Apple extends AppleCare+ purchase deadline to one year for iPhone, report says

According to a recent report, Apple appears to be bringing its AppleCare+ plan for iPhone more in line with offerings for the Mac and Apple TV, and looks to be allowing users to purchase the plan up to a year after initial device purchase.

First reported by MacRumors, the service that retails for $129 for an iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, and $99 for an iPhone SE, may soon be able to be purchased much later than the 60 days that is currently allowed.

While AppleInsider could not confirm the new timetable, it was also not denied by the Apple staffers both at retail and on support lines we spoke with. The AppleCare web page has also not yet been updated.

In tandem with announcing the iPhone 7 family, Apple also revised its AppleCare+ plans for iPhones, instituting a $29 screen replacement option. However, the repair fee was increased to $99 for any other form of accidental damage.

In addition to offering cheaper accident repairs, AppleCare+ also extends general warranty and support coverage to two years. Normally iPhones include just a year of defect repairs and replacements, plus 90 days of support.

11 Comments

sboucher 1 comment · 7 Years

About 7 years ago

Apple has already allowed this for awhile. My daughter broke her iPhone 5 and we didn't buy apple care. They just charged us the $99 like we did, even after the 1 year deadline. That was the most cost effective way to fix her phone according the Apple Store in Oklahoma City.

seanismorris 1624 comments · 8 Years

Hope this is true with IPads as well.

Apple products having fragile glass screens that made this necessary. I'm going to assume glass is here to stay.

The policy change was probably motivated the "right to fix" and pushback from repair shops.

darkvader 1146 comments · 15 Years

Motherf**ker.

When I bought my iPhone 6+, it was still under warranty. I would have bought the AppleCare if I could.

Now it's got touch disease, and they want $150 to fix it.

seanismorris said:

Hope this is true with IPads as well.

Apple products having fragile glass screens that made this necessary. I'm going to assume glass is here to stay.

The policy change was probably motivated the "right to fix" and pushback from repair shops.

It probably was.

That doesn't mean we need to let up on right to fix. These devices have a life well beyond the two years that you get from AppleCare+. I gave my kid my old 5s, which was already used when I got it. It's over 3 years old now, I've put a third party battery in it, and it's still going strong. It's got a few more years left at least.

thewhitefalcon 4444 comments · 10 Years

darkvader said:

seanismorris said:

Hope this is true with IPads as well.

Apple products having fragile glass screens that made this necessary. I'm going to assume glass is here to stay.

The policy change was probably motivated the "right to fix" and pushback from repair shops.

It probably was.

That doesn't mean we need to let up on right to fix. These devices have a life well beyond the two years that you get from AppleCare+. I gave my kid my old 5s, which was already used when I got it. It's over 3 years old now, I've put a third party battery in it, and it's still going strong. It's got a few more years left at least.

"Right to fix" = force companies to sell parts that potentially compromise security because people can't care for their devices.