What Can You Expect From The Apple Watch Warranty?

The Apple Watch has officially been released, with pre-order customers receiving their watches as early as last Friday, April 24. As with any Apple product, the Apple Watch comes with a one-year limited hardware warranty. So, what's covered by that warranty? MacRumors got their hands on the official Apple Watch warranty information with photos of what damage is covered, and it looks like a majority of damages fall under "out-of-warranty service." That means Apple will still fix your Apple Watch if you lose the cap of the crown or if the back of the watch cover cracks, but they'll charge you for it.

Battery repairs, which fall out of the spectrum of warranty coverage, will set you back just $79 no matter the type of Apple Watch. Otherwise, prices range from $229 for out-of-warranty service on the Apple Watch Sport to $2,800 for the most expensive Edition model. Apple will fix your watch for a solid year for free if you happen to get either debris under the watch face itself or if there is a pixel issue on the LCD screen. Likewise, a missing battery cover and condensation within the heart rate sensor are also eligible for warranty services.

In terms of what you can't get covered at all, it would have to be a pretty extreme situation to receive no service. If the watch has been disassembled or is missing parts, if the watch has been catastrophically damaged or was forcibly separated into multiple pieces, and if there are any counterfeit or third-party modifications, there is no service available under the warranty.

Other damages included in out-of-warranty service range from a cracked crown cap and drop damage that includes holes and punctures to a bent device and damaged back cover. The back cover damage out-of-warranty service might be issued to a cover that shows evidence of being pried off, which may be the only instance that altering the device does not void its service completely.

Chips and cracks on the watch interface itself are eligible for out-of-warranty service so long as pieces aren't missing. Same goes for the back of the Apple Watch splitting open due to potential battery issues. Basically, as long as you haven't tried to modify the Apple Watch and can keep all the pieces together, AppleCare+ for Apple Watch should be able to at least get the device back in working condition.

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