Anonymous May 10, 2023 at 8:38 PM Thank you for all your hard work! Question: I know that Netflix used to say "Expiring on [insert date]" (or something along those lines), which actually meant the last day to watch was the previous day. Now it says "Last day to watch on Netflix: [insert date]," but the dates listed here are the previous day. Is that just to be careful, or is Netflix still misleading us, despite the wording change? (I hope this is an okay place to ask!)
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Carol May 11, 2023 at 2:09 AM The dates on the master list above are the last days to watch, and should match the dates on the Netflix page for that title. Occasionally, there might be a title in the comments that is off by a day, but it usually gets corrected by a subsequent comment (as with Bathtubs Over Broadway - the last title in comments above).
If you see titles on the master list for a date that does not match the Netflix last-day-to-watch, please list those titles for me, so I can check them. Thanks.
Michelle Pop May 12, 2023 at 5:12 AM I have also been noticing this recently. Many titles that showed up on Netflix as last day to watch 5/31/2023 now show up on the same devices as Last day to watch 6/1/2023. It's very strange and very new! Examples include: Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005) and Galaxy Quest (1999). I suspect this is a systemic Netflix change (or temporary glitch), so I'm targeting watching all my shows 1 day before Netflix is currently listing them. That said, I guess it would be good to do a test of an upcoming expiring show. For example, Weed the People (2018) is listed on this blog as last day to watch May 13. Netflix on my laptop, phone, and FireTvs now lists this show as Last day to watch May 14. When will it actually expire? We'll know on May 14! Oh, Netflix!!!!
Anonymous May 12, 2023 at 6:34 AM It's so strange, because I just went through the entire master list and the only thing that matches this list is Cricket Fever: Mumbai Indians (May 31). Everything else shows a "last day to watch" of the day after what's listed here (so I'm not going to list them all). I checked everything using the Android app, and I checked a few titles using the iPad app and the website. I know that historically, there's been a long list of titles with a last day to watch of the last day of the month, so it's odd that I'm seeing so many June 1 dates instead of May 31. I agree with Michelle; I'm also going to finish watching my expiring movies/shows one day before Netflix is listing them. It must be a glitch...right?
First, let me say that I believe all of you are seeing the changed dates that you describe. Strangely, I am only seeing dates that match our list.
The screenshots above are from my laptop, and were just taken. I also checked on Roku and found the following: Diary of a Mad Black Woman and Weed the People both have a Last Day to Watch notice that matches what is shown above. Galaxy Quest has NO last day notice on the info page, but DOES have one when I play the movie. That also matches what is shown above.
My guess is that there is indeed some issue at Netflix causing all of this mix-up. I would also bet that dates on our list are the real last days. Since it appears that the mix up would actually give an extra day to watch, there doesn't seem to be a real cause for concern, although it's always a good idea to watch what you don't want to miss as early as possible.
Fot sure, let's keep an eye on this. I'm now going to check all titles on our list on my laptop. I'll let you know what I find.
Thanks to the first Anonymous for calling this to our attention.
On the website, Galaxy Quest is showing me "last day to watch June 1". I get the same date on my Roku app. Same for Diary of a Mad Black Woman. Weed the People shows May 14.
Using my laptop, I searched every title on our list on the Netflix website. With one exception, all titles matched our list for Last Day to Watch. The exception is Cricket Fever: Mumbai Indians. I saw no date for that one anywhere - laptop or Roku. Makes me wonder if it has been renewed, but I'm wary of assuming that, with all the craziness we're seeing.
I'm wondering if this could be a time-zone thing. I'm on tthe West Coast. Michelle, Sarah, and the two Anonymous responders, would you mind disclosing what time zone you are in? Also, before this whole thing came up, did shows expire for you at midnight on the last day to watch? You might never have had any reason to check, but I did out of curiosity, and they did. Obviously, at midnight in California, it's 3:00 a.m. in New York - the next day. I wonder if Netflix is monkeying around with the whole expiration process - when things expire in different parts of the country.
I have some other obligations I need to tend to now, but I'll be checking back later today for any additional comments.
HI Carol. I think you may have the answer! I'm on the East Coast, and in my experience (traveling to each time zone), movies DO expire at 3 am ET, 2 am CT, 1 am MT, and midnight PT. That said, isn't midnight technically the next day, just as much as 1 am is?!?!
