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iPhone XR Apple Care worth it for iPhone XR?

H

humble turnip

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 30, 2019
44
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Is it Apple Care worth it for iPhone XR? I always buy Apple Care when buying a Mac laptop. However, the Apple Care for iPhone doesn't seem as good as it is for MacBook, as it only offers coverage for 2 years instead of 3, plus there's an excess to pay for damage.

What's the build quality like for iPhone XR? Is it good enough to make Apple Care unnecessary? How long is the battery likely to last in iPhone XR before the battery needs changing.

Would love to hear people's opinions. Thanks!

Also are there any tips for saving money on Apple Care?
 
Apple would love to sell you Apple Care insurance. In fact, store managers press employees to sell it to customers. It's a cash cow for them. Like a Las Vegas casino, they've run the numbers and while some people will win (using Apple Care) most will lose (not needing it).

It's up to you whether you want to play the gamble game or not. In the end, Apple will come out on top. I'd never buy it soley for the reason that they push it.
 
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Let me just say this, if you’re someone that’s fairly cautious and you’re using an adequate case for protection, I don’t necessarily think AppleCare is always necessary for the iPhone. Now, I say that because, I’ve never used AppleCare on my iPhones over the years, and I’ve never needed to, because I’ve never broken a phone before. However, if you’re someone that’s cumbersome, then yes, I would recommend it.

Side note:

The Apple Watch is the _only_ Apple product that I absolutely think AppleCare is necessary for, given how much our wrists come in contact with things on a daily basis.
 
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@humble turnip, I used to sell cars for a living, which leads me to my point, if it’s worth the extra insurance, i.e. extended warranties, AppleCare+, etc. There’s no right or wrong answer, it’s literally a gamble. The added insurance is great to have if you need it, but you may/may not ever need it. If you’re the kind of person who keeps your phone a while then maybe worth it. If you’re planning on upgrading yearly, maybe not. Comes down to asking yourself if you think it’s worth getting or not
 
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Depends. If you don’t buy it for a x number of years you’ll have saved enough for a repair if one occurs. The longer you don’t need a repair and the longer you don’t buy it the more money you save and you end up out ahead.
 
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Applecare for my phones have never paid off - never had to use it.
Applecare for my Macbook - have paid off. Issues with battery, touchpad, retina screen, and hardware faults have paid for itself many times over....
 
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Depends on you really. Are you a klutz and drops your phone regularly? Are you working in a dirty or rough environment that might damage the phone? The most common breakage is the screen which you can replace for $199 from apple. That's very close to applecare's $149 + $29 deductible. Once your warranty runs out, the value of your phone by that time will drops significantly and would make more sense to just upgrade or buy the same model back in the used phone market. For $149, you do however buy peace of mind and an additional year of warranty. For myself, I won't need it, but for my kids, i do want it.
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4sallypat said:
Applecare for my phones have never paid off - never had to use it.
Applecare for my Macbook - have paid off. Issues with battery, touchpad, retina screen, and hardware faults have paid for itself many times over....
Click to expand...

Did all those issues happen during the warranty period? Or are they all on applecare?
 
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digthewell said:
A little extra protection doesn't hurt. You can get your battery replaced under the same when it starts to age.
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Is the battery likely to age within 2 years? Apple say they will only replace it under Apple Care if it holds less than an 80% charge. Is that likely to happen in 2 years.

ApplelD said:
I really recommend that you get it because this guy didn't and regrets it https://www.reddit.com/r/iphone/comments/cy6hid/lost_iphone_after_1_day_of_purchasing_it
Click to expand...
Maybe it's different in the UK, but Apple Care+ doesn't include theft or loss, so in the UK, that guy would still be out of luck even with Apple Care+.

4sallypat said:
Applecare for my Macbook - have paid off. Issues with battery, touchpad, retina screen, and hardware faults have paid for itself many times over....
Click to expand...
This has been my experience. In the third year of Apple Care my Macbook Pro had faults (Although things like the retina screen would have been covered without Apple Care anyway as they did a recall, so having Apple Care wasn't a big boon).

Are iPhones built better than Macbook Pro? (although was I just unlucky with my Macbook Pro)
 
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Kmart9419 said:
....Did all those issues happen during the warranty period? Or are they all on applecare?
Click to expand...

Macbook faults happened during 2nd (battery & touchpad) and 3rd year (retina screen went black & SSD died).
One time was an out Applecare warranty at the 4th year but was covered by the Genius bar after I showed how many my work bought from them - it paid for a bad LCD backlight (1st gen Macbook 12" Retina).
 
