My wife has the iPhone Air and an Apple bumper for it. She dislikes the bumper because it is too smooth and does not have that “grippy” feel that her previous silicon cases had. We will need to find her a replacement.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Other Do you use a case on your iPhone? [MERGED]
- Thread starter ProQuiz
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
lamerica80 may be exaggerating -- but not by much, if at all. You may not have seen someone say his exact words, but there have been plenty of people in this thread who have made it quite clear that they place all of their faith in AppleCare -- at least one of whom has expressed the apparent willingness to commit insurance fraud to get a new phone, if he happened to scratch up his phone badly enough. Here is just a small taste of those commentaries:
(responding to hch720)
(responding back to Andeddu)
There are of course plenty more comments in the same vein -- but I'll just stop there, as I doubt that anyone else has managed to top the shear audacity of hch720's posts. 😲
That is the problem with some people who use AppleCare+ so that they can deliberately destroy their iPhones in order to get an "upgrade" to the phone they have (insurance fraud). I am not in agreement with this which, in my opinion, is not why you have AppleCare+ and is morally wrong, but people will do what they do unfortunately. Eventually Apple will change their policies and make it much more difficult to get replacement iPhones all because of these people abusing this program in this manner.
I get AppleCare+ for all my devices, my 14 inch M3 PRO MBP, my 15PM and will be getting AppleCare+ for my new iPhone Air but only because I want the added protection for theft/accident just in case something unexpected happen. It is a shame you have people who get this additional protection so that they can abuse this program thru illegal means. This is my take on what has been mentioned by the few you have pointed out. Thanks for doing this.
I bought the Apple clear case for my 17 Air, I had the clear case on my 15 Pro for two years and worked great and was still in nice shape.
I am considering getting extended Apple care on the Air just because it’s a newer device and even after seeing all the durability videos, might be worth the investment.
I am considering getting extended Apple care on the Air just because it’s a newer device and even after seeing all the durability videos, might be worth the investment.
If what I've heard and read is accurate, Apple seems to have gone back and forth on this issue. As I've alluded in my previous posts, an acquaintance of mine once told me that Apple had cut them off; no more AppleCare coverage for screen replacements on their iPhone, because they had submitted too many such requests. But the current official stance at Apple still appears to be unlimited repairs for accidental damage.
I don't know if you can do it with Macs, but the new bundle AppleCare One isn't too bad.
Apple introduces AppleCare One, streamlining coverage into a single plan
Apple today unveiled AppleCare One, a new way for customers to cover multiple Apple products with one simple plan.
www.apple.com
EDIT: Looks like you can
At face value it’s decent but that’s $240 a year every year plus another $60 a year for every additional device beyond 3. Let’s say it’s a household with 2 macs, 2 iPads, 2 iPhones, 2 AirPods. That’s $240 for the first three and an additional $300 for the subsequent five, for $540 per year.I don't know if you can do it with Macs, but the new bundle AppleCare One isn't too bad.
Apple introduces AppleCare One, streamlining coverage into a single plan
Apple today unveiled AppleCare One, a new way for customers to cover multiple Apple products with one simple plan.www.apple.com
EDIT: Looks like you can
That’s feels somewhat like lunacy to me, when considering how often people would actually claim on AC. For me I feel like it’s not worth it on AirPods or phones that are protected in good cases. For expensive computers though, or caseless phones, I think it’s a very good option.
Yeah I'm not doing it on my Airpods. But my phone and 2 family iPads? Yes.
Wow…a blast from the past. Thanks for reminding me of these comments. Made some people upset 😂
Hey, my pleasure, man. It is a wee bit intriguing that a two-and-a-half-year-old thread still seems to have so much relevancy after all this time.
No, no... you're totally good -- you didn't bump an inactive thread or anything like that. I was being entirely sincere when I mentioned relevancy; this thread has just been ongoing off-and-on for all this time, with I think hardly more than a month or so dormancy at a time before someone adds something new or before an admin merges a topically identical thread into it. And of course it's a pinned thread, presumably because so many people continue to express interest in the latest views on the case/no case question -- because certainly the mix of answers could possibly change a bit with each new model year.
I'm going to be upgrading to the iPhone Air in a couple days once I'm eligible through Apple's iPhone Upgrade Program (which includes Apple Care Plus). Since I have always been a case user, I'm afraid if I try to use the Air naked, that I'm going to drop and damage it. I don't drop my phone very often, but when I do, I'm very glad I have a case on it.
So how do you caseless people deal with a drop or accidental damage? Do you just make a claim with Apple Care Plus and pay the fee (I don't even know what the fees are since Ive never had to use it).
Or maybe I just get a camera lens protector and a magnetic ring/stand for the back since I love the folding magnetic ring that's part of the case on my current iPhone 16 Pro Max. Then a super minimal bumper type of case, just not the Apple bumper, that one doesn't intrigue me one bit.
Idk what to do. I dislike the idea of getting a super slim phone, then bulking it up with a case and screen protector, but also don't want to ruin it.
So how do you caseless people deal with a drop or accidental damage? Do you just make a claim with Apple Care Plus and pay the fee (I don't even know what the fees are since Ive never had to use it).
