams is going to be an issue. This is not going to necessarily be a problem for those in smaller homes where a limited number of people are going to be using a service. However, in busier households where multiple family members are likely to be watching at the same time, and in different rooms, it can quickly become a major problem.
A single Apple TV Plus subscription limits the number of simultaneous streams to 6. As a result, only five people, in addition to the subscriber, can watch at the same time. Furthermore, this is providing the subscription is a standard subscription. For example, if receiving Apple TV Plus for free as part of an Apple Music student subscription, then the number of devices that can stream Apple TV Plus videos at the same time is only one.
In cases where an individual is encountering an issue where they cannot watch Apple TV Plus, and presuming there are no problems with the connection or the subscription, it could be the result of going beyond the simultaneous streams limit. For reference, the limit of six is specifically for Apple TV Plus and not for the Apple TV app in general. These are two different, albeit related, Apple TV products and there are no similar restrictions with accessing videos within the Apple TV app. That is unless watching content through an Apple TV Channel. Each Apple TV Channel can only be streamed on up to 3 devices at the same time. Even then, it’s possible that an individual channel limit could be higher or lower, depending on the channel’s own simultaneous streams policy.
Six Apple TV Plus streams is pretty good
In reality, six streams at the same time is fairly generous. Even though many live TV streaming services are starting to increase the number well beyond 6, on-demand subscription services don’t tend to offer quite as many. For example, Netflix only offers a maximum of four same-time streams and that’s providing the subscriber is signed up to the most expensive plan. Likewise, Paramount Plus only allows subscribers to stream on a maximum of three devices at the same time. With other streaming services being far more limiting in the number of simultaneous streams, the ability to stream Apple TV Plus on up to six devices at the same time is pretty good.
It is also worth noting that Apple TV Plus doesn’t place any additional restrictions on its simultaneous streams. For example, some services, especially live TV services, tend to only offer the maximum number of streams when connected to the home Wi-Fi network or located in a home area. This can result in additional problems when the subscriber and the people they are sharing a subscription with are all trying to access the service while connected to a different network or outside the home area. However, as Apple TV Plus does not limit in this way, a single subscription can be used on up to six devices at the same time regardless of the location of the users.
Similar to the Wi-Fi and location, Apple TV Plus also doesn’t place any simultaneous streams restrictions on the type of devices that are able to stream on. As long as the device is a supported device, Apple TV Plus subscribers can expect to be able to share their subscription with up to five other people for a total of six simultaneous streams.
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