Apple Watch 10, color bubbles up on the bottom

[goldmac2006]

I don’t even know where workouts start and end sometimes I bike all day. Haha. My series six survived it.

For some reason I have 9 days to sign up for Apple care. Just my humor. “You now know our products break from within, would you like to pay us money to insure we still take care of them when we are not legally obliged to do so anymore?”

With my old Apple Watch 10 I had issues putting the watch bands in on the top side. This one feels normal in that regard. Maybe the old one was just coated horrendously.

I strongly recommend purchasing the AppleCare+ as it’s still available for purchase for your watch on the iPhone.

You never know if a defect will occur again.

I also had another S10 jet black wearer that ran into the same problem as you, read this thread and followed the same advice we discussed here.

Spreading the word about it.

 

[DrRadon]

I strongly recommend purchasing the AppleCare+ as it’s still available for purchase for your watch on the iPhone.

You never know if a defect will occur again.

I also had another S10 jet black wearer that ran into the same problem as you, read this thread and followed the same advice we discussed here.

Spreading the word about it.

I’m not a big believer in Apple care for the watch.
We got one year of warranty anyway, than another year of limited warranty here in Germany. So if Apple f-ed it up they have to get working legally. Apple care for watch got me confused just now as it seems to run longer than just for the usual two years. But anyway, if Apple makes you pay you quickly end up at a price that is half a new watch wich I am sure will meet some refurbished prices later in the second year. In your four I was only able to sell my small watch 6 for 100€.
I will always get it essentially for free via bonus points collected with my health insurance anyway.

I feel like Apple care is more for the MacBook line, and if you include the theft protection maybe for the iPhone pro as well.

 

[goldmac2006]

I’m not a big believer in Apple care for the watch.
We got one year of warranty anyway, than another year of limited warranty here in Germany. So if Apple f-ed it up they have to get working legally. Apple care for watch got me confused just now as it seems to run longer than just for the usual two years. But anyway, if Apple makes you pay you quickly end up at a price that is half a new watch wich I am sure will meet some refurbished prices later in the second year. In your four I was only able to sell my small watch 6 for 100€.
I will always get it essentially for free via bonus points collected with my health insurance anyway.

I feel like Apple care is more for the MacBook line, and if you include the theft protection maybe for the iPhone pro as well.

They changed regulation for AC+ in the EU too? I thought it was USA only.

I never do trade in for my AWs at stores btw.

 

[DrRadon]

I never do trade in for my AWs at stores btw.

I did not trade it in, I sold it on eBay. Wich has no fees for private auctions here in Germany.

Warranty regulations have always been more customer friendly in the eu compared to the us. There’s a bunch of apple care stuff that just dos not make any sense.

 

[goldmac2006]

I did not trade it in, I sold it on eBay. Wich has no fees for private auctions here in Germany.

Warranty regulations have always been more customer friendly in the eu compared to the us. There’s a bunch of apple care stuff that just dos not make any sense.

AppleCare, I always been hesitant to buy it because I rarely drop my Apple products.

Though the states we only get a year of warranty AppleCare is essentially an extension of the limited warranty for another two years or more if you do monthly.

In the US it changed. We have to get the Theft and Loss one only for iPhones since regulations changed after the holidays. That one costs more than the original AppleCare + as it has the added capability to cover a replacement iPhone should a theft or lost iPhone claim be filed and you cannot get your iPhone back at all.

 

[DrRadon]

In case anyone is wondering how it’s going with the new one. (I just noticed this 20 minutes ago)

 

[Applewatch42]

I personally have not experienced this issue on my S10

 

[iSuzan]

My S10 Titan still looks like new. Not inspected under microscope though...

But this look like heavy scratches. Sand maybe?

What does Apple say?

 

[jz0309]

In case anyone is wondering how it’s going with the new one. (I just noticed this 20 minutes ago)

View attachment 2539914

This is the jet black alu, right?
There have been multiple users reporting this in other threads on this forum, so it seems to me that there is an ongoing issue.
But then, your photo has a Milanese loop on it? At least the original one was know to scratch the watches...

 

[DrRadon]

This is the jet black alu, right?
There have been multiple users reporting this in other threads on this forum, so it seems to me that there is an ongoing issue.
But then, your photo has a Milanese loop on it? At least the original one was know to scratch the watches...

I rarely ever use anything else than the sports loop. On my Apple Watch 6 I never had any scratches despite using the millines loop more often. What you see is the underside of the watch, nothing but skin and hair "scratching" it there. It seems like its a garbage move to loose the ceramic bottom of the Watch tbh. Obviously whatever they did there is not capable of withstanding constant skin and saltwater (sweat) contact. For a Goddard fn fitness tracker. Quality control was in deep sleep I assume.

 

[ndouglas]

They gave me a new watch and claimed it was a new watch.

Case closed.