Or maybe I just get a camera lens protector and a magnetic ring/stand for the back since I love the folding magnetic ring that's part of the case on my current iPhone 16 Pro Max. Then a super minimal bumper type of case, just not the Apple bumper, that one doesn't intrigue me one bit.
Idk what to do. I dislike the idea of getting a super slim phone, then bulking it up with a case and screen protector, but also don't want to ruin it.
The Air is far grippier than I thought it would be especially in warm weather so maybe something to try out.
However, I’m a firm believer that if you’re rocking a naked phone then you’re more cognizant of it. Meaning, I’m purposeful about where my phone rest, how it goes in my pocket, how I sit down, etc. I’ve gone case-less for many years and get almost every new iPhone yet have only ever dropped my phone once and it was the Mini that slid out my pocket and onto carpet. So, unless you’re in an industry with variables out of your control just try and be more mindful.
However, I’m a firm believer that if you’re rocking a naked phone then you’re more cognizant of it. Meaning, I’m purposeful about where my phone rest, how it goes in my pocket, how I sit down, etc. I’ve gone case-less for many years and get almost every new iPhone yet have only ever dropped my phone once and it was the Mini that slid out my pocket and onto carpet. So, unless you’re in an industry with variables out of your control just try and be more mindful.
It's funny, I went for many years (and many iPhone models) without using a case — yet now the idea seems strange to me. Like how did I set it down? I can't remember. With the Air, I'm using an Apple bumper and a MagSafe wallet, which feels kind of semi-naked. And I'm liking it.
For the first few months of every upgrade, I’m always overly cautious about setting it down. It must be on a surface that’s softer than it. My napkin, the leather mat under my keyboard at my desk, a hand towel, the couch next to me, etc. At some point it graduates to “trusted durability” state and I stop thinking about it and set it down wherever lol.
Never had an issue with cosmetic wear and tear with the SS/Ti models in either phase. So I’m quite confident the air will do just fine!
I never use cases or screen protectors but haven’t had to have it replaced after a drop either (and I drop them frequently), my 16 PM even bounced down stone stairs and it didn’t even have a scratch on it afterwards. Now I am running my Air without anything and I have no worries about that.
I think people are overly cautious with their phones when they have to use cases, the phones are tougher than they seem and worst case you can have AC+ as a backup plan.
I think people are overly cautious with their phones when they have to use cases, the phones are tougher than they seem and worst case you can have AC+ as a backup plan.
Save your money and skip the cases. A camera protector that is full width to eliminate wobbling on tables would be cool.
The Air has been tested to be really durable. As long as you’re not overly negligent with it (putting it down hard on dirty table, dragging it across a table, etc) it should be a tank similar to the 16 Pros, with the only risk really being the shiny titanium finish.
IMO the Air was designed to be used naked and putting a case on it diminishes a lot of what made all those compromises worth it in the first place.
IMO the Air was designed to be used naked and putting a case on it diminishes a lot of what made all those compromises worth it in the first place.
I haven’t used a case for a couple of generations now and even though I’ve dropped my phones multiple times (including on hard surfaces), it’s been fine.
My current phone has a couple of deep scratches in the front glass and some pits in the shell, so I’m finally tempted to just do the advanced swap (I think it’s $99 US), but I’m also not pressed about it.
And for what it’s worth, no damage to any of the lenses. I suspect all modern phones (despite YouTube exaggerated drama) are far more robust than most people think expect.
You should probably just check out the fees for your specific worry (eg front glass break, full replacement, etc) and see how much that financial component matters to you.
My current phone has a couple of deep scratches in the front glass and some pits in the shell, so I’m finally tempted to just do the advanced swap (I think it’s $99 US), but I’m also not pressed about it.
And for what it’s worth, no damage to any of the lenses. I suspect all modern phones (despite YouTube exaggerated drama) are far more robust than most people think expect.
You should probably just check out the fees for your specific worry (eg front glass break, full replacement, etc) and see how much that financial component matters to you.
The last time I had to replace a phone due to a drop it cost me $99 on AppleCare+. Pretty sure screen replacements are $29, but I could be wrong.
I have rules for myself about how I handle my phones without a case. But the one thing you'll need to get over is normal wear and tear. If you are OCD about microscratches and fingerprints on your screen and such, then this probably is not for you.
I've used phones without a case since my first smartphone in 2009. I've only had to replace two and BOTH of those times I had just recently taken a Benadryl tablet for a runny nose. So, if you take anything like that from time to time you want to be extra careful.
As to where a phone goes when you don't have a case on it…you pick a spot depending on what you're doing. I make extensive use of business card holders and phone stands.
Here's where they all go when I'm in front of the computer.
I have rules for myself about how I handle my phones without a case. But the one thing you'll need to get over is normal wear and tear. If you are OCD about microscratches and fingerprints on your screen and such, then this probably is not for you.
I've used phones without a case since my first smartphone in 2009. I've only had to replace two and BOTH of those times I had just recently taken a Benadryl tablet for a runny nose. So, if you take anything like that from time to time you want to be extra careful.
As to where a phone goes when you don't have a case on it…you pick a spot depending on what you're doing. I make extensive use of business card holders and phone stands.
Here's where they all go when I'm in front of the computer.