Apple faces impacts of the ban, limits repairs and exchanges for Apple Watches،
Apple halted sales of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 in its U.S. online store just before a ban related to a patent dispute took effect. But that's not all since the company will no longer offer repair services for out-of-warranty watch models.
According to BloombergApple's customer service teams have received a notice that the company will no longer replace out-of-warranty models, dating back to the Apple Watch Series 6. This means that issues like a broken screen won't be able to be fixed through Apple services.
While the company continues to provide software-related assistance, such as operating system reinstallation, representatives are asked to notify affected customers that they will be contacted once hardware replacements are permitted again . Historically, Apple has chosen to replace rather than repair most smartwatch hardware issues.
This decision affects most new Apple Watches sold since 2020, including the Apple Watch Series 6, Watch Series 7, Watch Series 8 and Watch Ultra, in addition to the current 9 and Ultra 2. These models have the blood oxygen function covered by patents. In the question.
Related to this, medical device company Masimo filed a patent infringement suit against Apple, claiming that Apple's blood oxygen monitoring technology, found in the Apple Watch Series 6 and later models , violated its patents. This legal battle led to a preliminary injunction prohibiting Apple from selling the Apple Watch Series 9 in the United States.
Customers who purchased watches before December 25, when the ban takes effect in the United States, as well as models still under warranty will not be affected by the replacement restriction. The standard device warranty is typically one year, with the option to extend the period by purchasing AppleCare.
After December 25, Apple will no longer be able to facilitate exchanges of watches purchased before the ban, such as exchanging for a different color or size, during the regular return period. Retail staff have been informed that product exchanges will not be permitted, but Apple will still replace accessories such as bands. However, watches can still be returned for a refund.
