Once again, it’s the beta code that provides some of the best hints as to what’s on the horizon.
As such, hints of an Apple News subscription service that would provide access to magazines and paywalled news content have been spotted in the macOS 10.14.4 beta builds.
Developer Steve Troughton-Smith shared a number of screenshots from the beta, complete with notifications from the Apple News subscription service, which will alert subscribers when new issues of their favorite magazines are available. Similar subscription information has also already been seen in iOS 12.2, with the subscription service called “Apple News Magazines.”
The magazine subscription service is based on Texture, the digital magazine app the company purchased in 2018. The Texture app, which can still be found on the App Store, offers access to more than 200 magazines, all for a $9.99/month subscription fee.
It’s likely Apple’s built-in Apple News magazine subscription service will be priced similarly, with customers able to sign up in the Apple News app and pay through standard iTunes billing.
Apple is thought to be working on incorporating news subscription options into Apple News, although final pricing and details have yet to be unveiled.
According to rumors, while magazine publishers have agreed to Apple’s subscription plans, the Cupertino company has been clashing with news publishers over the planned revenue split. Apple wants to collect 50 percent of the subscription revenue from its Apple News service, which is unappealing to paywalled sites that already collect more money from their standalone subscription options.
Stay tuned for additional details, especially in the wake of Apple’s just-announced March 25th media event, which is thought to focus on the new service.