Apple is changing how it sells AppleCare+ at its physical stores.
Customers can no longer make an upfront payment for the extended warranty and will have to opt for a subscription-only model, Bloomberg reports.
Previously, you could pay for two years of coverage when you purchased an iPhone at an Apple Store, but that option is only available online now. Instead, Apple is offering monthly or annual plans at its stores. For the iPhone 16 Pro lineup, that would be $13.99 per month or $139.99 annually. It’s $12.99 or $129.99 for the iPhone 16 Plus, 15 Plus, or 14 Plus and $11.99 or $119.99 for the iPhone 16, iPhone 15, and iPhone 14.
Those monthly prices are all a 50-cent increase from what Apple offered before.
The company is also pushing its more expensive Theft & Loss plans over the standard AppleCare+. The AppleCare product page now only lists the Theft & Loss plan, which allows iPhone owners to replace a lost device after paying a deductible, with monthly and annual options priced depending on your phone model.
Looking at that same page from last month on the Wayback Machine, Apple also listed the standard AppleCare+ plan, and included a two-year option with both.
AppleCare Products page on Jan. 15 and Feb. 5 (Credit: Wayback Machine/Apple)
If you go to the purchase page for AppleCare+ online, however, there is an option to purchase AppleCare+ without “Theft and loss coverage for up to two claims every 12 months.” You can also select two years of coverage there; for an iPhone 16 Pro Max, that would be $269 for AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss and $199 for AppleCare+.
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According to Bloomberg, AppleCare agents have been instructed to tell customers that the subscription model is intended to reduce upfront costs. However, the outlet notes that Apple generates about $100 billion of its annual revenue from services and subscriptions, and the new move could be part of the company’s broader strategy to boost that income stream.
Alongside changes to AppleCare+, Apple also rolled out a new event-planning app for iOS this week. Called Invites, the app allows iCloud+ users to create and manage events, and it includes integrations with Apple Music, Maps, Weather, and Image Playground.
Next week, meanwhile, Apple is expected to launch the PowerBeats Pro 2.
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About Jibin Joseph
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