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Apple deep diveChecking your Apple warranty takes a minute. Knowing what the answer means takes this page.
Half the pages on the internet still point at a coverage-check article Apple retired. Below: where the check actually lives now, and what each result means, quoted from the warranty.
Where the check lives in 2026
Quoted from Apple
“To find AppleCare coverage information, you might be able to open AppleCare & Warranty settings on your device. Or, open Settings, select General, then select AppleCare & Warranty.”
Quoted from Apple
“Go to mysupport.apple.com and sign in to your Apple Account. Then choose your device to see details about the support that you’re eligible for…”
If you need paperwork, the same article says to Click View Proof of Coverage
on that
site, and notes the proof only appears when your Apple Account has two-factor authentication
set up.
Check your service and support coveragearticle. Its old address now redirects to an article about finding your serial number, and the standalone coverage-check site refuses automated visits. The two routes above are what Apple currently publishes, read August 19, 2026.
What "limited warranty" in the result actually promises
Quoted from Apple
“Apple… warrants the Apple-branded iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, HomePod, or Apple Vision Pro hardware product and the Apple-branded accessories contained in the original packaging (“Apple Product”) against defects in materials and workmanship when used normally in accordance with Apple's published guidelines for a period of ONE (1) YEAR from the date of original retail purchase by the end-user purchaser (“Warranty Period”).”
Three quiet facts sit in that sentence. The year runs from the original retail purchase, not from activation and not from the day a gift was opened. The covered defect is in materials and workmanship, meaning the thing was faulty, not that it broke. And the accessories in the box carry the same clock as the device.
What the same document then takes away is the part most people find out at the Genius Bar:
Quoted from Apple
“This Warranty does not apply… (d) to damage caused by accident, abuse, misuse, fire, liquid contact, earthquake or other external cause”
A dropped phone is an accident
and a wet phone is liquid contact
, so an active
warranty status does nothing for either. That split, warranty versus AppleCare+, is exactly the
subject of our companion page:
does the Apple warranty cover a cracked
screen. AppleCare+ itself is a separate purchased plan whose current US terms Apple
publishes only as a PDF on its
AppleCare+ terms index.
The 90-day rule nobody reads
Quoted from Apple
“A replacement part or Apple Product, including a user-installable part that has been installed in accordance with instructions provided by Apple, assumes the remaining term of the Warranty or ninety (90) days from the date of replacement or repair, whichever provides longer coverage for you.”
Translated: a warranty repair in month eleven leaves the repaired part covered for 90 days, not for a fresh year. The rule favors you only when the remaining term is shorter than three months, and it is the honest answer to the recurring hope that a replacement device resets the clock. It does not.
When the answer is "too old"
| Service and parts floor | Minimum 5 years after last sale |
|---|---|
| Vintage | 5 to 7 years after last sale |
| Obsolete | More than 7 years; all hardware service ends |
| Mac laptop batteries | Up to 10 years, parts permitting |
Quoted from Apple
“Products are considered vintage when Apple stopped distributing them for sale more than 5 and less than 7 years ago.”
Quoted from Apple
“Apple discontinues all hardware service for obsolete products, and service providers cannot order parts for obsolete products.”
The clock here runs from when Apple last sold the model, not from your purchase. A device bought late in its retail life reaches vintage sooner than its owner expects, and the coverage check will not warn you it is approaching either line.
Questions people actually ask
My coverage check says "limited warranty". Is my broken screen covered?
Only if it broke from a defect rather than a drop. Clause (d) above excludes accident damage outright, and screens usually break by accident. The status being active does not change what the warranty covers.
I bought the device used. Does the warranty transfer?
The year runs from the original retail purchase regardless of who owns the device now, so whatever remains of that year travels with it. The coverage check reads the device, not the owner.
Why does my brand-new device show less than a year remaining?
Because the clock started at the original retail purchase, which for demo units, opened-box stock or long-shelved inventory can predate your purchase. If your date is wrong, Apple's support article says coverage information can be updated with proof of purchase through Apple Support.
Is checking worth it before selling or buying a used device?
Yes, it is the one-minute check that reveals the true purchase date, any AppleCare plan still attached, and how close the model sits to Apple's vintage line.
What we found across every offer
Every one of these is read from the company’s own document and dated. See all 66 questions we have answered.