Apple Begins Shipping First iPhone 12 Pre-orders (But Don’t Get Too Excited)

Ben Geskin / YouTube

Apple is starting to fulfill some of the first pre-orders of the iPhone 12 and the iPhone 12 Pro. But, those who pre-ordered shouldn’t get too excited and start bragging that they may be receiving their iPhone ahead of time. Apple almost always instructs carriers to hold these packages until the official release date, which is October 23. 

Customers who check their order status on Apple’s website will see their iPhones are still in the “Preparing to ship” stage. Though tracking is still not available on Apple’s website, the Cupertino company apparently is starting to transfer iPhones to UPS. 

To find an iPhone 12 order status, customers really can’t dig any further on Apple’s website, but they can over at UPS.

With a few simple steps on the UPS website, customers can determine if their iPhone has moved into the shipping stage and keep track of it until it lands on their doorstep. 

  1. First, customers need to go to the UPS website and sign up for a UPS My Choice account. UPS My Choice is a personal tracking portal that helps people manage all their incoming packages.
  2. Instead of searching for the tracking number, which customers don’t have yet, they can search using the reference number. The reference number is most likely the phone number listed on the Apple order or the order number without the last two digits. 
  3. If the iPhone 12 has been moved into shipping, the reference number will appear in the UPS tracking database. Customers can then use the portal to track the package as it moves from the warehouse to their doorstep.

Not all iPhones have entered this shipping stage, so not all reference numbers will work. If a customer’s reference number is not yet in UPS’s tracking system, they should try again at a later date. 

Apple typically does not send out shipping notifications until the end of the week when the phone is closer to being delivered on the official launch day. Customers who can track their package should not expect to receive it any earlier than Friday, October 23. Apple gives UPS strict orders to not deliver the new iPhone models until the launch date. Even if the iPhone is in a warehouse one town over and the delivery sate says October 21, customers will have to wait until Friday.  

Apple also started shipping its new MagSafe chargers and MagSafe cases over the weekend, with some customers already receiving these new iPhone accessories.

The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro will be available starting Friday, October 23. The new iPhone 12 mini and the iPhone 12 Pro Max will go on sale in November, with pre-orders starting November 6.  

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