Apple has always had policies to not provide repair services for lost or stolen devices, but only if they had the Find My feature enabled. Now the company will also deny iPhone repairs if the device is reported as lost or stolen in the GSMA Device Registry.
According to an internal memo sent to Apple Store employees and Apple Authorized Service Providers (via MacRumors), the company will now use the GSMA Device Registry database to check if a device is registered as lost before providing any repairs. If the company’s internal systems indicate that the device has been “reported as missing,” the technicians must reject the repair.
For those unfamiliar, the GSMA Device Registry is a global database that allows smartphone owners to register events such as loss, theft, fraud or to indicate that the device is subject to a payment plan. With the phone’s IMEI, companies with access to this platform can easily check if a device has been assigned to any of these categories.
The new policy aims to prevent stolen iPhones from being replaced with new ones if they have never had Find My enabled before. Of course, for those devices with Find My enabled, nothing changes – the company already denies repair services for locked devices.
It’s worth noting that in some cases, Apple may accept your device’s invoice as proof of purchase to repair or replace your device if for some reason you have lost access to your Apple ID. Read more on Apple’s website about how to prepare your iOS device for a repair service.
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