What you should know
- Apple has stopped selling the Apple Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 in its US online store due to a patent dispute.
- The company will no longer offer repair services for out-of-warranty watch models, including the Apple Watch Series 6 and later models.
- Apple’s decision is largely due to a patent infringement lawsuit filed by medical device company Masimo, which claims that Apple’s blood oxygen monitoring technology violated its patents.
- Customers who bought watches before December 25 and models still under warranty won’t be affected by the replacement restriction, however, Apple won’t be able to facilitate exchanges for watches bought before the ban after December 25.
Full Story
Apple’s got some news. They’ve stopped selling the Apple Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 in the US online store. This halt comes just before a ban related to a patent dispute kicks in.
But wait, there’s more. Apple’s also pulling the plug on repair services for out-of-warranty watch models.
According to Bloomberg, there’s a memo floating around Apple’s customer service teams. The memo says Apple won’t replace out-of-warranty models anymore, and this goes back to the Apple Watch Series 6. Yep, that means if your screen breaks, Apple’s services won’t be able to fix it.
Apple will still help with software stuff, like reinstalling your operating system. But if you’ve got hardware issues, the reps are supposed to tell you that you’ll get a call when hardware replacements are okay again. Historically, Apple’s been more about replacing than repairing when it comes to smartwatch hardware issues.
This decision affects a lot of Apple Watches sold since 2020. We’re talking about the Apple Watch Series 6, 7, 8, and Ultra, plus the current 9 and Ultra 2. These models have the blood oxygen feature that’s covered by the patents in the dispute.
Speaking of the dispute, a medical device company called Masimo is involved. They filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Apple. They claim that Apple’s blood oxygen monitoring tech, which is in the Apple Watch Series 6 and later models, violates their patents. This lawsuit led to a preliminary injunction that stops Apple from selling the Apple Watch Series 9 in the US.
Now, if you bought a watch before December 25—the day the ban starts in the US—and your model is still under warranty, you won’t be affected by the replacement restriction. The standard device warranty is usually one year, but you can extend that by buying AppleCare.
After December 25, Apple won’t be able to do exchanges for watches bought before the ban. So, no swapping for a different color or size during the usual return period. Retail staff have been told that product swaps are a no-go, but Apple will still replace accessories like bands. But hey, you can still return watches for a refund.
