I hope not too, but yes if they determine that the failure is not covered by the warranty they don’t have to replace it, even inside the warranty period.
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Apple Watch turned off by itself midway while swimming
- Thread starter Al Rukh
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I hope not too, but yes if they determine that the failure is not covered by the warranty they don’t have to replace it, even inside the warranty period.
I think he's referring to the credit card hold that Apple puts on when they send you a replacement before/while you send in the old one
That only applies if the owner has AppleCare+. Without, advance replacement isn't available.
If it dies due to damage (i.e. water got into it) then, yes - it won't be replaced under warranty.
I'm not making a judgement on whether it's right or wrong, or whether exceptions should be made. But the watertight seal CAN be affected by owner behavior (using the watch in a way that isn't intended). Or of course a seal could have been weak and failed prematurely. How would you (the generic "You," the average consumer) prove the latter? All you can say is "Well, I didn't do that..." which, understandably, Apple would not take as "Proof."
The upshot of it is - if you have an Apple Watch without AppleCare+, and something happens, you are well & truly screwed.
I would think if the screen was cracked and you went swimming then fair enough. But otherwise, unless abuse has been detected, I’d be kicking up a real stink about it, in the UK we have the trades description act, I think that surfing ad would be strong evidence in a case, unless Apple could prove you mistreated the watch.
The warranty should cover it. The full warranty (US) for an Edition model is here:
Apple Two (2) Year Limited Warranty
Water damage is NOT excluded, and swimming is certainly within Apple's published guidelines.
This Warranty does not apply: (a) to consumable parts, such as batteries or protective coatings that are designed to diminish over time, unless failure has occurred due to a defect in materials or workmanship; (b) to cosmetic damage, including but not limited to scratches, dents and broken plastic on ports unless failure has occurred due to a defect in materials or workmanship; (c) to damage caused by use with a third party component or product that does not meet the Apple Product’s specifications (Apple Product specifications are available at www.apple.com under the technical specifications for each product and also available in stores); (d) to damage caused by accident, abuse, misuse, fire, earthquake or other external cause; (e) to damage caused by operating the Apple Product outside Apple’s published guidelines; (f) to damage caused by service (including upgrades and expansions) performed by anyone who is not a representative of Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider (“AASP”); (g) to an Apple Product that has been modified to alter functionality or capability without the written permission of Apple; (h) to damage caused by normal wear and tear or otherwise due to the normal aging of the Apple Product, (i) if any serial number has been removed or defaced from the Apple Product, or (j) if Apple receives information from relevant public authorities that the product has been stolen or if you are unable to deactivate passcode-enabled or other security measures designed to prevent unauthorized access to the Apple Product, and you cannot prove in any way that you are the authorized user of the product (e.g., by presenting proof of purchase).
Apple Two (2) Year Limited Warranty
Water damage is NOT excluded, and swimming is certainly within Apple's published guidelines.
This Warranty does not apply: (a) to consumable parts, such as batteries or protective coatings that are designed to diminish over time, unless failure has occurred due to a defect in materials or workmanship; (b) to cosmetic damage, including but not limited to scratches, dents and broken plastic on ports unless failure has occurred due to a defect in materials or workmanship; (c) to damage caused by use with a third party component or product that does not meet the Apple Product’s specifications (Apple Product specifications are available at www.apple.com under the technical specifications for each product and also available in stores); (d) to damage caused by accident, abuse, misuse, fire, earthquake or other external cause; (e) to damage caused by operating the Apple Product outside Apple’s published guidelines; (f) to damage caused by service (including upgrades and expansions) performed by anyone who is not a representative of Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider (“AASP”); (g) to an Apple Product that has been modified to alter functionality or capability without the written permission of Apple; (h) to damage caused by normal wear and tear or otherwise due to the normal aging of the Apple Product, (i) if any serial number has been removed or defaced from the Apple Product, or (j) if Apple receives information from relevant public authorities that the product has been stolen or if you are unable to deactivate passcode-enabled or other security measures designed to prevent unauthorized access to the Apple Product, and you cannot prove in any way that you are the authorized user of the product (e.g., by presenting proof of purchase).
Sending my device in tomorrow. Hope they’ll do a one to one replacement 
Yep, pretty much.
If they can diagnose it, they'll go from there. But without the diagnostic, they have no way to tell it wasn't accidental damage.
I would imagine unless there is physical damage to the outside case/screen then that pretty much rules out an accident.
I had an ipod (original) that stopped working for no reason once. I took it to the store and they replaced it there and then.
You would imagine, but no, not the case.
Just went through this with my watch. Apple refused to service it unless I outright replaced it.
Apple actually replaced my watch.
So I brought the watch to the local Genius Bar bout four days ago and throughout the day I was wondering how I should explain the story to the staff when I’m there. I chose to be honest and as detailed as I can be and to my surprise he recommended a one for one replacement tho it was subject to the repair centre’s judgment once they inspect the watch.
Got the email that they’re replacing the watch couple of days later and collected today. Such a streamlined process. Apple has retained my confidence in the product and the brand.
So I brought the watch to the local Genius Bar bout four days ago and throughout the day I was wondering how I should explain the story to the staff when I’m there. I chose to be honest and as detailed as I can be and to my surprise he recommended a one for one replacement tho it was subject to the repair centre’s judgment once they inspect the watch.
Got the email that they’re replacing the watch couple of days later and collected today. Such a streamlined process. Apple has retained my confidence in the product and the brand.