Thanks Michelle, that's very interesting. Yes, midnight is the next day, so before midnight is the last day to watch, then it expires. But if the movie is still available until 1, 2, or 3 am, then, technically, one can still watch it on the following day, but only for a little while in the middle of the night. If that's what is going on, it might be more technically correct, but without clarification about when the next day, it's terribly misleading. It would be better if they just changed the wording to "last full day to watch".
I am both of the anonymous commenters, and I almost mentioned the time zone issue before, but didn't! I'm also on the East Coast, and yes, titles expire at 3am here. I changed the time zone on my phone to PDT to check a few titles and the last day didn't change (compared to what I saw on EDT time), so I previously didn't think that was the issue. But now I'm wondering if the date doesn't change with my phone's time zone because Netflix can tell from my IP address that I'm located on the East Coast?
I do think you're right that they changed it to be "technically correct" and should change the wording. And in reference to "isn't midnight as much the next day as 1, 2, and 3am," maybe they're thinking of it more as 11:59pm? I've seen that time for coupons, sales, offers, and such (not Netflix).
I also don't see a date for Cricket Fever: Mumbai Indians anymore. Maybe it's been renewed?
Thanks Anonymous. I wondered about looking at an account from a time zone other than the one where it originated. I suspected it wouldn't change, so I'm not surprised at the result you had with your phone. I'm going to ask an East Coast friend to look on my NF account to see if they get the same result as you did. I'll post the findings.
Regarding Cricket Fever: It originally had a last day of 5/31. When I looked at all list titles yesterday, there was no date. Now, it shows a last day of 5/30 - see the screen shot above that I just took. Ay Caramba!
My friend came through, and found that Netflix shows the Last Day to Watch based on where you are when you search, not on where your account originates. I gave him my account info, and he provided screen shots that I have added above. I think that's why changing your phone to Pacific Time didn't work - it wasn't enough to "fool" whatever tells Netflix where you are. Maybe if I took my computer to NY. . . ? ;-)
Thanks to you and your friend for testing it out! That makes sense. I also remembered that I used Netflix in Europe and was able to watch titles that are available there but not in the US, so Netflix definitely knows your device's location regardless of the time zone it's set to. The IP address of each device reveals its location, so that's probably how they know. (Reminds me of all the VPNs that people try to use to access titles available in other countries, except most of them don't fool Netflix.)
Weed the People has now expired from my Netflix even though it said today 3/14/23 was my last day to watch. As per this discussion, I suspect it expired at 3 am ET today. So, for now, for anyone not in PT, the last FULL day to watch seems to be 1 day earlier than what is listed. Also, I agree with anonymous that the last minute to watch PT is 11:59 pm, hence the date difference. Expiration is at midnight (the next day).
Wow - I suspect people are going to be very upset when they discover they don't really have the last day to watch that Netflix said they did, especially for end-of-month titles. Thanks so much for your early-birding on this, Michelle. I was dying to know, and you came through!
On my end, I started playing Weed the People at 11:57 pm, and let it go until 12:04. I wanted to make sure Netflix still doesn't cut you off once you've started to watch, as long as you don't pause too long. I closed the film, then tried to watch again at 12:05 am, but it was "not available," so it surely expired at midnight my time - 3:00 am EDT.
Netflix is NUTS! I'm glad I at least now know that your blog is correct, and my Netflix apps are wrong! However, does this mean that we now need to ask contributors to also provide their time zones?? Or since you double-check everything and happen to be in PT, we'll just know that you'll correct all the dates that are off by a day due to the time zone issue?!?
Also, years ago I tested watching past midnight (while I was in PT), and I have a vague recollection that I only had as long as the buffer after midnight, so only a few extra minutes... If you plan to start a movie at 11 pm, you may want to test this with something you don't care much about finishing...
Carol, I have tried it with a series and you are correct, you only get to finish the episode you started before midnight. But I am on West Coast so maybe you would get until 3am on the East Coast and squeeze in another episode or two.
Why oh why doesn't Netflix just let us search for expiring titles? It would be so simple. It would be nice to be able to search tv shows by number of seasons too - a month's notice is often not enough for some of these shows with a huge number of seasons.
Different (original for this thread) anonymous here! (probably should have put in a name originally, but I've commented as anonymous several times and am committed now, haha!)
I remember looking it up once years ago and yes, you should be able to watch a movie all the way through if you start it before midnight PT as long as you don't exit it (and as Carol said, if your pauses are brief, since longer pauses can cause the movie to close). I think I only had a problem once, but maybe my wifi got disrupted in the middle and reconnected when the title was already expired.
