One of the questions raised by the recent announcement of AppleCare One came from Six Colors member Jono, who—when I mentioned that the only AppleCare I had was via the iPhone Upgrade Program—wondered “if there is any interaction with that at all.”
It was a good question, and honestly, one I should have thought about more myself, being an iPhone Upgrade Program subscriber.
The answer, perhaps surprisingly, is yes! These two programs are compatible, though if you want to do that, it does require a bit more work.
Apple spokesperson Anna Mitchell told me that iPhone Upgrade Program subscribers can contact Apple Support and unbundle their coverage from the iPhone financing, then upgrade to AppleCare One. Keep in mind that AppleCare One is only available in the U.S. at present, and requires a U.S.-based Apple Account in good standing.
Of course, my personal experience with the iPhone Upgrade Program—while it has gotten better every year that I’ve been a subscriber—is that it sometimes struggles with unusual cases, so if you do go this route, be prepared for some potential extra challenges if you choose to upgrade your phone this fall.
