iTunes movie rental window in the US expands from 24 to 48 hours

Apple today noted in an updated support document that the viewing window for iTunes movie rentals in the United States has expanded from 24 hours to 48 hours.

The change brings the US viewing window in line with the rest of the world where users have always had 48 hours to finish watching a rental after pressing play to start streaming.

“You have 30 days to start watching a movie after you rent it,” reads the document. “After you start watching the movie, you have 48 hours to finish it.”

You can watch your rented movie as often as you like until it expires. Like before, if you don’t start watching a movie within 30 days, you must rent it again.

The 48-hour timer starts even if you’re offline. A rented movie automatically disappears from your devices when the rental period ends, whether you’ve watched it or not.

Apple also noted in a separate document yesterday that free upgrades of iTunes movies to 4K (as well as new 4K purchases and rentals) only allows you to stream, not download.