AppleCare+ for iPhone, iPad, iPod and Apple Watch Now Covers Batteries That Retain Less Than 80% of Original Capacity

[ApfelKuchen]

So if I break my sport watch AppleCare replaces it for $69?

It depends on how you break it. Accidental damage is covered, intentional abuse is not - no pounding it with a hammer to see if the sapphire is too brittle (if someone's hoping to get rich on YouTube videos, they shouldn't bother paying for AppleCare+).

 

[shuntva06]

Apple has updated the terms of its AppleCare+ Protection Plan for iPhone, iPad, iPod and Apple Watch to cover batteries that retain less than 80% of their original capacity within the extended warranty period, whereas it previously covered batteries that retained less than 50% of their original capacity. The change applies to AppleCare+ purchased for iPhone, iPad, iPod and all Apple Watch models on April 10, 2015 or later.

Apple will replace defective batteries that do not live up to the 80% specification free of charge as long as the device is within its AppleCare+ coverage period. Otherwise, the iPhone maker charges $79 for out-of-warranty battery service for all Apple Watch batteries that retain less than 80% of their original capacity per Apple's diagnostic testing, plus a $6.95 shipping charge if required.

The new battery terms of AppleCare+ for iPhone, iPad, iPod and Apple Watch:AppleCare+ for iPhone, iPad and iPod

AppleCare+ for iPhone extends the smartphone's warranty coverage to two years from the original date of purchase and provides up to two incidents of accidental damage coverage for a $79 service charge each time. Without AppleCare+, iPhone customers are covered by a limited one-year warranty and 90 days of complimentary phone support.

AppleCare+ for iPad and iPod have the same terms and conditions, although the accidental damage service charges are $49 and $29 per incident respectively.

AppleCare+ for Apple Watch

Apple has designed the Apple Watch battery to retain up to 80% of its original capacity at 1000 complete charge cycles, which gives the watch's battery a lifespan of about two-and-a-half to three years based on fully charging the wrist-worn device once per day. Apple Watch has all-day battery life of 18 hours on a single charge based on mixed usage, and lasts up to 72 hours in Power Reserve mode.

AppleCare+ extends an Apple Watch's warranty coverage to two years from the date of purchase for the Sport and Watch, and three years for Edition, and provides accidental damage coverage for up to two incidents. Without AppleCare+, purchases of the Apple Watch Sport and the stainless steel Apple Watch are covered by a limited one-year warranty and 90 days of complimentary phone support.

AppleCare+ costs $49, $59 and $1,500 for the Apple Watch Sport, Apple Watch and Apple Watch Edition models respectively, while accidental damage coverage is subject to an additional service charge of $69 for Sport, $79 for Watch and $1,000 for Edition. Apple also sells AppleCare+ combo plans for Apple Watch and iPhone for $149 (Sport and iPhone), $169 (Watch and iPhone) and $1,600 (Edition and iPhone).

Article Link: AppleCare+ for iPhone, iPad, iPod and Apple Watch Now Covers Batteries That Retain Less Than 80% of Original Capacity

 

[sw1tcher]

Anyone who pays $1,500 for two years of insurance for his watch is a fool.

I pity him.

Anyone who can afford to drop $1,500 for insurance on top of the $10,000 to $17,000 for the Watch Edition doesn't need or care for your pity. He's too busy entertaining his guests on his yacht.

 

[shuntva06]

Please check the $ ... AppleCare + for the Apple Watch is $69 (plus tax) ... not $59 as mentioned in the original article.

ALSO - AppleCare has to be ordered within 60 days of purchase ... I missed that deadline but called and talked to the AppleCare specialists. Confirmed that I am NOT having any problems but just wanted the protection. The specialist granted an "exception" to the 60 day expiration date and activated an AppleCare policy today.

