Is Apple warranty international? (iPhone 4)
 

Has anyone had any joy exercising their apple guarantee internationally?

I am fairly certain that my iPhone is broken, whenever I leave home wifi and go onto 3G I need to reset my network settings for it to connect to the internet. And now (and frequently beforehand) it refuses to fetch my mails.

Thing is Apple has no support in Colombia, it is provided by the mobile networks which means I will have to go and argue the toss with a 20 year old girl with no eyebrows that can barely tie her own velcro let alone diagnose an iPhone fault or overcome her reluctance to make good on a product warranty.

I am back in London in 2 weeks, would I get anywhere by going into the Apple store on Regents Street to speak to them instead?

Edit to add: My phone is 5 weeks old

I'd chance it going to an Apple Store, they have the ability to replace it on the spot. Other wise wait till you get home.

Thanks no Apple Store in Colombia, don't know what you mean by "home" but it is reassuring that they can replace it if need be.

Just called Apple to ask about international cover and they said it is international, which contradicts what the last person told me

The Apple T&C for the US discuss no international limitations that I could see.

http://images.apple.com/legal/warran...4_warranty.pdf

Link to Apple Latin America site would seem to imply same.

http://www.apple.com/lae/support/

Good luck.

I tried to do this in pvg with a us purchased iphone and they said I had to take it to a US store. It could be that they won't in China since they have different version os. It's worth a try.

I have actually done a system restore and restored it back to a back up and it is working now, at least for the time being.

Seemed to get hot and bothered when I went to Chile and Peru and had 4 sim cards in it in the space of 4 weeks. It is an unlocked phone obviously, but has anyone else experienced anything similiar with connecting to multiple networks in a short space of time.

Update.

There was a bit of confusion about whether it could be done but an Apple store in SoFlo swapped out my iPhone yesterday. Seemed to be based on whether my iPhone had been sold legally unlocked or not. When they confirmed that the iPhones were shipped to my network unlocked, they 'factory unlocked' an AT&T iPhone.

There was also an issue about whether a USA phone could replace an international model number but entering the non-US model number threw up the equivalent US model in the system.

All's well that ends well and it seems that Apple Stores will do the right thing of you happen to buy an iPhone in a country with no Apple support

Historically, there have not been limitations to the apple warranty or access to repairs when outside of a home region. This was started back in 1993 with the introduction of the first powerbooks.

Another update. Actually they will do the right thing twice because my replacement iPhone broke again after 2 weeks and I swapped it again back in SoFlo this weekend.

A little dismayed that I am on my third iPhone, the first one lasting 5 weeks before breaking, the second one just 2 weeks. Also a little concerned that now I am back in Colombia with a replacement iPhone that was not sold by my network that iPhone #3 needs to last at least until my next visit to the USA.

When you hand in your iphone for a replacement, do they allow you to do a full wipe (restore) before they take your old handset away?

Yes they do. Whether or not it is a proper restore though is anyone's guess. Perhaps Apple have a way of un-restoring it for diagnostics

I want to add this in for anyone doing a google search for Apple Repair Warranty (which is how I found this post).

Apple will most likely not replace your device (iphone) if you are in another country from the one of purchase. Found this out the hard way. I have a US Apple store purchased unlocked 4s that just died less then 6 months from purchase.

I am currently in Germany and took it to an AASP who looked at it for 30 mins and said it had to go back since it's a defect. It happens. They said it would take longer if they had done it rather then me calling applecare and doing a return. Fine, no problem. I call and talk to a Rep in Germany, not much of an issue but I was in a car so I couldn't complete the whole transaction and said I would call later. Later I start the process again with another agent, we get to the serial numbers and he says "Oh, this is a US phone, we can't return it. You have to return it to the US". After going over the idea of an International Warranty on a mobile device it's mostly lost on him. I then later call the US hotline which is more customer oriented. Go thru the whole thing again and the rep was helpful and started to do the return from Germany to the US, but then found out the system won't let him. I can return it but I guess he couldn't ship it back out of the US. Why the can't just have each area deal with it regardless of purchase location.

So the only solution it to get this thing back to the US and returned, either to an apple store or via mail. Pain in the ... when it could be easily returned and sorted out in any country. It's not like the phones are actually any different in other countries other then the accessory (charger) kit. I would also understand if the phone was purchased thru a 3rd party/Carrrier but it's directly from Apple just like any other device.


Here is Apple's statement on the iPhone Warranty:
IMPORTANT RESTRICTION
Apple may restrict warranty service to the country where Apple or its Authorized Distributors originally sold the Apple Product.

They could easily sort this out by allowing any Apple product sold by them to be serviced/replaced in any other country. Good luck to anyone else in this situation.

Honestly, I am NOT surprised that in another country, especially one with another core language, that one cannot get a warranty replacement. I doubt that in Germany, apple stocks English language versions of their products. I know, I know, you could do a wipe and then reinstall and that MIGHT work out fine, but the actual device and packaging would be a German retail version. Not a good swap out IMHO.

I think it's more like the exception to the rule. I've heard people getting all sorts of stuff exchanged in London even though they didn't purchase their Apple product in the UK.

Is Apple warranty international? (iPhone 4)
 

Definitely worth asking again and again until you get and answer you like. I got 3 different replies from 3 different people in the US. Also worth speaking to the store manager in an apple store.

Does anyone happen to know if the 12 month warranty is from the date you buy the first iPhone or the date they last replaced it? I have now broken my third iPhone and getting to the USA before November is pushing it