Smartphones are actually very vulnerable products which can get damaged at any time. iPhones are even riskier as they are expensive and repairing a damaged one might cost a fortune. For this reason, insurance is quite important for an iphone and Apple has made that possible by introducing AppleCare+. In this article, you’ll learn why you should buy AppleCare+ although it sucks in some ways which you’ll also know about.
Apple Insurance
Insurance is a policy which takes care of financial loss. It is a risk management policy which protects products against damage or theft. This simply means that it can provide a replacement if these things happen to a product under an insurance. Most companies have insurance services for their customers which helps safeguard their products when purchased. However insurances are not free and might actually cost a lot but definitely not as huge as paying for the repair of the product.
Apple is not left out in this protection policy. The company has an insurance policy which the customers can purchase to safeguard products purchased. This insurance policy is called AppleCare. This is actually free as it comes as a compliment for purchasing an Apple product. The AppleCare provides one year warranty on hardware and 90 days of technical support for Apple devices.
Facts About AppleCare+
Now Apple has better insurance for their customers and this policy is known as AppleCare Plus (AppleCare+). This plan extends the one year warranty and 90 days support. It includes 2 accidental damage repairs every year at discounted prices. This insurance policy is actually paid for and quite optional. You don’t necessarily have to buy an AppleCare+ with the iPhone, AppleCare+ is available for 60 days after purchasing an Apple product but 30 days if you’re in Japan. You can check your phone’s eligibility for AppleCare+ in one of the phone’s pages.
Applecare+ comes in two forms; with or without loss and theft protection. The loss and theft protection plan is only applicable to iPhone users as Applecare+ only covers unintentional damage and abnormalities. Most people are not aware of the presence of AppleCare+ in the phone and might get to know when the days are exhausted.
Also Read: How To Use Unlocky’s AT&T Unlock Code Generator
It is possible to purchase the AppleCare+ plan even after the 60 days are exhausted but you must take your phone to the technicians for a thorough survey before you’re allowed to make such a purchase. The AppleCare+ plan can also be purchased after a phone’s repair but with certain conditions which includes;
- The iphone must have been repaired by technicians from the Apple store
- The iphone must be less than a year old
- The iphone must undergo thorough examination before purchase
If the iPhone is older than a year, there is no assurance of getting the AppleCare+ plan as Apple is not ready to be responsible for any random iphone. Although the AppleCare+ is expensive to some extent, Apple expects iPhone users to purchase the AppleCare+ plan within 60 days of purchase.
Cost of AppleCare+ for iPhones
Purchasing an iphone is expensive and fixing an iphone is equally not affordable too, sometimes a single repair might cost as high as $390 and that is quite exhausting considering the fact that you can actually purchase an iphone SE at such an amount. So with the high price of repairs, insurance is better.
The AppleCare+ is not so cheap but it isn’t as expensive as a normal repair. Some people might feel reluctant to purchase the AppleCare+ because they feel they’ll be careful enough not to drop the phone but most iPhones are all round glassy and too risky to use with the AppleCare+.
Getting a repair outside the Apple store is not just expensive but also risky because the probability that your phone will come back the same is low but with AppleCare+ you’ll be able to access technicians directly from the Apple company.
Getting a repair outside the Apple store also closes the possibility of getting further help from Apple as any fault developed by the iPhone will be rejected and blamed on the technicians who did the first job. Apple automatically hands off a case which was not initially handled by them as they believe that only Apple should repair apple products.
Here is the cost for purchasing this insurance for different iPhones
For iPhone 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, XS, XS Max, and X
AppleCare+ standard plan: $199
AppleCare+ loss and theft protection: $269
For iPhone 12, 12 Mini, 11, XR, and 8 Plus
AppleCare+ standard plan: $149
AppleCare+ loss and theft protection: $219
For iPhone 8
AppleCare+ standard plan: $129
AppleCare+ loss and theft protection: $199
For iPhone SE
AppleCare+ standard plan: $79
AppleCare+ loss and theft protection: $149
How to Purchase AppleCare+ With an iPhone
It is possible to purchase the AppleCare+ plan using an iPhone and this helps save the stress of going to the Apple store to make the purchase. The following steps can be taken in the purchase of the AppleCare+;
- Open the settings app on your iPhone
- Click to select General
- Click to select About, this is to check your iPhone’s eligibility
- If your iPhone is eligible, follow the on-screen direction to make the purchase.
There are easier ways of making the AppleCare+ purchase now as the purchase option appears on the upper side of the screen when the settings application is opened, this can be used to detect if your iPhone is eligible and if the 60 days have not been exhausted.
Once the 60 days duration is over, you will have to visit the apple store before a purchase can be made and the procedures are quite lengthy as listed above, it is advisable to make the purchase within the 60 days duration as the safety of the iPhone cannot be guaranteed.
Why AppleCare+ Sucks
There are third party repair shops which offer a cheaper rate of repair cost than the AppleCare+ but Apple is a company that wants to dominate everywhere and control everything. They want all their products to be managed by them and fixed by them. That is why the chip tracker was introduced in the iPhone 13. A little chip was installed into iPhone 13 automatically to detect external repairs which are not from Apple and when this is detected, the face ID is automatically deactivated and this is so bad as not everyone can afford the AppleCare+ plan.
Although customers have protested against this act and those species of iPhones have been retrieved from the market, there is no guarantee that such an act will not occur again in the nearest future. To be on the safest side, iPhone users are advised to purchase the AppleCare+. Any apple product can crack or develop a problem just like Apple Tv error AFE-1004.
Conclusion
The iPhone is a fragile and expensive product and it is quite painful to see it break or crack as the parts that can be used for repairs are quite expensive. This is why it is advisable to purchase the AppleCare+ plan and it should be purchased early as the plan covers for unintended accidents and unforeseen damages. Apple also has a special plan for iPhone users which is the loss and protection plan which iPhone users should leverage.