 

[Hes Nikke]

I got AppleCare+ with my launch day 5s with the intention of paying the deductible for a fresh one close to the end of the term. My 5s developed battery issues, so last week I took it to the genius bar. The genius said he'd replace the battery. They gave me a new phone instead. The AppleCare totally paid for itself, even under the *OLD* terms!

 

[AppleScruff1]

There is nothing to complain about. This is a good improvement.

 

[gcooldude86]

Glad I bought AC+ because I do charge my battery at least everyday, sometimes twice to get through. As the end user, can we test to see what our battery life is at?

 

[Brien]

Actually, everything I've ever heard from any consumer shopping expert says NOT to buy the extended warranties. They are a waste of money. I purchase everything with CC's that extend my manufacturers warranty by a year FOR FREE, so it costs me nothing.

The difference, in my eyes, between any normal consumer device with batteries (like a notebook?) and this watch, is that every Apple watch runs 24 hours a day, and with that known, Apple designed the watch battery to last up to 3 years. A notebook user, for example may use their notebook on battery 100% of the time, and others may use it on battery only rarely, so each battery will have a different life. If an Apple watch battery was at 50% health after 14 months, I would be upset, when it should be at 80% for at least a couple years. But if I spend more money (in addition to an already overpriced watch), they will cover my battery? That's my point.

I always buy AppleCare. Sometimes I never use it, but it's saved my butt enough times that I don't even think about it any more.

 

[danfrumkin]

So um, how do they test this? Is this a while you wait thing - or do they have to charge your device let it run down and make a judgement?

If the latter does Apple "lend" you a device while your device is unavailable?

 

[ValSalva]

Maybe this is a dumb question, but how can you tell if your iPhone battery is retaining less than 80%? Subjectively it might seem that way but is there a way in iOS to check? How will Apple measure this?

 

[MrGimper]

Anyone who can afford to drop $1,500 for insurance on top of the $10,000 to $17,000 for the Watch Edition doesn't need or care for your pity. He's too busy entertaining his 38 stunning biyatches on his yacht.

Corrected that for you.

 

[Daalseth]

OK I have a question
How do you know if your battery is below 80%. I mean sure, if the life drops to a couple hours, fine it's obvious you need to replace the battery. But the difference between 100% and 75% capacity is a bit subtle. I know with my Mac and iPad how I use them will have a huge impact on how long the battery lasts on a particular day. With my Mac I can use Coconut Battery to check the remaining capacity. Is there something similar for iOS or WatchOS?

EDIT: I just noticed that ValSalva asked the same thing.

 

[Lazy]

most people who bought the $17K Watch Edition and then the $1,500 insurance likely know how to manage money better than you ever will, which gives them the spending power to drop that on a watch and not even care. they're the type of people who will probably buy the next one when that comes out too

if anything, i bet they pity someone like you who whines on a macrumors thread about how expensive it is

Ah, but it's financially wise not to buy insurance for any loss you can afford to sustain. Essentially everyone who can afford to buy an Edition model can afford to lose it. Just like as you say they'll probably buy the next one.

Just because one can afford to buy insurance doesn't mean it's always smart to do so.

 

[Benjamin Frost]

As a practice, I avoid all extended warranties. In the long run, I think you come out ahead that way. Having said that, I think the reason for the higher buy-in cost on the Apple Watch edition is that they offer to repair -OR REPLACE if they cannot repair- the watch for some deductible. The article doesn't mention what the deductibles are for the various damage scenarios. They are not all covered by the cost of the Apple Care+. Anyway, in some situation they could be handing you back a re-manufactured unit if you crush or damage your fancy watch. That's the reason for the higher coverage. It's important to know the deductibles to get a better pictures of the real value of the extended warranty coverage; it's not all just the cost of the coverage.

Sure.

I appreciate that the reason for the cost of it is because Apple will potentially replace the whole watch.

But it's still needless insurance. What are the chances that you'll crush or damage your watch beyond repair? Tiny! You might as well pay for a special insurance that indemnifies your Apple Watch in case lightning strikes it and renders it useless.

