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Aren't you people afraid of the warranty?

Bootsie

Bootsie

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jan 23, 2008
628
36
Utah
So if I buy an iPhone and unlock it immediately I will not have any warranty right?

So If I pull it out unlock it and find a problem what do I do? I cannot relock it and tell them that I found a problem because they will know that I never activated it to find the problem.

Do I have my information correct? What is the real story behind the warranty?
 
Bootsie said:
So if I buy an iPhone and unlock it immediately I will not have any warranty right?

So If I pull it out unlock it and find a problem what do I do? I cannot relock it and tell them that I found a problem because they will know that I never activated it to find the problem.

Do I have my information correct? What is the real story behind the warranty?
Click to expand...

yes, you have it right, although I'm guessing a restore and some choice wording to the apple "geniuses" would get you out of DOA, even if it did require activation, other than that people just feel that it's worth the risk.
 
The AppleCare Warranty for the iPhone requires an active account with the carrier in your country. It is as simple as that. I'd only jailbreak, not unlock, as I like at&t's service. If I had any problems, I could just restore and take it in. But I won't take that risk, since the only thing I want is LCARS.

TEG
 
I guess some people think the risk of having to throw away their iPhone if it breaks is offset the perceived savings of not using the official plans.
One thing that may cause some controversy in a couple of months is that I wouldn't be at all surprised if Apple only allow officially activated phones onto the App Store (easily done - just compare the IMEI number of the phone connecting against the list of phones activated on the iTunes account of the person buying the apps)
 
Apple offer a 1 year hardware warranty on the iphone...ie as long as you don't open the case, modify the hardware, get it wet etc then they are obligated to repair it.
There is no requirement to activate the iphone in order to use the warranty nor are software modifications excluded.
Its all in the warranty document that came with your iphone.
 
Phil A. said:
I guess some people think the risk of having to throw away their iPhone if it breaks is offset the perceived savings of not using the official plans.
One thing that may cause some controversy in a couple of months is that I wouldn't be at all surprised if Apple only allow officially activated phones onto the App Store (easily done - just compare the IMEI number of the phone connecting against the list of phones activated on the iTunes account of the person buying the apps)
Click to expand...

What about iTouches? They're allowed on the appstore and they have NO IMEI
 
senorFunkyPants said:
Apple offer a 1 year hardware warranty on the iphone...ie as long as you don't open the case, modify the hardware, get it wet etc then they are obligated to repair it.
There is no requirement to activate the iphone in order to use the warranty nor are software modifications excluded.
Its all in the warranty document that came with your iphone.
Click to expand...

So, like if the speaker goes out, how can you prove that with an non-activated phone?
 
hookem12387 said:
What about iTouches? They're allowed on the appstore and they have NO IMEI
Click to expand...

They are also identifiable as an iPod touch. I'm only making an educated guess, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if Apple did this - it's a way of them making official plans more desirable
 
senorFunkyPants said:
Apple offer a 1 year hardware warranty on the iphone...ie as long as you don't open the case, modify the hardware, get it wet etc then they are obligated to repair it.
There is no requirement to activate the iphone in order to use the warranty nor are software modifications excluded.
Its all in the warranty document that came with your iphone.
Click to expand...

They offer a 1 year Limited warranty with the following clause in it (my highlighting):

UK Warranty

This warranty does not apply:
(a) to damage caused by use with non-Apple products;
(b) to damage caused by accident, abuse, misuse, flood, fire, earthquake or other external causes;
(c) to damage caused by operating the product outside the permitted or intended uses described by Apple;
(d) to damage caused by service (including upgrades and expansions) performed by anyone who is not a representative of Apple;
(e) to a product or part that has been modified to alter functionality or capability without the written permission of Apple;
(f) to consumable parts, such as batteries, unless damage has occurred due to a defect in materials or workmanship;
(g) to cosmetic damage, including but not limited to scratches, dents and
broken plastic on ports; or
(h) if any Apple serial number has been removed or defaced.


US Warranty

This warranty does not apply:
(a) to damage caused by use with non-Apple products;
(b) to damage caused by accident, abuse, misuse, flood, fire, earthquake or other external causes;
(c) to damage caused by operating the product outside the permitted or intended uses described by Apple;
(d) to damage caused by service (including upgrades and expansions) performed by anyone who is not a representative of Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider (“AASP”);
(e) to a product or part that has been modified to alter functionality or capability without the written permission of Apple;
(f) to consumable parts, such as batteries, unless damage has occurred due to a defect in materials or workmanship;
(g) to cosmetic damage, including but not limited to scratches, dents and broken plastic on ports; or
(h) if any Apple serial number has been removed or defaced.


I would say clause e) states pretty clearly that if you unlock or jailbreak your phone then you forego your warranty...
 
I've had three (yes 3!) iPhones replaced under Apple's regular warranty (no Apple Care) and at the time I didn't have a legitimate AT&T account. The first one had a dead strip that wouldn't respond to touch after about 4 months of use. The second and third one both had HORRIBLE touch calibration right out of the box. I would touch an icon and the one above it would activate and such.

