About renting movies from the iTunes Store

Learn how to find, rent, and watch movies on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV, Mac and PC.

You can rent movies through:

An iPhone, iPad, iPod touch with the latest version of iOS.
An Apple TV with the latest version of tvOS.
A Mac or PC with the latest version of iTunes.

To see if a movie is available for rent, search the iTunes Store for that title and look for a Rent button.¹After you choose Rent, you can choose whether you want to stream your rental or download it:

On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, tap Not Now, then tap to stream your rental.² You can download the movie to your device by clicking or tapping .
On your Apple TV, choose Rent and Watch Now to stream.² If you choose Rent and Watch Later, you have 30 days to start watching your movie.
On your Mac or PC, click Watch Now to start streaming.² If you choose Watch Later, you can find the title in the Rented tab. To stream the title, hover your cursor over the title and click , or click to download.

Learn more about streaming your movies.

Download time depends on the speed of your internet connection. For downloads, you can start watching your movie as soon as enough of it has downloaded for the movie to complete without interruption. How long this takes depends on the speed of your Internet connection.

If your rental won’t play, or you have trouble with your rented movie, you can report a problem.

¹iTunes movie rentals aren't available everywhere. Check what’s available in your country or region.
²After you begin streaming, you have 24 hours to watch your rental in the United States, and 48 hours to watch your rental everywhere else.

Watch your movie rental across devices

Movies you rent are available to watch on each device associated with your Apple ID. Make sure you're on the latest version of iOS, tvOS, or iTunes available:

On an iPhones, iPad, or iPod touch: In the TV app, go to the Rentals section in the Library.¹
Using Apple TV (2nd or 3rd generation): Look in the top shelf of the main menu for rentals.
Using Apple TV (4th generation): Look in the Rentals tab in the Movies app or also in Library tab of the TV app.
On a Mac or PC: Go to the Rentals tab in the Movies section of the iTunes Library.

You can download your rental on one device and stream it on another. For example, if you rent and download a movie on your iPhone, you can also stream it on your Apple TV.

¹If you're outside of the United States, go to the Library tab instead of the TV app. Some features might not be available in all countries or regions.

How long you have to watch

You have 30 days to start watching a movie after you rent it. After you start watching the movie, you have 24 hours (in the US) or 48 hours (elsewhere) to finish it. You can watch the movie as often as you like until it expires.

If you don’t start watching a movie within 30 days, you must rent it again.

Movies you rent disappear from your iTunes library and TV app¹ when the rental period ends.

¹If you're outside of the United States, go to the Library tab instead of the TV app. Some features might not be available in all countries or regions.

Watch your movie rental offline

To watch your movie when you're offline, like on an airline flight where Wi-Fi is not available:

Download the entire movie before you go offline.
Press play to start watching. The 24-hour timer starts even if you're offline.

You might consider downloading rented movies prior to the day of your trip to make sure you have time to download all of the content.

Rent movies with subtitles or closed captioning

Movies with subtitles have a note about subtitles in their title or plot summary. Movies with closed captioning have the closed captioning closed captioning logo logo on the movie page.

Learn how to find closed-captioned and subtitled content.

Learn how to find audio-described content.

Learn more

iTunes Store uses the payment method that's associated with your Apple ID to pay for your rental. You can also use iTunes Store credit to rent movies. You might be asked for a verification code at time of rental. Learn how to get a verification code for two-factor authentication.
Store availability and features might vary by country or region. Learn more about what's available in your country or region.

Information about products not manufactured by Apple, or independent websites not controlled or tested by Apple, is provided without recommendation or endorsement. Apple assumes no responsibility with regard to the selection, performance, or use of third-party websites or products. Apple makes no representations regarding third-party website accuracy or reliability. Risks are inherent in the use of the Internet. Contact the vendor for additional information. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Published Date: May 8, 2017