 

[Benjamin Frost]

i respect your disagreement, but i defer back to what i said originally and stand behind it wholeheartedly. the Watch Edition was not targeted to Apple customers who spend their time dribbling complaints on Macrumors threads. the Watch Edition shouldn't even concern you, but you find it necessary to whine about the cost and the cost of the respective AppleCare+ insurance policy. why? let's get to the root cause of your disgust here so we can put it to rest.

That's funny.

I don't recall Tim Cook announcing that the Apple Watch Edition wasn't targeted to Apple customers who spend their time dribbling complaints on Macrumors threads at the keynote.

Perhaps I fell asleep due to the less than riveting demo.

 

[Benjamin Frost]

AppleCare+ protects against physical damage as well as extending the manufacturer's warranty.

You either not understanding this or not seeing the value in protecting your $17,000 investment is not the same thing as people who do understand it or do see the value being fools.

Not at all.

Firstly, the chance that your Apple Watch Edition gets physically damaged is extremely slim, thereby negating the need for insurance cover for this aspect.

Secondly, my home insurance covers all valuables worldwide for damage and theft. It's likely that Apple Watch Edition owners will have similar insurance, therefore also negating the need for a separate warrantee.

 

[Hes Nikke]

So um, how do they test this? Is this a while you wait thing - or do they have to charge your device let it run down and make a judgement?

If the latter does Apple "lend" you a device while your device is unavailable?

When I just did this on my iPhone, they ran a diagnostics test triggered from the genius iPad. The diagnostics only took a few minutes, so I assume the phone continuously monitors battery health and the diagnostics gathered that data and shipped it to the mothership. After the diagnostics completed, the genius iPad showed a graph of the remaining capacity of my battery and the replacement threshold. Sure would be nice to get the diagnostics results without going into the store.

Edit: to answer the 2nd question, I was told to wait half an hour while they replace the battery (I went and perused the mall). When I got back, they gave me a fresh iPhone.

 

[brilliantthings]

Maybe this is a dumb question, but how can you tell if your iPhone battery is retaining less than 80%? Subjectively it might seem that way but is there a way in iOS to check? How will Apple measure this?

iBackupbot for OS X can check your battery health for iPhone and iPad. You can use the free version.

 

[Kebabselector]

You might want to get your facts straight before engaging in the favorite hobby of so many posters, that being apple bashing.

Ok

 

[RadioGaGa1984]

Never had an issue in the first place. They always have swapped em for me when they hit 80% if it was still under warranty or AppleCare.

 

[RadioGaGa1984]

Interesting they announce it 2 months after the watch release (so early adopters can't now buy it) .

You have 60 days to purchase AppleCare+ and if it's a few days past that I'm sure they would ok it.

 

[seando49]

Is there an app that shows the iPhone cycle and battery capacity?

 

[ArmCortexA8]

Apple has updated the terms of its AppleCare+ Protection Plan for iPhone, iPad, iPod and Apple Watch to cover batteries that retain less than 80% of their original capacity within the extended warranty period, whereas it previously covered batteries that retained less than 50% of their original capacity. The change applies to AppleCare+ purchased for iPhone, iPad, iPod and all Apple Watch models on April 10, 2015 or later.

This is Apple trying to make a fortune out of AppleCare which in Australia is not required. Under Australian Consumer Law, despite Apple's restriction attempts at 90 Days support, and 12 months hardware, Consumer Law, dictates that all products are covered for at least 26 months, and even beyond that as well. This also covers AppleCare phone support and hardware. Consumer Law is in addition to your statutory rights, not a replacement for them. This also means their 90 days support is actually 2 years plus at no cost as well. This applies to all Apple devices. Australia has the best Consumer Law available.​

 

[Tech198]

80% would be good for Apple anyway... 50% is too low... That would imply many more returns just because.

 

[AlecZ]

Nice, that's probably the #1 thing that goes wrong with devices.