Apple extends AppleCare purchase window to one year

Apple is extending the window that U.S. and Canadian customers have to buy AppleCare subscriptions for their devices after purchase.

Currently, users have 60 days after the purchase of an iPhone, Mac or other device to add AppleCare+ coverage. The additional warranty and support program includes coverage for repairs and at least two cases of theft, loss or accidental damage.

That time period is now expanding to one full year after the purchase of a device in the U.S. in Canada, according to an internal Apple memo seen by Bloomberg.

The extended window is available to users who purchase AppleCare+ outright or those who pay for the additional coverage in installments on the Apple Card.

During a recent earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that the coronavirus pandemic was impacting demand for AppleCare products. Allowing customers more time to add AppleCare+ could drive demand and sales for the premium repair subscriptions, and could help bolster the company's expanding services business.

4 Comments

GeorgeBMac 11421 comments · 8 Years

About 4 years ago

Wow!

While I don't intend to take advantage of it, this is truly great! Another customer centric move by Apple.

It was rather ridiculous that, for the first year you were essentially taking out a double warranty on your iphone -- one of Apple's one year manufacturer's warranty and the other AppleCare+.

But, I will continue to get AppleCare+ when I buy a phone at the Apple Store because AppleCare+ also covers accidental damage and (optionally) theft and loss. How many stories have we heard of someone walking out of the Apple Store with their new phone and dropping it on the concrete sidewalk? Plus, what I've been doing is buying my grandson who is now 13 years old a new phone while I take his old hand-me-down -- so, for a young person becoming a teenager, theft and loss is important. In fact, he did lose his Xr a few months after I bought it: he went with friends and his parents to an amusement park and, after they left his mom texted me that "someone stole his phone there". I used Find My Phone to locate it (at the park's lost & found!) and made them turn around and retrieve it. But, I almost had to activate the lost and theft feature of his coverage. Then, a few months after that a friend of his set her curling iron on his phone and shattered the screen -- so we had it replaced under Apple Care. So, it is a valuable insurance policy to have: even though he does his best to be very careful of his phone, shit happens -- especially to a kid or teenager.

freediverx 1421 comments · 16 Years

About 4 years ago

So here we are, more than a month after this story, and still no evidence that this is a real thing. Another strike on Bloomberg's already poor credibility.

o0MS0o 1 comment · 3 Years

About 3 years ago

Apple has NOT extended the time to add Applecare+ from 60 days to 1 year.

I just purchased a Mac mini M1 in July 2021. When I look at my system OS Apple provides a timer counting down the days you have left to add Applecare+ and it started at 60 days not 365.

I contacted Apple and they confirmed it is 60 days NOT 1 year and they had no knowledge of it ever having been 1 year in the past nor any word on it changing in the future, this 1 year after this article was published.