You're both right about series; I actually experienced this recently because I thought the series was expiring a few days later than it did (I mixed up the date for some reason). So when 3am ET (yes, we have until 3am for series as well here) came, I wasn't able to start the next episode.
Also, I experienced this in the past: if you've downloaded a title, as long as you turn off the wifi/data on that device before the title expires and keep it off, you should be able to watch the download after the expiration date. Once you're past the expiration date and connected to wifi/data, Netflix will know that the title has expired and the download won't be watchable anymore. (Of course, the con is that you won't be able to do anything on that device that requires internet until you're done watching.)
About five or so years ago, my dad downloaded a series available while in Europe, kept his device disconnected from wifi, and was able to watch all the episodes after returning to the US before turning wifi back on. I think I also downloaded a movie before 3am ET and turned off my laptop's wifi so I could watch it later. It's been a while since I did this, so hopefully it still works! I just downloaded Side Effects (2013) and will try to remember to turn off wifi on my laptop tonight so I can test if the download is still watchable after 3am ET tomorrow.
Interesting about the download idea. That's a good option if you don't want to miss something, but you just can't get to it before the expiration time. Let us know if you're able to test it again and it still works.
Apologies for the delay; I was traveling and kept forgetting to turn off my wifi to test the downloads. Unfortunately, I just tested it using my phone and the app on my laptop and it doesn't work anymore. Sorry for the false hope! I really wish it did work, but it seems Netflix caught on to it.
Something that does work though is if you download a movie or show that isn't available in another country and you go to that country, you can watch it if there is no wifi. It worked last time I went overseas a few months ago. Strange how that works but not what the other Anonymous tested...
That's probably because with wifi off, Netflix can't detect where you are. You could still be in the country where it's available, just without wifi, or you could be in another country. I think the thing about the expiration is that it's probably "built in" to the title now. I borrow library ebooks, and when my lend time is up, it gets automatically returned to the library. (I think it doesn't matter whether I'm connected to wifi or not, but can't say for sure.) I'm guessing that at the time one downloads these (ebooks, Netflix titles, etc.), the expiration time is downloaded too. Like a built-in timer of sorts?
A very simple solution is for Netflix to add the time zone, i.e. 12:00 AM (or 11:59 PM) PT, to the "Last day to watch" info, but highly unlikely that will happen based on history. Funny how Netflix is able to make these sorts of confusing or unwanted changes so quickly, when a multitude of known and reported errors/issues have gone on unresolved for years! BTW, I'm on the west coast, originally from and often travel to east coast, and I can vouch with Michelle Pop that the expirations have always been based on time zone.
Thanks Barbara. BTW, is July 1 the "Last day to watch" shown on Netflix (East Coast) for our 6/30 titles? Just checking to make sure Netflix is sticking with the new practice.
Original anon for the thread back! I stopped checking titles for a while, but just checked some now. It looks like Netflix changed the "Last day to watch" back to the actual day (I'm on the East Coast). So for titles with a last day to watch of today 1/15, it does now say January 15. I checked some 1/31 titles as well and those show the same. Of course, I'd love to get some confirmation from others, just in case.
You are correct, Anonymous, but I'm not sure the problem is fixed. Below, I have copied comments about this that were made back in November on what was then the Home page.
Oh, I see! Good to know that others noticed earlier. And yes, I agree that keeping the "Important Note" for now is a good idea. Who ever knows what Netflix may do in the future.
Anonymous - November 7, 2023 at 10:44 AM I have noticed that the expiring titles are no longer showing an incorrect expiration date (1 day ahead) on Netflix. They have began showing the correct "last day to watch" again.
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Michelle Pop - November 8, 2023 at 7:57 AM Agreed!
Carol - November 8, 2023 at 2:09 PM Interesting. When did you first notice this? Was it before last Sunday, when we went back to Standard time? I know it doesn't make sense that that would make a difference, but the timing is suspicious.
Anonymous - November 9, 2023 at 9:36 AM What I was noticing since mid-October was that all the titles with a last day before Daylight Savings (November 5th) were still showing the incorrect last day to watch, while all the titles with a last day after Daylight Savings were showing the correct last day to watch. This change might have a connection to Daylight Savings, but I'm not sure. I'll guess we'll find out in March (next Daylight Savings).