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Simple question: Can you afford to replace or fix the thing if you break it?

I couldn't without it being a significant "ouch." Plus I'm a klutz. So my XR lives in a Pelican Shield Kevlar case and I have Apple Care.
 
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humble turnip said:
Is the battery likely to age within 2 years? Apple say they will only replace it under Apple Care if it holds less than an 80% charge. Is that likely to happen in 2 years.
Click to expand...
It really depends on how you use your phone. If you let your charging drop lower than 40% and then charge repeatedly over the day or to 100%, then yes your battery can wear out faster.
 
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digthewell said:
It really depends on how you use your phone. If you let your charging drop lower than 40% and then charge repeatedly over the day or to 100%, then yes your battery can wear out faster.
Click to expand...
I work from home, so my phone rarely falls below 80%. Although it does spend some time charging at 100%, which I understand is not ideal, but is unlikely to damage the battery (Although I unplug it at night). And ios13 will optimize that better.
 
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Honestly, I would base purchasing AppleCare on a few factors. One being if you are paying for a phone or device with monthly payments and the second reason being if the cost to repair or replace a part on the phone or device is at least 50% of the full purchase, I would purchase AppleCare, it will save you money in the long run. If you own the device outright and have AppleCare, if you decide to sell the device it will make it a little more valuable, it'll give the person buying it peace of mind.
 
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No.

Don’t buy insurance on things you can afford to replace. It’s a gamble and Apple has the house edge.

It’s like asking if you should go to the casino tonight. You might come out ahead, but you’re probably better off skipping it.
 
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I just dropped my XR on a sidewalk and scuffed up the aluminum real bad in a couple spots. Enough to make the metal sharp to the touch. The glass, however, is fine (bounced on the corners).

I have Applecare+ on my phone. Can I take it in and possibly get a replacement if the glass isn't broken?

Edit: answering my own question. Called support, they express sent me a replacement phone after I described the issue (I'm happy with that!). There is caveat language that they could charge me more after they assess the phone. But hopefully this will be covered under Applecare+ accidental damage.
 
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The-Real-Deal82 said:
My iPhone is covered on my home contents insurance so I’d either get it repaired on there or replaced. The hit on your premium is still cheaper than AppleCare.
Click to expand...


I still think Apple Care might be easier and faster.

cliffster82 said:
I just dropped my XR on a sidewalk and scuffed up the aluminum real bad in a couple spots. Enough to make the metal sharp to the touch. The glass, however, is fine (bounced on the corners).

I have Applecare+ on my phone. Can I take it in and possibly get a replacement if the glass isn't broken?

Edit: answering my own question. Called support, they express sent me a replacement phone after I described the issue (I'm happy with that!). There is caveat language that they could charge me more after they assess the phone. But hopefully this will be covered under Applecare+ accidental damage.
Click to expand...

why would they charge you more?


—> I am debating on Apple care for the watch and for the phone, just for the peace of mind.
 
Dodgeman said:
I still think Apple Care might be easier and faster.



why would they charge you more?


—> I am debating on Apple care for the watch and for the phone, just for the peace of mind.
Click to expand...
I don't know exactly. Maybe if they 'determine' the damage was not sufficient for warranty replacement. The good news is all I paid was the damage incident fee.
 
Is Apple Care worth it for iPhone XR?

Subjectively only you can answer that. Is it worth peace of mind if you drop, break or wash your phone that they’ll cover it?

do you have the money to replace your phone outright if you need to?

In my own opinion the answer is yes totally worth it. even if you never use it normally, the one time you actually need it, it will make up for the years that you didn’t need it.
 
Feb 2020 iPhone XR speaker failure
The speaker on my Wife's iPhone XR malfunctioned. The phone rings and sounds alerts correctly but she could barely hear anyone when they called her. She had to put them on speaker to hear. Note, the ear buds sounded normally when used.

The nearest Apple store is 20 miles away, so I took it to the nearest authorized dealer, a Best Buy, who ran a hardware test on it and agreed the speaker was malfunctioning.

I did not realize it, but the speaker is integrated into the screen, so when it goes the screen must be replaced. The good news is that I had Apple Care, the Best Buy had the replacement screen, it took an hour to replace and because of Apple Care I was charged $30 dollars. I asked if this was a common issue, and the tech said yes. He also told me that without the Apple Care, the screen replacement would have been over $200 so having Apple Care paid off. :)

Note, this is the first iPhone I've needed a repair on just because something stopped working.
 
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