AppleCare+ Policy Change Coming to Apple Stores

Starting next week, Apple's retail stores will no longer offer AppleCare+ plans as a one-time purchase, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

Instead, he said the stores will only offer AppleCare+ as a subscription. For example, AppleCare+ for the iPhone 16 Pro Max costs $9.99 per month, or $199 upfront for two years. The latter option would no longer be available at Apple's stores.

Fortunately, Gurman said AppleCare+ will remain available as a one-time purchase on Apple's online store, at least for now.

It is unclear if this policy change is limited to the U.S. or will apply worldwide.

Apple likely profits more by offering AppleCare+ as a monthly or annual subscription, which helps to boost the company's services revenue.