Apple Stores in UK reopen, as coronavirus lockdown eases

All Apple Stores in the UK are now open following the easing of coronavirus lockdown restrictions in England and Wales.

As all Apple Stores in France remain closed over COVID lockdown restrictions, the UK's 38 stores are now open. It follows the easing of restrictions put in place in England and Wales, which began in January 2021.

"We're currently open for shopping by reserving a one-to-one session with a Specialist, pickup of online orders, and Genius Support by making an appointment," says a notice on the websites of the newly reopened UK Apple Stores. "We are open with health and safety measures and look forward to welcoming you."

Stores are generally operating reduced hours, with some closing at 18:00. Others such as London's Brent Cross store are staying open to 20:00, while London's Apple White City is open until 21:00.

Scotland has operated different lockdown restrictions and at present all stores are open. However, "We are unable to welcome walk-in customers at this time," says Apple Princes Street in Edinburgh, "but look forward to welcoming you for pickup and support."

Separately, the UK government attempted to release an update to its COVID contact tracing app in time for the easing of lockdown restrictions. However, its update breaks Apple and Google's location-tracking rules, and so has been blocked by both companies.

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