Carol - November 9, 2023 at 3:37 PM Thanks Anonymous. I'm going to leave the "Important Note" (at the top of the Home page) up for now, until we know for sure what's going on.
Update: Daylight Savings is next week Sunday, and I checked a bunch of titles on the list, and everything expiring in the next week shows the correct last day, while everything expiring after Daylight Savings is showing the incorrect last day. Even all the 3/31 titles from the press release and in the comments are showing as last day 4/1.
Good job, Anonymous! Thanks for doing this, and isn't it interesting that DST affects the last day to watch notice in this way. This has to be some kind of tech error, but how confusing for customers. Fool that I am, I'm going to try to get someone at Netflix to check into this.
The customer service rep. said she would write it up, and give it to their technical dept. I gave her the info for accessing this page. If nothing happens, I'll send something to Netflix myself. As you might imagine, she didn't seem to get that this is a serious problem. She wasn't in the U.S., so I'm not sure how familiar she is with U.S. time zones or Daylight Saving Time. She did seem fairly intelligent, so I have some hope the I.T. dept. will get the info. Will they care? Any bets?
That sounds like a good step to get Netflix to solve the problem. Based on what you described I think she will give the info to the technical dept. However I don't know if Netflix will do something about it but we can only hope.
Not that I know of. I wouldn't expect to hear back from Netflix. The only way we would know if they got the message, and addressed it, would be if the dates were corrected on the East Coast, and I am not able to check that, being in California. I think it's too soon to expect anything yet, anyway.
Well, being in New Jersey, I can confirm that the dates have not been corrected. Unfortunately, it's possible that Netflix might think this is not a big deal because it's "just a one day difference". It's possible that they might never solve this problem, but it's also possible that Netflix will eventually realize that this update is really annoying for customers who live in the East Coast and do something about it. Since you said it's too soon to expect anything yet, when would you say it's possible to expect something to happen? Just wondering.
Your guess is as good as mine. It's been less than two weeks since I called. Assuming their tech dept. received the info, and intends to do something, it could be a couple months before the change is made, depending on how difficult the fix is, and how busy they are with other things they deem more important.
I'm curious to know if they've had calls from people who missed something they wanted to watch because of this problem. That would probably get their attention faster than "there's a problem with the 'last day to watch' dates".
Your guess makes sense. I'm also curious whether Netflix has received calls from people who missed something they wanted to watch, but I think it's very likely to have happened at some point. Speaking of which, I also wonder if Netflix has received calls from unhappy customers when a movie or show has been removed without notice, because that's also really frustrating.
My guess would be yes. I'm thinking of the Dave Chapelle thing, when one of his shows disappeared abruptly, people weren't happy, and Netflix brought it back.
Same Anonymous here I've began noticing that the expiring titles are now showing the same last day on Netflix as is shown on your list. They are also all showing the correct last day on NewOnNetflixUSA. I'm hoping the problem has now been resolved, but could we get a few other people to check, just so that we can be sure?
Carol April 14, 2024 at 3:41 AM RE: Different last days on East Coast problem: Awhile back, Anonymous commented on the Changes to Last Day to Watch page that last days to watch on the East Coast are now showing the same as on our list (West Coast time). Anonymous - and me, as well - would like to know if others are seeing the same thing. A double-check is always a good idea. Michelle Pop, Sarah, anyone else interested in this issue, could you do a little checking, and let us know what you find? Thanks a million!
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will g April 14, 2024 at 8:40 AM Hey you forgot me! Yes Netflix's dates now agree with the list for me in NYC.
Sarah April 14, 2024 at 3:49 PM I just checked one title, Crimson Peak, and it shows last day to watch as April 15. :)
Carol April 14, 2024 at 9:24 PM Thanks so much to the both of you, and to every one involved in identifying this problem, especially Anonymous, who first brought it to attention. Due to the timing of this fix - it's been about 6 weeks since I reported this problem to Netflix - I think all of you are responsible for getting a big Netflix error corrected - great job!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous May 10, 2023 at 8:38 PM
Thank you for all your hard work! Question: I know that Netflix used to say "Expiring on [insert date]" (or something along those lines), which actually meant the last day to watch was the previous day. Now it says "Last day to watch on Netflix: [insert date]," but the dates listed here are the previous day. Is that just to be careful, or is Netflix still misleading us, despite the wording change? (I hope this is an okay place to ask!)
