AppleCare+ battery coverage more generous for iPhones, iPads, Apple Watch
Roger Fingas
Apple on Friday made a slight adjustment to the terms of its AppleCare+ warranty for iPhones, iPads, iPods, and the Apple Watch, allowing people to get a free repair or replacement if their battery holds less than 80 percent of its original charge.
Customers in Canada or the U.S. need only submit a valid claim, the updated warranty states. Previously the warranty only allowed free battery drain-related repairs if a device fell under 50 percent of its original capacity, by which point a product may have already become impractical to use.
The change also applies to the custom version of AppleCare+ for the Apple Watch Edition, which in the U.S. costs $1,500 with additional $1,000 service fees for accidental damage, but extends out to three years since by default the Edition already has a two-year warranty.
Most Apple products — including the regular Watch and the Watch Sport — get only one year of default warranty coverage.
AppleCare+ costs $49 for the Watch Sport, $59 for the iPod touch or classic, $69 for the standard Watch, and $99 for iPhones or iPads. Special Watch/iPhone bundles are available for people getting a new Watch who have an undamaged iPhone less than six months old.
William Gallagher
Malcolm Owen
Mike Wuerthele
