Universal Studios' Movies Now Available on iCloud

Several readers have noticed that Universal Studios' movies are now available for re-download through Apple's iCloud service. In March we reported that both Fox and Universal were not yet participating in iCloud video streaming due to contractual obligations with HBO. HBO was reportedly working with both Fox and Universal to loosen these restrictions.

HBO agreed to loosen its arrangement with Warner Bros., which is working with iCloud, and also is in talks with Universal and Fox to do the same, the spokesman added.

When searching for movies in iTunes, Universal movies no longer contain a warning that the movies are not available through iCloud, while Fox's movies retain the warning:

univUniversal Studios (left) vs 20th Century Fox (right)

Another reader was able to confirm he was able to re-download 40 Year Old Virgin. Previous movie purchases from Universal should now be available for redownload in your previous purchased menu on iTunes.

Fox is also said to be in negotiations with expectations that their movies would also become available through iCloud in the near future.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
apple watch ultra 2 new black

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Finally Coming After Two-Year Hiatus

Monday June 16, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple will finally deliver the Apple Watch Ultra 3 sometime this year, according to analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities Hong Kong (via @jukanlosreve). The analyst expects both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 to arrive this year (likely alongside the new iPhone 17 lineup, if previous launches are anything to go by), according to his latest product roadmap shared with...
apple watch ultra snow

6 Features Coming to the Apple Watch Ultra 3

Tuesday February 25, 2025 9:00 am PST by
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is expected to launch later this year, arriving two years after the previous model with a series of improvements. While no noticeable design changes are expected for the third generation since the company tends to stick with the same Apple Watch design through three generations before changing it, there are a series of internal upgrades on the way. By the time the ...
terminal macos tahoe

Apple's Terminal App Gets Colorful Redesign in macOS Tahoe

Monday June 16, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's Terminal app is getting a visual refresh in macOS Tahoe, and it's the first notable design update since the command-line tool debuted. The updated Terminal will support 24-bit color and Powerline fonts, according to Apple's State of the Platforms presentation at WWDC25. The app will also adopt the new Liquid Glass aesthetic with redesigned themes that align with macOS 26's broader...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

Apple Says iOS 26 Won't Be Available on These iPhone Models

Tuesday June 10, 2025 6:58 am PDT by
Apple this week revealed that iOS 26 is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer. That means that iOS 18 is the end of the road for the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR, which were all released in 2018. However, those devices will continue to receive security updates for at least a few more years. iOS 26 is compatible with the following iPhone models: iPhone 16e iPhone...
new iphone lockscreen ios 26

iOS 26: Five Changes Coming to Your iPhone Lock Screen

Tuesday June 17, 2025 8:46 am PDT by
With iOS 26, Apple has made some additions to the iPhone Lock Screen that aim to make it more customizable than ever. Of course, things can always change before the software makes its way to the general iPhone-owning public, but here are five new things iOS 26 can do on the Lock Screen as of the current developer beta. Widgets Top or Bottom In iOS 18, the row of widgets on your Lock...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Not Launching Until Next Year, Claims Analyst

Monday June 16, 2025 4:52 am PDT by
Apple may launch the AirPods Pro 3 in 2026, according to analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities Hong Kong, contradicting earlier predictions of a much sooner release. Pu's Apple product timeline (via @jukanlosreve) comes as a bit of a surprise. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said in February that new AirPods with heart rate monitoring were "months away," suggesting a late 2025 launch at the earliest....

Top Rated Comments

arn Avatar
172 months ago
Forget it, no way. I won't buy any movie in iCloud. I buy the movie and 2 years from now when Apple and a movie studio start bickering, the studio pulls the movie from iCloud and I get screwed.
not sure you understand how iCloud works.

You buy the movie, it gets downloaded to your device/machine.
If you later want to redownload it you can in iCloud (if available).

There is no "buying a movie in iCloud". There's "buying a movie" and it happens to be available later to redownload (or not).

arn
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
frunkis54 Avatar
172 months ago
I would also like to be able to download the 1080p versions, not 720p.

You can. go to itunes preferences and change it to 1080p and redownload.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lordofthereef Avatar
172 months ago
The prices of these movies is preposterous, IMO. A lot of this stuff can be had for so much cheaper on bluray. I don't think I have paid more than an average of about $15 per film (Disney Films excluded). If this was more affordable and licensing wasn't as stupid as it is, I would certainly be more open to the idea of going all digital.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bommai Avatar
172 months ago
Too expensive

I still can't believe the prices. I can get Bluray versions of several of these movies for $10 or less and I can rent them as part of Blockbuster or Netflix. Why are they so expensive? I have never bought or rented from iTunes store for that reason. Plus I am spoiled by the lossless audio on the Bluray movies.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mr. Gates Avatar
172 months ago
If a movie is over 5 years old it should be .99
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
LaWally Avatar
172 months ago
Forget it, no way. I won't buy any movie in iCloud. I buy the movie and 2 years from now when Apple and a movie studio start bickering, the studio pulls the movie from iCloud and I get screwed.
Well, you could always save a copy of all purchased iTunes content locally. I'm sure you backup your critical data just in case "two years from now you might have a hard drive failure". I don't see any difference.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)