Other What Happens to Returned iPhones?

[Pepperfection]

Just curious, cuz I read here and other places people return their new iPhones esp those who buy multiple ones just to see which color is better.

Does Apple automatically sell them as refurb or what?

 

[MrAperture]

They have to go through the refurbishment process and then will be used for warranty replacements until there’s ample supply where they are then sold as certified-refurbished later on in the product cycle.

 

[Apple_Tiger]

If its opened they send it back and turn those into certified refurbished

 

[PhoenixFireless]

They are recycled using specialized robots like Daisy and Liam. These robots disassemble the iPhones into their base materials. When reconstructing them into new iPhones, any parts showing wear and tear, such as batteries, screens, housing, and buttons, are fully recycled and replaced with new components. Typically, these refurbished iPhones are used as replacements at the Genius Bar.

 

[Pepperfection]

Thanks for the info guys. I wonder how many gets returned first week of release.

Sucks for some who complain they have to wait or their orders pushed back, meanwhile lots of newly released iPhones get returned and gets refurbished.

 

[JPack]

They get evaluated and a new battery + chassis as needed then refurbished.

It's not a big waste, except for packaging. Those refurb units serve as AppleCare replacements.

 

[eyoungren]

Thanks for the info guys. I wonder how many gets returned first week of release.

Sucks for some who complain they have to wait or their orders pushed back, meanwhile lots of newly released iPhones get returned and gets refurbished.

Apple cannot legally turn an open box around and sell as new - even if the first person didn't even touch the phone. Once the seals are broken, the phone is 'used'.

The launch of the iPhone 5 had Scuffgate. There was a large thread here about people returning multiple devices because of scuffing or other problems. One user reported that the Apple store geniuses stopped them after opening their tenth box inside the Apple store.

 

[MarkNewton2023]

I rarely see 1 TB refurbished iPhones. I am wondering if all returned 1 TB iPhones have their storage replaced.🤔

 

[fatTribble]

Thanks for the info guys. I wonder how many gets returned first week of release.

Sucks for some who complain they have to wait or their orders pushed back, meanwhile lots of newly released iPhones get returned and gets refurbished.

Totally agree! I never understood the people who are so on the fence about color or size. They want blue but fear it could be too blue, for example. 🙄

They can’t just wait until release so they can check them out hands-on in a store.
I don’t know what I want, but I want it as soon as possible.

Sorry if I got sarcasm on anyone

 

[eyoungren]

Ah here we go…It was 10 iPhones in total. Three the first round, seven the second.

Scuffgate Megathread: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread....1445493/page-178?post=16296008#post-16296008

 

[PhoenixFireless]

Totally agree! I never understood the people who are so on the fence about color or size. They want blue but fear it could be too blue, for example. 🙄

They can’t just wait until release so they can check them out hands-on in a store.
I don’t know what I want, but I want it as soon as possible.

Sorry if I got sarcasm on anyone

Apple aims to achieve a fully carbon-neutral assembly line by 2030 (source: Apple's environmental page). This commitment not only benefits the environment but also addresses customer concerns, reducing product returns for superficial reasons, while maintaining high satisfaction at the point of purchase and at the Genius Bar.

 

[fatTribble]

Ah here we go…It was 10 iPhones in total. Three the first round, seven the second.

Scuffgate Megathread: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread....1445493/page-178?post=16296008#post-16296008

Wow! Thats just stunning!
To be honest I’ve never scrutinized any of my iPhones looking for flaws. They’ve always looked great when I pull them out of the box and I never thought twice about it.

I got the sense reading those posts that some believed they were teaching Apple a lesson or some such nonsense.

 

[eyoungren]

Wow! Thats just stunning!
To be honest I’ve never scrutinized any of my iPhones looking for flaws. They’ve always looked great when I pull them out of the box and I never thought twice about it.

I got the sense reading those posts that some believed they were teaching Apple a lesson or some such nonsense.

One of the choices Apple made when designing the iPhone 5 was to limit the time the metal spent anodizing. This wasn't such a problem with the white iPhones, but very evident with the black phones. The anodization was only surface deep. You could scratch the phone with something and the bare metal beneath would show. Some people compensated by buying these gun industry paint markers that you use to fill in gaps on rifle barrels where the bluing has come off. I bought one myself, although the paint didn't stay on for long.

