iTunes rentals now last 48 hours in the U.S.
- sep
- 22
Ever feel like there just aren't enough hours in the day? Yeah, us too. Unfortunately, nobody can stop the unremitting march of time (yet). But we do have good news: You now have an extra 24 hours to finish that movie you rented.
Along with the release of Apple TV 4K today, Apple updated their movie rental policy to extend the window of time in which rented movies, once started, can be watched. Before the update, U.S. users only had 24 hours to finish watching their chosen film. Now they have a whole 48, during which they can watch their content as many times as they like until it expires. This is a long-awaited and welcome change for iTunes users, considering the 48-hour watch window has been available for quite awhile now in other locations such as the U.K. and Canada.
Like with the old 24-hour window, the 48-hour timer doesn't begin until you have actually started your movie. After you pay for your rental, you have 30 days to begin watching it. After that 30 days is up, if you haven't watched it, you'll have to shell out the cash to rent it over again. This is true even for films you download to watch offline — whether you're connected to Wi-Fi or not, the 48-hour timer will still start as soon as you press play on your selection. After your rental period has ended, the movie will disappear from your iTunes library.
Thoughts? Questions?
Are you excited about the extended watch window? Better yet, what movie will you watch on repeat now that you have twice as long? Let us know in the comments!