Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority
TL;DR
Users may soon lose the option to buy prepaid multi-year AppleCare Plus plans at physical retail stores and on devices.
The company may only sell two- or three-year prepaid plans online.
The change is expected to happen next week.
If you buy an Apple device, you have the option of adding AppleCare Plus, a device protection plan, to your purchase just in case you run into a problem. Currently, you can buy a two- to three-year prepaid plan at a physical retail store or online within 60 days. But it looks like Apple may soon only offer this option online.
In an X (formerly Twitter) post, Apple expert Mark Gurman claims that a change is coming to AppleCare Plus. He says the tech giant plans to drop “the 2-3 year pay in advance option at physical retail stores and on devices.” It seems that this change is expected to happen as soon as next week.
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.
Gurman notes that your only option will be to pick a monthly or annual subscription. Apparently, Apple isn’t completely getting rid of the prepaid multi-year plans though. The company will still offer the option on its online store, just not its physical stores.
Given this change, it would appear that the firm’s strategy is to eventually switch all AppleCare Plus purchases to subscriptions. But we’re not quite there yet. Apple’s monthly prices for its service range from $2.49 to $24.99, depending on the device.
Google’s equivalent to AppleCare Plus, Preferred Care, does offer a two-year plan, but it’s only available for select Fitbit products. If you have a Pixel, you’ll have to go with a monthly plan.
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