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PSA: Do NOT Pay for Amazon Prime Videos in the iOS App (At Least, Not Yet) « iOS & iPhone :: Gadget Hacks


In the Prime Video app for iOS, you could never rent or buy movies or TV shows directly. Now, as of April 1, that’s no longer the case. But just because you can doesn’t mean you should. In fact, if you’re a paying Prime member, you should hold out, and we’ll tell you why.

For the longest time, Amazon wouldn’t let users on iOS buy or rent videos through its Prime Video app. Amazon wanted to skirt Apple’s 30% cut on all in-app purchases without breaking App Store guidelines against other direct purchasing methods. That forced us to pay for content indirectly through Amazon’s web app instead, which would still allow the videos to play in the iOS app.

Now, it appears Amazon and Apple have struck a deal since Amazon is directly selling its videos in the Prime Video app on iPhone without going through the normally required IAPs route. Good news for everyone, right? Wrong. While it’s beneficial for non-Prime members, those that do pay for Prime should wait a little bit longer before trying to pay for a movie or show in Prime Now.

A quick comparison between Amazon’s prices in its iOS app versus prices on its desktop web store shows that Prime members are missing out on good deals. Seriously. Take Pixar’s “Onward,” for example. On the desktop website, the purchase price is slashed from $19.99 to $16.99 for Prime users. On iPhone? It’s full price, costing you an extra $3.00 to buy from the “convenience” of your iOS device.

“Onward” in the iOS app (left) vs. in Chrome on macOS (right).

It’s not just “Onward.” Pick any movie at random, and you’ll likely see the same pattern. We tried it on 20 random films, old and new, and the results were the same: discounted in the desktop web app, full price in the iOS app. Keep in mind that it’s only for paying Prime members. Regular Amazon users will see the regular prices no matter what.

The price differences apply to both purchases and rentals, so you’ll end up paying more either way if you pay in the Prime Now app. For example, look at 2009’s “Star Trek” movie, and you’ll see it costs $3.99 to rent it in HD, and just $4.99 to buy it. It seems like a good deal. But on the desktop web app, it’s currently $1.49 and $2.49, respectfully. Again, we’re talking about paying Prime members only here.

“Onward” in the iOS app (left) vs. in Chrome on macOS (right).

And for a more relevant example, “Contagion,” the pandemic thriller by Steven Soderbergh that everyone’s been watching because of the new coronavirus, costs just $1.49 to rent and $5.49 to buy in HD on the desktop site, while it’s $3.99 and $7.99 in the iOS app, respectfully.

Don’t think you can get around it by going old-school and buying your movies in Safari on your iPhone, the workaround that used to be the only way you could buy and rent Prime videos on-device. You’ll find that the discounted sale prices there are the same as in the app for now.

The only way to take advantage of Amazon’s cheaper videos during its Prime members’ promotion is to buy or rent them from the desktop site — on a computer. Even the Prime Now app on Android has regular prices. The lower prices on the desktop web app are related to Amazon’s COVID-19 discounts. The company gave free access to certain kinds of movies and TV shows for non-paying members, and it seems it’s offering a discount to all Prime members too.

How long Amazon’s deals last on movies and shows for paying Prime members remains to be seen. It could be a day. Two days. A week. Whatever it is, wait before you hit “Rent” or “Buy” in the iOS app until you’re sure the deal in the desktop site on computers is over.



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