But even with all that, I never thought it justified blowing through ten phones!

However, the linked thread (and others like it at that time) were roughly at the tail end of a period on MacRumors where the iPhone was primarily considered to be a status symbol, rather than a tool a lot of us think it is now. So, yeah, some people were 'teaching Apple a lesson'. Can't have an 'imperfect' status symbol!

Shame all those brand new phones went back either as parts or replacement/refurbs. I had to take my own 5 back shortly after receiving it because it had a bad speaker. Then twice more because of swelling batteries. I'm on my fourth iPhone 5 now (it's not my primary).

 

[fatTribble]

One of the choices Apple made when designing the iPhone 5 was to limit the time the metal spent anodizing. This wasn't such a problem with the white iPhones, but very evident with the black phones. The anodization was only surface deep. You could scratch the phone with something and the bare metal beneath would show. Some people compensated by buying these gun industry paint markers that you use to fill in gaps on rifle barrels where the bluing has come off. I bought one myself, although the paint didn't stay on for long.

But even with all that, I never thought it justified blowing through ten phones!

However, the linked thread (and others like it at that time) were roughly at the tail end of a period on MacRumors where the iPhone was primarily considered to be a status symbol, rather than a tool a lot of us think it is now. So, yeah, some people were 'teaching Apple a lesson'. Can't have an 'imperfect' status symbol!

Shame all those brand new phones went back either as parts or replacement/refurbs. I had to take my own 5 back shortly after receiving it because it had a bad speaker. Then twice more because of swelling batteries. I'm on my fourth iPhone 5 now (it's not my primary).

Very interesting back story. Thanks for sharing. In those days I did the every other year upgrade as my carrier allowed. I was on the S cycle so had the 4S (loved that one!) and the 5S but skipped the 5. The 6 was the first time I bought two years in a row. I haven’t skipped a year since. Not to sound self righteous but I never got the status thing. Most people in the US can afford an iPhone. It’s not a Lamborghini.

 

[eyoungren]

Very interesting back story. Thanks for sharing. In those days I did the every other year upgrade as my carrier allowed. I was on the S cycle so had the 4S (loved that one!) and the 5S but skipped the 5. The 6 was the first time I bought two years in a row. I haven’t skipped a year since. Not to sound self righteous but I never got the status thing. Most people in the US can afford an iPhone. It’s not a Lamborghini.

Yeah, it was a really odd time here on MacRumors. Lots of people making a big deal of being on the new phone (whatever model it was) and anyone who wasn't was a loser. The really funny thing was that a lot of those people wouldn't spring for the highest capacity. They'd be talking smack about others but while their phones were the current model, it was the base capacity. You'd ask them what they had and they ghosted the thread. They knew that just from the exterior (especially when using a case) there was no way to tell what capacity they'd bought.

I brought it up those times because if you're going to be on your high horse talking smack about how much better you are then the losers with the older models, well, why didn't you spring for anything higher than the base capacity? Couldn't afford it? Yeah…you're better than everyone else, sure.

It was just all sorts of messed up back then. Thankfully things have changed around here on that issue!

 

[fatTribble]

Yeah, it was a really odd time here on MacRumors. Lots of people making a big deal of being on the new phone (whatever model it was) and anyone who wasn't was a loser. The really funny thing was that a lot of those people wouldn't spring for the highest capacity. They'd be talking smack about others but while their phones were the current model, it was the base capacity. You'd ask them what they had and they ghosted the thread. They knew that just from the exterior (especially when using a case) there was no way to tell what capacity they'd bought.

I brought it up those times because if you're going to be on your high horse talking smack about how much better you are then the losers with the older models, well, why didn't you spring for anything higher than the base capacity? Couldn't afford it? Yeah…you're better than everyone else, sure.

It was just all sorts of messed up back then. Thankfully things have changed around here on that issue!

Funny how those things change over time. What was once seen as a status symbol is now popular with 12 year olds. I have a nice car I bought new years ago. It was my dream car since college. I’ve joked with friends that they can be impressed with the car all they want. I am too. But don’t think any differently of me. We all had about the same income. I just made the car a priority.