Well... since I don’t have any idea how long the Apple stores would be closed (months maybe?), I said screw it and simply sent the phone back to Apple via FedEx.
In order to make myself feel more secure from liability if the package somehow gets lost on its way to Apple, while in my car at the FedEx office location I made sure to take a single continuous video of:
- The phone working and being free of any scratches or damage.
- The phone being signed out of iCloud and erasing all content and settings.
- Putting the phone back in the iPhone box along with its other accessories.
- Putting the iPhone box back in the brown shipping box and sealing it via heavy duty tape.
- Putting the shipping label on the box and walking into the store to drop it off to the FedEx office person + the receipt they gave me.
Should be back at Apple by this Tuesday *fingers-crossed* 🤞