- Apple has stopped selling Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 in the US on its website.
- Additionally, it has also stopped offering repair services in the US for Apple Watch Series 6 and later models that are out of warranty (except Apple Watch SE).
- Apple representatives are informing customers that they will be contacted once the company is allowed to offer repairs again.
Apple recently faced a major setback after being forced to stop selling Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 in the U.S. due to a patent infringement case. However, besides the unavailability of the latest Apple Watch models, there is another serious implication of the case that will likely affect millions of users around the world. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the Apple Watch ban fiasco will impact the repairability of older models and the tech giant will no longer be able to repair out-of-warrant Apple Watch models.
Gurman says Apple has informed its customer service executives that the company won’t repair Apple Watch Series 6 and later models that are out of warranty in the US. Neither whole unit replacement will be provided nor hardware repairs. However, the Apple Watch SE is an exception because it does not have the blood oxygen monitoring feature, over which Apple is fighting (and probably losing) the patent war with Masimo.
According to the ruling, Apple cannot offer repairs until the ban imposed by the US International Trade Commission (ITC) is lifted.
If you are not following the case, Apple has been accused by Masimo, a medical company, of infringing upon two patents pertaining to blood oxygen sensors.
If you have purchased the Apple Care plan for your Apple Watch, you will be eligible for repairs. For other users with no Apple Care plan and whose Apple Watch warranty has expired, they will have to resort to third-party repairs.
Until it is allowed to offer repair services, Apple will inform the affected users that they will be contacted again when repairs are available.
If you have an Apple Watch Series 6 or later with its warranty expired, it’s time to be extra cautious. You can buy Apple Care+ up to 60 days after purchasing a new Apple device.