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Carol May 11, 2023 at 2:09 AM
The dates on the master list above are the last days to watch, and should match the dates on the Netflix page for that title. Occasionally, there might be a title in the comments that is off by a day, but it usually gets corrected by a subsequent comment (as with Bathtubs Over Broadway - the last title in comments above).
If you see titles on the master list for a date that does not match the Netflix last-day-to-watch, please list those titles for me, so I can check them. Thanks.
Michelle Pop May 12, 2023 at 5:12 AM
I have also been noticing this recently. Many titles that showed up on Netflix as last day to watch 5/31/2023 now show up on the same devices as Last day to watch 6/1/2023. It's very strange and very new! Examples include: Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005) and Galaxy Quest (1999). I suspect this is a systemic Netflix change (or temporary glitch), so I'm targeting watching all my shows 1 day before Netflix is currently listing them. That said, I guess it would be good to do a test of an upcoming expiring show. For example, Weed the People (2018) is listed on this blog as last day to watch May 13. Netflix on my laptop, phone, and FireTvs now lists this show as Last day to watch May 14. When will it actually expire? We'll know on May 14! Oh, Netflix!!!!
Anonymous May 12, 2023 at 6:34 AM
It's so strange, because I just went through the entire master list and the only thing that matches this list is Cricket Fever: Mumbai Indians (May 31). Everything else shows a "last day to watch" of the day after what's listed here (so I'm not going to list them all). I checked everything using the Android app, and I checked a few titles using the iPad app and the website. I know that historically, there's been a long list of titles with a last day to watch of the last day of the month, so it's odd that I'm seeing so many June 1 dates instead of May 31. I agree with Michelle; I'm also going to finish watching my expiring movies/shows one day before Netflix is listing them. It must be a glitch...right?
ReplyDeleteFirst, let me say that I believe all of you are seeing the changed dates that you describe. Strangely, I am only seeing dates that match our list.
The screenshots above are from my laptop, and were just taken. I also checked on Roku and found the following: Diary of a Mad Black Woman and Weed the People both have a Last Day to Watch notice that matches what is shown above. Galaxy Quest has NO last day notice on the info page, but DOES have one when I play the movie. That also matches what is shown above.
My guess is that there is indeed some issue at Netflix causing all of this mix-up. I would also bet that dates on our list are the real last days. Since it appears that the mix up would actually give an extra day to watch, there doesn't seem to be a real cause for concern, although it's always a good idea to watch what you don't want to miss as early as possible.
Fot sure, let's keep an eye on this. I'm now going to check all titles on our list on my laptop. I'll let you know what I find.
Thanks to the first Anonymous for calling this to our attention.
On the website, Galaxy Quest is showing me "last day to watch June 1". I get the same date on my Roku app. Same for Diary of a Mad Black Woman. Weed the People shows May 14.
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ReplyDeleteUsing my laptop, I searched every title on our list on the Netflix website. With one exception, all titles matched our list for Last Day to Watch. The exception is Cricket Fever: Mumbai Indians. I saw no date for that one anywhere - laptop or Roku. Makes me wonder if it has been renewed, but I'm wary of assuming that, with all the craziness we're seeing.
I'm wondering if this could be a time-zone thing. I'm on tthe West Coast. Michelle, Sarah, and the two Anonymous responders, would you mind disclosing what time zone you are in? Also, before this whole thing came up, did shows expire for you at midnight on the last day to watch? You might never have had any reason to check, but I did out of curiosity, and they did. Obviously, at midnight in California, it's 3:00 a.m. in New York - the next day. I wonder if Netflix is monkeying around with the whole expiration process - when things expire in different parts of the country.
I have some other obligations I need to tend to now, but I'll be checking back later today for any additional comments.
HI Carol. I think you may have the answer! I'm on the East Coast, and in my experience (traveling to each time zone), movies DO expire at 3 am ET, 2 am CT, 1 am MT, and midnight PT. That said, isn't midnight technically the next day, just as much as 1 am is?!?!
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DeleteThanks Michelle, that's very interesting. Yes, midnight is the next day, so before midnight is the last day to watch, then it expires. But if the movie is still available until 1, 2, or 3 am, then, technically, one can still watch it on the following day, but only for a little while in the middle of the night. If that's what is going on, it might be more technically correct, but without clarification about when the next day, it's terribly misleading. It would be better if they just changed the wording to "last full day to watch".
I'm on the east coast as well.
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DeleteThanks Sarah - I think we might be zeroing in on what's going on.