They basically said "Hm...we can't seem to find your account records. That's wierd!" Then they went on to getting me setup for a repair anyways. I'm pretty sure it was a different rep I talked to each time and they all pretty much said the same thing. This was through the 1-800-myiphone number, not at the Apple retail stores.
 
Phil A. said:
They offer a 1 year Limited warranty with the following clause in it (my highlighting):

This warranty does not apply:

(e) to a product or part that has been modified to alter functionality or capability without the written permission of Apple;

I would say clause e) states pretty clearly that if you unlock or jailbreak your phone then you forego your warranty...
Click to expand...

Err no.....the exclusions relate to the previously defined hardware warranty.

"Apple Inc. (“Apple”) warrants this Apple-branded hardware product against defects in materials and workmanship under normal use for a period of ONE
(1) YEAR from the date of retail purchase by the original end-user purchaser (“Warranty Period”). If a hardware defect arises and a valid claim is received
within the Warranty Period, at its option and to the extent permitted by law, Apple will either"..etc etc.

ie You make hardware changes to your iphone and you lose the warranty.
 
senorFunkyPants said:
Err no.....the exclusions relate to the previously defined hardware warranty.

"Apple Inc. (“Apple”) warrants this Apple-branded hardware product against defects in materials and workmanship under normal use for a period of ONE
(1) YEAR from the date of retail purchase by the original end-user purchaser (“Warranty Period”). If a hardware defect arises and a valid claim is received
within the Warranty Period, at its option and to the extent permitted by law, Apple will either"..etc etc.

ie You make hardware changes to your iphone and you lose the warranty.
Click to expand...

Last September (just before they released the first update that bricked some phones), Apple issued a statement that said Users who make unauthorized modifications to the software on their iPhone violate their iPhone software license agreement and void their warranty.
Section d covers unauthorised hardware mods, section e is a pretty sweeping statement that says if you make any mods to your phone it drops out of warranty cover (which correlates with the statement they issued last year)
 
Phil A. said:
Last September (just before they released the first update that bricked some phones), Apple issued a statement that said Users who make unauthorized modifications to the software on their iPhone violate their iPhone software license agreement and void their warranty.
Click to expand...

The warranty document that comes with your iphone IS the contract that covers the repair of your iphone...Apple can say what they like in any number of statements but it has no legal relevance.

Phil A. said:
Section d covers unauthorised hardware mods, section e is a pretty sweeping statement that says if you make any mods to your phone it drops out of warranty cover (which correlates with the statement they issued last year)
Click to expand...

Again I'm afraid not...the warranty document is clearly defined as a hardware warranty.
"Apple’s warranty obligations for this hardware product are limited to the terms set forth below:"
As long as you can restore the iphones software to its original state then Apple are legally obliged to repair any hardware fault within the warranty period subject to no hardware modifications (whether activated or not).

It should also be noted that Apple explicitly exclude software from the warranty: "Software [....] is not covered under this Limited Warranty"
 
Following the discussion, what will happen with your modified iPhone when some service is needed (change batteries, bad flash memory, etc) ?
 
You have to evaluate the cost vs. benefit.

Your warranty doesn't apply if you drop your iPhone in the toilet, accidentally break the screen, loose it or have it stolen.

Typically for devices like this, if it doesn't break in the first few weeks, its not going to break, unless you damage it.

I have 2 unlocked iPhones with T-Mobile and pay $82/month including taxes. If I had switched to AT&T it would be $130/month including taxes. If one of my iPhones last only a year, and I have to throw it away, I lost $540, but I saved $576 by staying with T-Mobile. So I'm still ahead by $36. In all reality, if both of my iPhones last 2 years, I've saved $1152 and will then get the latest and greatest iPhone available.

This is a calculated risk us unlockers are willing to take.
 
MacCurry said:
You have to evaluate the cost vs. benefit.
Your warranty doesn't apply if you drop your iPhone in the toilet, accidentally break the screen, loose it or have it stolen.
...
This is a calculated risk us unlockers are willing to take.
Click to expand...

Good point. What if :

a. you activate the phone selecting prepaid mode from AT&T, then
stop paying the monthly charges (losing the phone service)
and use it as an iPod/PDA ? Will the warranty be useless ?

b. you activate it using a third party software (not unlocking) and use
as an iPod/PDA ? Will the warranty be useless ?

I just ordered a refurb from AT&T and want to be sure to not
screw up the warranty (if possible).

Thanks !
 
Well, I lost my warranty 45mins after I got mine (yes it took me 45mins to unlock a 1.0.2 OOTB in september) No trouble so far (might have mild 'negative' black screen but its not that big a deal) and even if I had a lemon I would have been out of luck since I live in Costa Rica and they won't replace a mysterious dead iPhone here nor will I travel to US&A just to get my iPhone fixed/replaced. You should check it, jailbreak it (not unlocking yet) see that everything is fine then proceed to unlocking it if you wish.

Victor
 
I've got extra insurance on my iPhone anyway, which covers literally anything! They just take it away, replace it and it's fine :)
 
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