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When you first buy an expensive new Apple product, AppleCare+ might seem like an unnecessary added cost. After all, you’re going to treat this shiny piece of tech with the utmost care; you’re not going to let anything happen to it! Inevitably, you realize your folly, either because you shattered your iPhone’s display, or you see how easy it would be to do so. While you might think it’s too late to insure that product with Apple, you could be in luck.
Previously, Apple set the cap for adding AppleCare+ to a device at 60 days from the date of purchase. If you bought an iPad, then regretted not buying AppleCare+ one month in, you could go ahead and insure it. However, once you crossed that two-month threshold, you’d be turned away. This is no longer the case, according to an internal Apple memo obtained by MacRumors.
How to know if you can add AppleCare+ to your device
Your Apple product is eligible for AppleCare+ so long as the following conditions are met: Your device must still fall under the one-year limited warranty (meaning you should have bought it less than one year ago), and it should pass both a physical inspection and diagnostic testings. That latter part is certainly a bit more subjective than knowing when you bought the device, but the big thing, especially as far as iPhones are concerned, are cracked or damaged displays and glass.
If your device is damaged, however, you’re not totally out of luck. Apple will still let you buy AppleCare+ for the device after you get it repaired. Let’s say your iPhone has a broken screen. You take it in for repair, and pay the out-of-warranty cost to replace it. Once the screen is fixed, you could then choose to purchase AppleCare+ coverage to lower the cost of future repairs.
With iOS 15.2, soon to be released, you’ll be able to check if your iPhone has genuine Apple parts, as well. That scan will let you know whether Apple is going to accept your phone as is, or if you’re going to need to replace a non-genuine part before being able to buy AppleCare+.
We’ve talked about why AppleCare+ is such a smart investment when it comes to Apple products. Unfortunately, it’s only “smart” because Apple designed it that way; the company makes repairing their devices difficult and complicated, and incredibly costly out-of-pocket. At this time, buying their insurance can be the best way to protect yourself against high repair costs, and keep your device working as intended.
[MacRumors]
