AppleInsider Staff
It was revealed on Tuesday that Apple has changed the terms and conditions tied to AppleCare+ and will be lifting geographic limitations on support, meaning travelers can get their device serviced outside of their home country.
As noted by TechCrunch, the recent policy change allows owners to take in products for repair in any country where AppleCare+ is offered, lifting previous restrictions that limited service to the country in which the plan was purchased. Devices include the iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Apple displays and Mac models.
It should be noted that replacements and repairs may not be offered in all countries. The publication offers the CDMA version of the iPhone 5 as an example, pointing out the handset can't be serviced or replaced in countries where it is not sold, like Brazil.
In a related development, blogger Sonny Dickson posted two documents pertaining to the upcoming AppleCare+ changes to Twitter. One of the "leaked" pages, seen above, notes that international servicing for the iPhone 5 will begin on Friday.
The changes are likely part of Apple's continued effort to overhaul its post-sales service. When the iPhone 5s and 5c were unveiled on Sept. 10, it was announced that the AppleCare+ for iPhone per-incident deductible would be raised to $79, up from $49 previously.
Currently, AppleCare+ for iPhone, iPad and iPod is offered in Austria, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US.
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15 Comments
Yes! At last. It would be even better if warranty issues could be less regionalised.
This is great news. Once upon a time, I purchased a not so cheap Nokia (from a Nokia store) in Stockholm that went bad on me in Melbourne. I was told I had to ship it back to Sweden. Now if I can just figure out why that IOS 7 upgrade didn't waterproof my iPhone 5 like the Interwebs said it would...
I never had any problem getting warranty work overseas. Between 2003 and 2006 I lived in Osaka, Japan and took my Titanium Powerbook G4 with me. During that time, I had my logic board, hard drive, battery and display replaced while under my extended Applecare. In fact, when I had my logic board replaced in '03, the Shinsaibashi Apple Store had not yet opened, so I had the service done at an authorized repair center in some back alley of Nipponbashi. No issues at all. The US Apple Store even replaced a 1st gen Nano that I bought in Japan. I guess now it's official.
This report is flawed. AppleCare and AppleCare Plus are different products. AppleCare is and has always been international. If someone has an issue with their device they can get it serviced anywhere in the world where Apple Certified technicians are available. AppleCare Plus is different. In the past if someone had an incident of accidental damage (AppleCare Plus covers accidental damage and is only available for iPhone, iPad, and now iPod Touch - standard AppleCare does not cover accidental damage and is available for all of Apple's electronic devices) then that person had to get their service performed in the country of origin because not all countries offer AppleCare Plus and therefore, I assume, weren't set up for the deductible payment program. So as far as AppleCare goes there is no change. If you have a warranty issue you can, and always have been able to, get your device repaired wherever you are in the world that there is an Apple Authorized Service Provider. With this change to AppleCare Plus you can now get your accidental damage covered in another country that also offers AppleCare Plus. If that country doesn't offer AppleCare Plus it would appear you would still have to wait until you get home (or have a layover in a country that offers it). Does anyone read their terms and conditions anymore? Did they ever? TLDR is not an excuse for ignorance!
I am a heavy international traveller who has had a number of repair needs over the course of the last 10 years, and I have never been turned down from AppleCare and in each case the computer was definitely not repaired in the country of origin. I have also always been told by Apple that any "portable" device (aka.. not your Mac Pro or iMac) is covered by all Apple Care facilities. So... what is different? Update: Thanks to @Enigmamatic for giving a nice explanation.