AppleCare+ iPhone Coverage Eligibility to Gain Massive Extension

iPhone XS Shattered and Broken Credit: Sergey Eremin / Shutterstock
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After you buy an Apple device, you typically have only 60 days to purchase AppleCare+ extended warranty coverage. A new report suggests that may change in the near future.

A select number of Apple Stores across the U.S. and Canada are apparently piloting a new program that would allow customers to purchase AppleCare+ beyond the 60-day limit, people familiar with the matter told MacRumors.

Under the new pilot program, customers will be able to buy AppleCare+ from 61 days to a year after the device was purchased.

Essentially, that means users have until their standard one-year warranties expire to buy extended coverage.

  1. Reportedly, users must book an appointment at a Genius Bar to purchase coverage past 60 days.
  2. During the appointment, Genius Bar technicians will run diagnostics and visually inspect the device to make sure it’s eligible.

There’s a bit of confusion around how long users will be able to buy AppleCare+ extended coverage for. Initially, it appeared that users could buy two years of coverage that would kick in after the one-year warranty expired, for a total of three years of coverage. Now, it appears that the coverage is only available for a single year.

The pilot program is currently rolling out to about 50 brick-and-mortar Apple retail locations in the U.S. and all 29 Apple Store locations in Canada. At the time, there isn’t a complete list of the piloting stores.

It isn’t clear how long this pilot program will last, but Apple Stores have reportedly confirmed its existence.

The program will apply to the iPhone, but it seems likely that it could be extended to iPad, Macs, Apple Watches and other devices.

AppleCare+ provides an additional two or three years of extended warranty coverage, depending on the device. It also includes technical support and up to two incidents of accidental damage coverage.

It’s worth noting that this isn’t the only option when purchasing AppleCare+ for iPhones.

Earlier this year, Apple made a change that essentially allowed users to pay for AppleCare+ on a month-to-month basis pretty much indefinitely (or until they run out of parts for that particular model).

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