I am both of the anonymous commenters, and I almost mentioned the time zone issue before, but didn't! I'm also on the East Coast, and yes, titles expire at 3am here. I changed the time zone on my phone to PDT to check a few titles and the last day didn't change (compared to what I saw on EDT time), so I previously didn't think that was the issue. But now I'm wondering if the date doesn't change with my phone's time zone because Netflix can tell from my IP address that I'm located on the East Coast?
ReplyDeleteI do think you're right that they changed it to be "technically correct" and should change the wording. And in reference to "isn't midnight as much the next day as 1, 2, and 3am," maybe they're thinking of it more as 11:59pm? I've seen that time for coupons, sales, offers, and such (not Netflix).
I also don't see a date for Cricket Fever: Mumbai Indians anymore. Maybe it's been renewed?
DeleteThanks Anonymous. I wondered about looking at an account from a time zone other than the one where it originated. I suspected it wouldn't change, so I'm not surprised at the result you had with your phone. I'm going to ask an East Coast friend to look on my NF account to see if they get the same result as you did. I'll post the findings.
Regarding Cricket Fever: It originally had a last day of 5/31. When I looked at all list titles yesterday, there was no date. Now, it shows a last day of 5/30 - see the screen shot above that I just took. Ay Caramba!
DeleteMy friend came through, and found that Netflix shows the Last Day to Watch based on where you are when you search, not on where your account originates. I gave him my account info, and he provided screen shots that I have added above. I think that's why changing your phone to Pacific Time didn't work - it wasn't enough to "fool" whatever tells Netflix where you are. Maybe if I took my computer to NY. . . ? ;-)
Thanks to you and your friend for testing it out! That makes sense. I also remembered that I used Netflix in Europe and was able to watch titles that are available there but not in the US, so Netflix definitely knows your device's location regardless of the time zone it's set to. The IP address of each device reveals its location, so that's probably how they know. (Reminds me of all the VPNs that people try to use to access titles available in other countries, except most of them don't fool Netflix.)
DeleteWeed the People has now expired from my Netflix even though it said today 3/14/23 was my last day to watch. As per this discussion, I suspect it expired at 3 am ET today. So, for now, for anyone not in PT, the last FULL day to watch seems to be 1 day earlier than what is listed. Also, I agree with anonymous that the last minute to watch PT is 11:59 pm, hence the date difference. Expiration is at midnight (the next day).
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DeleteWow - I suspect people are going to be very upset when they discover they don't really have the last day to watch that Netflix said they did, especially for end-of-month titles. Thanks so much for your early-birding on this, Michelle. I was dying to know, and you came through!
On my end, I started playing Weed the People at 11:57 pm, and let it go until 12:04. I wanted to make sure Netflix still doesn't cut you off once you've started to watch, as long as you don't pause too long. I closed the film, then tried to watch again at 12:05 am, but it was "not available," so it surely expired at midnight my time - 3:00 am EDT.
Netflix is NUTS! I'm glad I at least now know that your blog is correct, and my Netflix apps are wrong! However, does this mean that we now need to ask contributors to also provide their time zones?? Or since you double-check everything and happen to be in PT, we'll just know that you'll correct all the dates that are off by a day due to the time zone issue?!?
DeleteAlso, years ago I tested watching past midnight (while I was in PT), and I have a vague recollection that I only had as long as the buffer after midnight, so only a few extra minutes... If you plan to start a movie at 11 pm, you may want to test this with something you don't care much about finishing...
Carol, I have tried it with a series and you are correct, you only get to finish the episode you started before midnight. But I am on West Coast so maybe you would get until 3am on the East Coast and squeeze in another episode or two.
DeleteWhy oh why doesn't Netflix just let us search for expiring titles? It would be so simple. It would be nice to be able to search tv shows by number of seasons too - a month's notice is often not enough for some of these shows with a huge number of seasons.
Different (original for this thread) anonymous here! (probably should have put in a name originally, but I've commented as anonymous several times and am committed now, haha!)
DeleteI remember looking it up once years ago and yes, you should be able to watch a movie all the way through if you start it before midnight PT as long as you don't exit it (and as Carol said, if your pauses are brief, since longer pauses can cause the movie to close). I think I only had a problem once, but maybe my wifi got disrupted in the middle and reconnected when the title was already expired.
You're both right about series; I actually experienced this recently because I thought the series was expiring a few days later than it did (I mixed up the date for some reason). So when 3am ET (yes, we have until 3am for series as well here) came, I wasn't able to start the next episode.
