You might be able to buy AppleCare+ for your iPhone and Mac after a repair

Apple reportedly expands its warranty program to some older devices.

Extended warranties like AppleCare+ seem like a waste of money until your iPhone or Mac breaks, you take it to an Apple Store to fix it, and then you take a long look at the bill. Then you wish you made the investment. Now you'll get a second chance to buy AppleCare+.

According to an Apple memo acquired by MacRumors, if you did not purchase AppleCare+ and had repairs done to an iPhone or Mac, you'll have an opportunity to invest in AppleCare for the device. Apple hasn't officially announced the program and there's no indication of this new service on the AppleCare site, so your mileage may vary.

According to the report, you'll still need to pay the full out-of-warranty repair fees before buying AppleCare+, and you also need to meet the following criteria:

  • The repairs to the device were performed by the Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider.
  • The iPhone or Mac was purchased less than a year before the repair.
  • The device passes a physical inspection and diagostics.

To take advantage of the new AppleCare+ opportunity, you need to visit your local Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider. AppleCare+ rates vary based on the plan and device; for example, a two-year standard AppleCare+ plan for the iPhone 13 is $149, or $219 with theft and loss protection. Under AppleCare+, iPhone screen damage is repaired twice a year for $29 each, while it costs $99 to make other repairs. Without AppleCare+, it can cost a couple of hundred dollars to fix any damage.

The upcoming iOS 15.2 update has a new feature that lets you see the repair history of an iPhone and whether genuine Apple parts were used or not. The new feature will be available in a new iPhone parts and service history tab inside the General section of the Settings app.