Hairline cracks on iPhone and Apple Watch no longer covered under warranty

If you find any small cracks on your iPhone or Apple Watch display, that's bad news. As 9to5Mac reports, they're no longer covered under Apple's standard warranty.

Technically, the standard one-year warranty never covered "cosmetic damage" like scratches, dents, and broken plastic on ports, unless you can prove it was Apple's faulty materials or workmanship. However, single hairline cracks — as in, a crack that doesn't resemble a spider web or have an obvious impact point — have historically been considered screen defects. As such, repairs could be covered for free. (Though, really, your mileage depends on which Apple Store or repair shop you visited.)

Citing unnamed sources, 9to5Mac reports that Apple is now advising Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers to treat all hairline cracks as accidental damage. In turn, customers will have to pay for repairs. So far, this change reportedly only affects Apple Watches and iPhones, with iPads and Macs remaining unaffected. The Verge reached out to Apple to confirm these details, but did not immediately receive a response. Out of warranty, iPhone screen repairs range from $129 for the iPhone SE and older models to $379 for the iPhone 15 Pro Max. With Apple Care Plus, that price drops to $29 for all models. For the Apple Watch, Apple's repair estimate site doesn't specifically address screen repairs, categorizing it under "other damage." These costs can range from $249 to $800 depending on the model. With Apple Care Plus, that cost drops to $69 to $79. While this is a disappointing development, Apple has made some positive changes regarding repairs in recent years, thanks in part to Right to Repair efforts. In 2022, it released a self-service repair program that allows users to fix iPhone batteries, screens, and cameras. (It wasn’t always so easy to use, though.) It also fixed the price of repairing a broken back glass on the latest iPhone 15 Pro at $199, a roughly $350 cut. In April, the company also announced that this fall, it would allow people to repair iPhones with genuine parts used on “select” iPhone models later this fall.