Also, I experienced this in the past: if you've downloaded a title, as long as you turn off the wifi/data on that device before the title expires and keep it off, you should be able to watch the download after the expiration date. Once you're past the expiration date and connected to wifi/data, Netflix will know that the title has expired and the download won't be watchable anymore. (Of course, the con is that you won't be able to do anything on that device that requires internet until you're done watching.)
About five or so years ago, my dad downloaded a series available while in Europe, kept his device disconnected from wifi, and was able to watch all the episodes after returning to the US before turning wifi back on. I think I also downloaded a movie before 3am ET and turned off my laptop's wifi so I could watch it later. It's been a while since I did this, so hopefully it still works! I just downloaded Side Effects (2013) and will try to remember to turn off wifi on my laptop tonight so I can test if the download is still watchable after 3am ET tomorrow.
DeleteInteresting about the download idea. That's a good option if you don't want to miss something, but you just can't get to it before the expiration time. Let us know if you're able to test it again and it still works.
Apologies for the delay; I was traveling and kept forgetting to turn off my wifi to test the downloads. Unfortunately, I just tested it using my phone and the app on my laptop and it doesn't work anymore. Sorry for the false hope! I really wish it did work, but it seems Netflix caught on to it.
Delete
DeleteWell, darn. Thanks for letting us know, Anonymous.
Something that does work though is if you download a movie or show that isn't available in another country and you go to that country, you can watch it if there is no wifi. It worked last time I went overseas a few months ago. Strange how that works but not what the other Anonymous tested...
DeleteThat's probably because with wifi off, Netflix can't detect where you are. You could still be in the country where it's available, just without wifi, or you could be in another country. I think the thing about the expiration is that it's probably "built in" to the title now. I borrow library ebooks, and when my lend time is up, it gets automatically returned to the library. (I think it doesn't matter whether I'm connected to wifi or not, but can't say for sure.) I'm guessing that at the time one downloads these (ebooks, Netflix titles, etc.), the expiration time is downloaded too. Like a built-in timer of sorts?
DeleteA very simple solution is for Netflix to add the time zone, i.e. 12:00 AM (or 11:59 PM) PT, to the "Last day to watch" info, but highly unlikely that will happen based on history. Funny how Netflix is able to make these sorts of confusing or unwanted changes so quickly, when a multitude of known and reported errors/issues have gone on unresolved for years! BTW, I'm on the west coast, originally from and often travel to east coast, and I can vouch with Michelle Pop that the expirations have always been based on time zone.
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DeleteThanks Barbara. BTW, is July 1 the "Last day to watch" shown on Netflix (East Coast) for our 6/30 titles? Just checking to make sure Netflix is sticking with the new practice.
Yes, the 6/30 titles are shown as July 1st on the East Coast.
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DeleteThanks Anonymous.
Original anon for the thread back! I stopped checking titles for a while, but just checked some now. It looks like Netflix changed the "Last day to watch" back to the actual day (I'm on the East Coast). So for titles with a last day to watch of today 1/15, it does now say January 15. I checked some 1/31 titles as well and those show the same. Of course, I'd love to get some confirmation from others, just in case.
ReplyDeleteYou are correct, Anonymous, but I'm not sure the problem is fixed. Below, I have copied comments about this that were made back in November on what was then the Home page.
DeleteOh, I see! Good to know that others noticed earlier. And yes, I agree that keeping the "Important Note" for now is a good idea. Who ever knows what Netflix may do in the future.
DeleteComments copied from November Home Page:
ReplyDeleteAnonymous - November 7, 2023 at 10:44 AM
I have noticed that the expiring titles are no longer showing an incorrect expiration date (1 day ahead) on Netflix. They have began showing the correct "last day to watch" again.
REPLIES:
Michelle Pop - November 8, 2023 at 7:57 AM
Agreed!
Carol - November 8, 2023 at 2:09 PM
Interesting. When did you first notice this? Was it before last Sunday, when we went back to Standard time? I know it doesn't make sense that that would make a difference, but the timing is suspicious.
Anonymous - November 9, 2023 at 9:36 AM
What I was noticing since mid-October was that all the titles with a last day before Daylight Savings (November 5th) were still showing the incorrect last day to watch, while all the titles with a last day after Daylight Savings were showing the correct last day to watch. This change might have a connection to Daylight Savings, but I'm not sure. I'll guess we'll find out in March (next Daylight Savings).
