Apple Shutdowns Due to Coronavirus | How to get your iPhone Serviced or Repaired
Updated 3/23/2020
When Apple announced on March 14 that they will be closing Apple Stores outside of China due to the Coronavirus, my initial thought was 'that's a smart thing to do considering those places attract a large number of people'. Meaning it's probably the best course of action Tim Cook (CEO of Apple) could take to keep its employees and customers safe from the worsening spread of this virus.
The next day, the owner of our repair store sent an email to all employees indicating the possibility of having the number of iPhones and iPads repairs increase. Lo and behold he was correct.
Therefore I sought out to gather as much information to give people alternatives if they need to get their phone services during this Apple Store shutdown.
Apple stores are expected to reopen March 27. Please keep in mind that this information may change but as of March 16, 2020 this is all the information we have. We'll update information as it gets released.
What to do?
Third-Party Service partners
Apple currently has over 1,800 third-party service partners throughout the United States. My only concern about these third-party service partners is that it may require to be shipped and availability in certain areas. So I'll leave a link to Apple Third-party website. https://getsupport.apple.com/?caller=psp&PRKEYS=
Best Buy (Currently only doing online orders and in store pickup)
Best Buy is another third-party Apple service partner that may be more accessible to most Apple users. According to their agreement they may offer same day repairs for certain devices and issues. However, part availability might be limited and may require your device to be shipped. Therefore stop by a local Best Buy to see what they can do for you.
Independent Third-Party Repair Stores
I will try to be as transparent as possible about this because our repair store falls under this category. I put this category because having your fixed outside Apple service partners typically voids your warranty with Apple. This will only affect iPhone 11 and iPhone X models since most of these phones still fall under the one year Apple warranty. We honestly don't know how Apple will handle this once they're-open their doors.
We completely understand why anyone would go with this option. So we recommend you do your research about the company you're taking the device to. Read reviews online, on Google and Yelp. If they have a high volume of positive reviews then that means they can be trusted with your device.
Ask for the type of warranty they offer. