AppleCare logo — Image credit: Apple
Apple products will continue to come with a year of AppleCare included in the purchase, but the company reportedly intends to move its extended AppleCare+ plan to a subscription-only model.
A new report claims that Apple will stop offering extended AppleCare plans at retail worldwide, including its own Apple Stores. The AppleCare+ subscription option will continue to be offered online, as it has since 2019.
The shift is expected to take place before the end of February 2025.
Going forward, the company may just continue to sell prepaid two- or three-year AppleCare+ plans online, at least for now. Consumers can also opt to buy the monthly subscription for AppleCare+, which currently can be extended indefinitely, said Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in a tweet on X.
A notable change coming to AppleCare+ next week: Apple is dropping the 2-3 year pay in advance option at physical retail stores and on devices and will only offer monthly and annual subscriptions. You’ll still be able to get those multi-year plans on the online store.
— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) February 2, 2025
The included AppleCare warranty only covers defects found in the product, along with 90 days of free telephone support. AppleCare+ extended warranties cover accidental damage for most hardware products, apart from the Apple TV, and include two years of free telephone support.
AppleCare+ extended warranties
Buyers could previously add AppleCare+ at the point of purchase, or online through Apple within 60 days of purchase. Starting in the second week of February, prepaid options will be dropped at all retail outlets, but will continue to be offered from Apple’s online store.
The retail AppleCare+ plans had a longer lifespan than the one-year AppleCare warranty, but could be purchased in advance for a maximum of two or three years, depending on the device purchased. Apple introduced the indefinite-length AppleCare+ subscription option in 2021.
The subscription option gives buyers the choice of covering their purchase for as long or as little time as they desired. The subscription is in effect a lifetime warranty, as long as the user keeps paying the monthly charge.
Products covered by AppleCare warranties for the first year of ownership.
AppleCare+ is available for multiple classes of Apple products: Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple Vision Pro, Headphones, and TV & Home. Monthly prices for eligible subscriptions range from as low as $2.49 for an Apple Watch to $24.99 monthly for the Vision Pro.
Plans for the Mac and Apple Displays AppleCare+ subscriptions can be billed annually, starting at $34.99 per year for extended Mac coverage and from $49.99 annually for an Apple display. Any current purchased two- or three-year warranties will continue to be honored until they expire. Prices above are in USD.