Carol - November 9, 2023 at 3:37 PM
Thanks Anonymous. I'm going to leave the "Important Note" (at the top of the Home page) up for now, until we know for sure what's going on.
Update: Daylight Savings is next week Sunday, and I checked a bunch of titles on the list, and everything expiring in the next week shows the correct last day, while everything expiring after Daylight Savings is showing the incorrect last day. Even all the 3/31 titles from the press release and in the comments are showing as last day 4/1.
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DeleteGood job, Anonymous! Thanks for doing this, and isn't it interesting that DST affects the last day to watch notice in this way. This has to be some kind of tech error, but how confusing for customers. Fool that I am, I'm going to try to get someone at Netflix to check into this.
Very confusing, I agree.
DeleteJust wondering, how did Netflix respond when you reported this issue to them?
DeleteThe customer service rep. said she would write it up, and give it to their technical dept. I gave her the info for accessing this page. If nothing happens, I'll send something to Netflix myself. As you might imagine, she didn't seem to get that this is a serious problem. She wasn't in the U.S., so I'm not sure how familiar she is with U.S. time zones or Daylight Saving Time. She did seem fairly intelligent, so I have some hope the I.T. dept. will get the info. Will they care? Any bets?
That sounds like a good step to get Netflix to solve the problem. Based on what you described I think she will give the info to the technical dept. However I don't know if Netflix will do something about it but we can only hope.
DeleteAny updates yet?
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DeleteNot that I know of. I wouldn't expect to hear back from Netflix. The only way we would know if they got the message, and addressed it, would be if the dates were corrected on the East Coast, and I am not able to check that, being in California. I think it's too soon to expect anything yet, anyway.
Well, being in New Jersey, I can confirm that the dates have not been corrected. Unfortunately, it's possible that Netflix might think this is not a big deal because it's "just a one day difference". It's possible that they might never solve this problem, but it's also possible that Netflix will eventually realize that this update is really annoying for customers who live in the East Coast and do something about it. Since you said it's too soon to expect anything yet, when would you say it's possible to expect something to happen? Just wondering.
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DeleteYour guess is as good as mine. It's been less than two weeks since I called. Assuming their tech dept. received the info, and intends to do something, it could be a couple months before the change is made, depending on how difficult the fix is, and how busy they are with other things they deem more important.
I'm curious to know if they've had calls from people who missed something they wanted to watch because of this problem. That would probably get their attention faster than "there's a problem with the 'last day to watch' dates".
Your guess makes sense. I'm also curious whether Netflix has received calls from people who missed something they wanted to watch, but I think it's very likely to have happened at some point. Speaking of which, I also wonder if Netflix has received calls from unhappy customers when a movie or show has been removed without notice, because that's also really frustrating.
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DeleteMy guess would be yes. I'm thinking of the Dave Chapelle thing, when one of his shows disappeared abruptly, people weren't happy, and Netflix brought it back.
Oh, I remember when that happened! I've been using your site for expiring titles for a long time.
DeleteSame Anonymous here
DeleteI've began noticing that the expiring titles are now showing the same last day on Netflix as is shown on your list. They are also all showing the correct last day on NewOnNetflixUSA. I'm hoping the problem has now been resolved, but could we get a few other people to check, just so that we can be sure?
Carol April 14, 2024 at 3:41 AM
ReplyDeleteRE: Different last days on East Coast problem:
Awhile back, Anonymous commented on the Changes to Last Day to Watch page that last days to watch on the East Coast are now showing the same as on our list (West Coast time). Anonymous - and me, as well - would like to know if others are seeing the same thing. A double-check is always a good idea.
Michelle Pop, Sarah, anyone else interested in this issue, could you do a little checking, and let us know what you find? Thanks a million!
Replies
will g April 14, 2024 at 8:40 AM
Hey you forgot me! Yes Netflix's dates now agree with the list for me in NYC.
Sarah April 14, 2024 at 3:49 PM
I just checked one title, Crimson Peak, and it shows last day to watch as April 15. :)
Carol April 14, 2024 at 9:24 PM
Thanks so much to the both of you, and to every one involved in identifying this problem, especially Anonymous, who first brought it to attention.
Due to the timing of this fix - it's been about 6 weeks since I reported this problem to Netflix - I think all of you are responsible for getting a big Netflix error corrected - great job!