Apple Has a New Way to Sell You Peace of Mind
Credit: Apple
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We’ve heard murmurs of Apple combining its AppleCare support program into a subscription bundle for a few years, and now it appears the company has finally done so. It’s not the complete Apple services bundle that some predicted, but those with multiple Apple devices might still be able to save a few bucks — and the hassle of juggling multiple subscriptions — by combining them all into one program.
Apple announced the new program today, dubbed “AppleCare One,” which allows customers to cover up to three Apple products with a simple $19.99 monthly plan. Additional products can be added for $5.99 per product per month. Perhaps the best part is that everything will be billed as a single monthly payment, regardless of the number of devices you want covered.
That alone should come as welcome news to folks (like me) who are paying for AppleCare+ on an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, MacBook Pro, and more. However, you’ll need to run the numbers to decide if it’s worth it. Entry-level iPhones, iPads, and Macs may still be cheaper to cover a la carte.
For example, AppleCare+ starts at $3.49 per month for a Mac mini, $4.99 per month for a base model iPad, or $9.99 per month for the iPhone 16e. Of course, those prices increase quickly if you own an iPhone 16 Pro or a MacBook Pro, and the Vision Pro, which is also included in the new AppleCare One program, costs $24.99 per month on its own. So, if you own one of Apple’s pricey headsets, you could save $5 per month on AppleCare for that alone, and get coverage for two other devices thrown in effectively for free.
In its press release, Apple states that customers who enroll their iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch in the new program can save up to $11 per month by enrolling in a single AppleCare+ plan. However, it’s likely using the priciest products as a basis for this comparison.
It’s also worth noting that AppleCare One now includes theft and loss protection for the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Earlier this year, Apple discontinued the standard AppleCare+ for iPhone in the US, making the Theft and Loss plans the only options. These run from $9.99 per month for the iPhone 16e to $13.99 per month for the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max.
However, the advent of AppleCare One expands the coverage of theft and loss to include the iPad and Apple Watch. The individual AppleCare+ plans for these devices also appear to have increased commensurately, with the base iPad plan now starting at $4.99 per month, up from $3.49 previously.
Additional products can also be added for a flat $5.99 each, regardless of the product. This means that someone could cover an iPhone 16 Pro Max, a 13-inch iPad Pro, a 16-inch MacBook Pro, and a Vision Pro for only $1 more than the cost of covering the Vision Pro alone.
More Flexibility
With the launch of AppleCare One, Apple is also expanding the eligibility for your existing devices, allowing you to add any product up to four years old — provided it’s in good condition. Apple says in the fine print that products may be required to undergo a diagnostic check at an Apple Store to verify “good condition,” so you won’t be able to get cheaper repairs by adding something that’s already suffered damage.
There’s also a shorter window of only one year for adding headphones for AppleCare One. However, we’re not sure why anyone would want to include these unless you had only two other expensive products you wanted to include and had a spare slot for a third. AppleCare+ for AirPods and Beats headphones costs only $14.99 per year. The AirPods Max are twice as much, at $29.99, but that’s still a fraction of what AppleCare+ costs for other products.
AppleCare One will also make it easier for customers to manage their plans by letting them swap covered devices. Previously, buying a new iPhone meant cancelling your old AppleCare+ plan and signing up for a new one, but under AppleCare One, you’ll be able to move products in and out of your plan at any time. Apple will even do this for you automatically if you’re trading in a covered product directly to Apple.
The Fine Print
Overall, AppleCare One looks like a great deal for those with three or more premium Apple devices who want them covered under AppleCare. Most folks who own an iPhone, Apple Watch, and a MacBook or iPad will likely find the all-in-one plan cheaper than paying for individual subscriptions. The $5.99 add-on could be worthwhile for those who own more than three products, although it won’t be worth it for items like AirPods, HomePods, and Apple TVs.
AppleCare One includes the standard protection against accidents, such as drops and spills, plus theft and loss protection for an iPhone, Apple Watch, and iPad (but not for MacBooks or AirPods). As with the iPhone Theft and Loss plan, deductibles will be involved, but they are still significantly cheaper than the cost of a new device.
Still, there are a couple of caveats. The biggest one is that “Only devices in the customer’s Apple Account can be covered under AppleCare One.” There’s no family version of AppleCare One. This effectively means one user’s devices — those that appear under “My Devices” when you view your Apple Account in the iPhone Settings app. Couples sharing an Apple Account (Apple ID) would likely be able to get coverage for both their devices, but that’s not usually a recommended way of setting things up, as it means you have to share everything else associated with your Apple ID, from calendars and contacts to Apple Music listening history.
The other catch is that AppleCare One is exclusively available in the US, for now at least. That’s probably not too surprising, as Apple typically launches these things stateside, especially when they involve financial areas. AppleCare’s accidental damage, theft, and loss protections are underwritten by third-party insurance companies; therefore, Apple needs to negotiate the necessary arrangements in other countries before it can roll out these programs.
You can find out more information about the new AppleCare One plans on Apple’s website at https://www.apple.com/applecare. AppleCare+ launches tomorrow in the United States, along with updated individual plans for the iPad and Apple Watch, which now include theft and loss protection.
