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Apple Shares Checklist With Important Tips for Buying a Used iPhone

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Apple this week published a new support document with some valuable tips for buying a preowned iPhone online or in person.

iphoneseblack.jpg

Apple starts off by touting that the iPhone "lasts longer than other smartphones," making a preowned iPhone a "great way to own an iPhone." Apple says it provides "industry-leading device support for software updates," although Google recently announced that its latest Pixel 8 phones will receive full Android updates for seven years, whereas iOS 17 only supports iPhone models released up to five years ago.

When buying a preowned iPhone online, it is very important to choose a trusted seller, as the device cannot be physically inspected at the time of purchase. If possible, make sure the iPhone is not Activation Locked, as this would prevent you from using the device unless you know the previous owner's Apple ID and password.

For in-person purchases, Apple shared a helpful checklist for inspecting a preowned iPhone. Apple explains how to check for damage, how to find out if parts have been replaced, how to view the battery's health, how to find out if the iPhone is locked to a carrier, how to ensure hardware like the camera and microphone are functional, and more.

While some of the tips are obvious, Apple's support document might be worth bookmarking if you plan to buy a used iPhone in the future.

Article Link: Apple Shares Checklist With Important Tips for Buying a Used iPhone
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2023/10/12/apple-preowned-iphone-checklist/
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vertsix said:
Seems like the pressure is getting to them after Google announced 7 years of support for Pixel 8.

Good, competition is great for all of us. Maybe this will mean better support.

The iPhone 7 only got 6 years of support.
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Eh I don’t know about that, Apple just released a security update for an 8 year phone last month and they’ve been doing that for several years.

Notice Google’s announcement says “Android OS upgrades, security updates and regular Feature Drops”. So they could do a similar thing where a 7 year phone doesn’t get all the latest features, but they do security updates.
 
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vertsix said:
Seems like the pressure is getting to them after Google announced 7 years of support for Pixel 8.

Good, competition is great for all of us. Maybe this will mean better support.

The iPhone 7 only got 6 years of support.
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The number of years of OS upgrades has gradually increased over time. If I remember correctly, the first few iPhones only had 3-4 years of updates. Apple released a security update for iPhone 7 last month. (I see somebody already mentioned that).

I wouldn’t be shocked if today’s iPhones and Macs get up to 10 years of at least security updates, if not major updates as well.

iOS and Mac have kind of hit a wall. New major releases rarely contain demanding features which slow down devices further like they used to. And if they do have demanding features, they just omit those features on older devices (like Live Wallpapers on Mac not being supported on Intel Macs).

The first M1 Macs went on sale about 3 years ago and are still available in the MBA and iMac for sale today. I bet they’ll get major updates until 2029 at least.
 
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foobarbaz said:
Funny how they point out that checking battery health is important, yet still don't provide a UI with that info on most of their devices.
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The absolutely do, although on the Mac it's a bit more binary than it is on iOS/iPadOS.

On Mac go to your System Information (About this Mac > System Report or… slightly different steps in Ventura and Sonoma) and have a look at the Power section. It'll show you cycles, battery status, capacity. It just doesn't show you a capacity %.

Also: I love how Apple doesn't mention their authorized resellers who have been doing trade-ins far longer than Apple has. They'll most likely have run full service diagnostics on any traded in device before finalizing the trade in and often include a (short) warranty period.
 
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7thson said:
I love how all the coverage of googles “7 years of updates” is taken at a face value when google has a history of reneging and abandoning things
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Interesting - I'm trying to figure out how to sell my 12 Pro 256Gb. It's been in a case (Defender knockoff) with a glass screen protector since it first came out of the box, but it could use a battery (is at 86 percent battery health). Everyone else in my family has a 13 or newer, so I can't hand it down.
 
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vertsix said:
Seems like the pressure is getting to them after Google announced 7 years of support for Pixel 8.

Good, competition is great for all of us. Maybe this will mean better support.

The iPhone 7 only got 6 years of support.
Click to expand...
The thing is (based on personal experience), in seven years an iPhone will be on its third battery.
 
One big item that is hard to verify is if phone is under some payment plan. Which usually results in seller claiming stolen and getting blacklisted after purchase.

You can be out of payment plan and still claim insurance, so that is going to be hard to verify
 
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This article comes barely few weeks after I purchased my SE 3 in pristine conditions, and barely 2 battery cycles. I was pretty fortunate. Still, the first thing I did on the store was to log in with my Apple ID in order to see if it had an Apple ID lock. Fortunately, it didn’t.

The iPhone itself was almost half the retail price.
 
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macduke said:
Sure, Apple supports the iPhone for a long time. But if they built a sturdy device, it would actually last longer. That is how you be green.
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The main reason iPhones/iPads are obsoleted is software, more specifically iOS/iPadOS. First it becomes slower, then new versions don’t support the hardware anymore, after which third-party apps also quickly drop support. Many of my previous iDevices still work perfectly fine, but aren’t viable anymore due to lack of OS and app support.

The hardware by itself can easily last ten years or longer (with battery replacements). My father actually used the original iPad for ten years and without needing a new battery. That’s because he mostly just used Safari and Photos. He would probably still be using it now if today’s websites would work on iOS 5 Safari and with the limited RAM.
 
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You are trying to argue against Apple's claim of having industry-leading OS support by referencing Google's just announced promise of offering 7 years of OS support starting with the Pixel 8. What you have forgotten is that one is a "promise" which will only materialize in 7 years while the other is evident in 5+ years old devices. You can't compare the two right now.
 
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zach-coleman said:
I’m glad because it will pressure companies that can actually keep their word to follow along. <1% chance Google actually honors this though.
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The EU is mandating five years of software updates and seven years of spare parts, from 2025 on. I’m sure that’s an important reason for Google’s push to promise more than the new required minimum.
 
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I fully support Apple, my iPhone X which came out in 2017, even thought its not getting iOS 17, will get another year of security updates for iOS 16.

2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024

That's 7 to 8 years of support and does everything I do without much issue. Yes, there is an observable slow down, but nothing of a hindrance, its expected for a device that will be 8 years old next year.

Apple, I still think you could have supported the iPhone X with iOS 17 with base security functionality.
 
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dannyyankou said:
Eh I don’t know about that, Apple just released a security update for an 8 year phone last month and they’ve been doing that for several years.

Notice Google’s announcement says “Android OS upgrades, security updates and regular Feature Drops”. So they could do a similar thing where a 7 year phone doesn’t get all the latest features, but they do security updates.
Click to expand...
Google specifically mentions '7 years of OS upgrades'. This means 7 different Android versions.
 
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vertsix said:
Google specifically mentions '7 years of OS upgrades'. This means 7 different Android versions.
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Look at the full context-

Today we announced our commitment to providing seven years of software support for Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, including Android OS upgrades, security updates and regular Feature Drops.1 That means your Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro will be supported all the way into 2030

Notice they say “seven years of software support including os upgrades, security updates” instead of “seven years of os upgrades”
 
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