How long can AppleCare+ be extended for?

[Yebubbleman]

(Disclaimer: I'm posting this in the "MacBook Pro" section of the forums, but this question/post can probably just as well go in the section for any iPad, any iPhone, or any other Mac since the MacRumors.com forums doesn't have a dedicated spot for AppleCare related topics.)

Now that we're living in an era in which AppleCare+ can be extended past the 2 or 3 years (if a Mac) and on a month-to-month basis for non-Macs, or annually if Macs, one question stands out in my mind: How long can one keep extending their warranty for?

All of Apple's devices eventually hit a Vintage status at 5 years and then obsolete at 7 years. So, it would seem inevitable that any iPad, iPhone, or Mac will eventually be unable to be worked on or serviced for hardware issues...right?

Nowhere is it stated that there is a limit as to how long renewable AppleCare+ extensions (which, if I'm not mistaken, are more or less treated by Apple as service subscriptions) can last.

Does anyone know this? Or is extend-able AppleCare+ still so new that we don't yet have devices old enough to be hit by this yet?

I have a 3rd Generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro that I bought Certified Refurbished from Apple in 2021. The original model was discontinued in 2020 when the 4th Generation model was released. I'm now paying for AppleCare+ extensions on it. I'm guessing that next year it'll hit vintage status. What then? How about two years from now?

It's cool that the ability to extend warranty past the original period exists. But the system itself is seriously confusing and with a lot of questions I'm not sure the answers to which are even known by Apple at this point.

 

[GGJstudios]

I've kept AppleCare on a MacBook Pro for over 5 years. I only stop it when I replace the device. I do the same for iPhone and iPads.

 

[Yebubbleman]

I've kept AppleCare on a MacBook Pro for over 5 years. I only stop it when I replace the device. I do the same for iPhone and iPads.

Yes, but what is the actual limit? Or do you not know?

 

[GGJstudios]

They say "until canceled", so there likely isn't a limit, as long as you keep paying.

 

[dmccloud]

Yes, but what is the actual limit? Or do you not know?

There would be a practical limit, which would be when there is no parts availability for repairs and/or replacements. That is more of a logistical limitation rather than a timeframe set in stone.

 

[Apathist]

There would be a practical limit, which would be when there is no parts availability for repairs and/or replacements.

Yeah, I notice Apple says as much in the AppleCare+ terms and conditions for iPads purchased like the OP's in 2021 (section 9.2), which grants it the right to cancel the plan even during the coverage period "if service parts for the Covered Equipment are not available" (among other reasons) with 60 days prior notice.

But whether and, if so, when they would cease offering extensions of coverage in advance of this situation seems to be an open question.

 

[Chuckeee]

Just guessing.

Until your hardware is categorized as “obsolete”?

 

[Yebubbleman]

Just guessing.

Until your hardware is categorized as “obsolete”?

This is my current running guess too. No one I've talked to, either with AppleCare on the phone or at Apple Retail in person, seems to know for sure, either. This seems to be the best educated guess so far!