Apple will no longer repair iPhones that have been reported to be either lost or stolen.
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 23: The new iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro on display during launch day on October 23, 2020 in London, England. Apple's latest 5G smartphones go on sale in the UK today. The iPhone 12 Mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max will be available from November 13.
Apple Repair on iPhone Reported Lost, Stolen
As per a news story by 9to5Mac, Apple will now refuse to fix iPhones that have been reported as missing that might have fallen into the hands of criminal minds.
The news outlet noted that the Cupertino giant has previously rejected repair requests for iPhones that have either been stolen or lost, along with its other products, but only as long as the Find My feature of Apple is turned on.
This time around, though, Apple is expanding its scope for rejecting repairs by including reports outside of the Find My iPhone feature.
Apple to Reject Missing iPhone Repair
According to a recent report by MacRumors, the tech giant reportedly sent an internal memo to the workforce of both Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers.
The internal memo seen by the online news platform said that the GSMA Device Registry database will now be included when checking if a device has been stolen or lost before proceeding with a repair.
To be more precise, the memo specifically noted that if a device has been flagged as "missing" in the GSMA Device Registry, the repair request would automatically be rejected.
Apple and GSMA Device Registry
As per the latest news story by The Verge, the GSMA device registry is a massive database that stores the serial number of devices and their status as well.
People wearing face masks look at a cellphone outside an Apple store during a May Day holiday in Shanghai on May 1, 2020. - With optimism and a heavy dose of caution, millions of Chinese hit the road or visited newly re-opened tourist sites on May 1 for an extended national holiday in a post-coronavirus confidence test.
That said, if an iPhone user reported to law enforcement that a device was missing, the latter would then update the status of the smartphone on the GSMA database.
In turn, users who have gone straight to the authorities to report their lost or stolen iPhone would have automatically blocked the repair of the device on Apple Store and its authorized partners.
So, those who have stolen an iPhone could no longer have their devices repaired by Apple.
However, it is worth noting that the iPhone maker has yet to publicly confirm the existence of the new policy. But the internal memo says so.
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Written by Teejay Boris