EDIT — Oh no!! i just saw your updated image. Holy crap, that is crazy to have it deteriorate AGAIN but sadly that is 100% in line with many other reports. And still Apple staff pretend this isn’t a widespread issue.

/////

Case closed I hope, for your sake, but if you got Jet Black again then I wouldn’t be too sure… it would be great to hear an update about your replacement in a few months. I made a similar thread since I had searched this forum but didn’t see your post back in April calling it “color bubbles…” … I’m glad you were treated better than most people I’ve read about since they agreed to replace it… trying to do the math you said Sept 30 up to early April (?) — that sounds like the same window of time when I began to see the same deterioration and similarly others who posted with similar pics in forums like this, most store employees say “cosmetic damage - case closed” in so many words and won’t do anything about it. Thank you for sharing this experience!

 

[DrRadon]

EDIT — Oh no!! i just saw your updated image. Holy crap, that is crazy to have it deteriorate AGAIN but sadly that is 100% in line with many other reports. And still Apple staff pretend this isn’t a widespread issue.

I am trying to negotiate a higher trade in price and just get next months new model in silver. Or at the very least get this replaced in a silver. More on that I will know on Wednesday.

 

[ndouglas]

I am trying to negotiate a higher trade in price and just get next months new model in silver. Or at the very least get this replaced in a silver. More on that I will know on Wednesday.

Good luck!

Same here, sort of. I prefer to keep my devices for at least 3 years but this issue makes me eager to “start over” with that pursuit with a non-compromised model. I wince to imagine how low the trade-in offer will be (probably I’ll have to pay at least $200 more…) but I plan to trade it in as soon the new model is available.

I wish I lived in the EU for their far superior consumer protection laws. (I’m in the USA.)

 

[DrRadon]

So, i am going to send this watch in to apple now and will get a brand new one like last time in April.

My plan is to be in contact with apple support again to see if we can have a higher buy back price on this watch due to the newness and problems so I can just get a new one. Kinda expecting that that will not work out beautiful for me since the watch is already only selling for 300€ on eBay and I doubt that apple will have the goodwill to match that. So that would be another 150€ to get a new one... idk I kinda feel cheated.

They told me a color change would only be possible if it happened again. Wich is just so weird, but I guess if you want your faulty product in the wild... ill talk to the rep again after I got my new watch to see how they treat the second year of warranty here in Germany.

All in all this really sucks. I am super sad to hear apple just claims this is normal wear in tear in other countries. It's such a low standard and stands against so much of what they try to present themselves as.

 

[jz0309]

So, i am going to send this watch in to apple now and will get a brand new one like last time in April.

My plan is to be in contact with apple support again to see if we can have a higher buy back price on this watch due to the newness and problems so I can just get a new one. Kinda expecting that that will not work out beautiful for me since the watch is already only selling for 300€ on eBay and I doubt that apple will have the goodwill to match that. So that would be another 150€ to get a new one... idk I kinda feel cheated.

They told me a color change would only be possible if it happened again. Wich is just so weird, but I guess if you want your faulty product in the wild... ill talk to the rep again after I got my new watch to see how they treat the second year of warranty here in Germany.

All in all this really sucks. I am super sad to hear apple just claims this is normal wear in tear in other countries. It's such a low standard and stands against so much of what they try to present themselves as.

So one thing you could do is send an email to tcook@apple.com and explain your situation and disappointment. I mean on the one hand Apple is giving you new replacement watches, so doing what one would expect, but then on the other hand is all the trouble you have to go through. And if I recall others have had no luck in the same situation as yours.

There is a team checking those emails to that address, if you’re courteous etc, some folks have reported they got good responses.

 

[DrRadon]

So one thing you could do is send an email to tcook@apple.com and explain your situation and disappointment. I mean on the one hand Apple is giving you new replacement watches, so doing what one would expect, but then on the other hand is all the trouble you have to go through. And if I recall others have had no luck in the same situation as yours.

There is a team checking those emails to that address, if you’re courteous etc, some folks have reported they got good responses.

Yeah, I thought about doing that as it worked for me in the past when my iMac ended up in the most insane supply chain limbo. What I wonder is if I consider this bad enough to put one in with that special team.

 

[DrRadon]

I received my second replacement watch today. It went rather quick from sending the old one out on Monday and getting the new one today on Wednesday.

As for the rest I’ll try to be in contact again with my Apple representative after the new watch is presented next week.

I do really like the jet black look, it makes the screen seem almost seamless. But if this is just going to break and be replaced until my warranty runs out I am a very unhappy camper.

Did a quick check on German warranty law. Essentially the vendor has the right to offer repair or replacement two times. So if this happens again I can ask for my money back and just buy the new model. As long as it happens again before September 20th 2026. So I don’t even need to negotiate a higher buy back price or ask for a silver one. I can just wait for this to surely happen again.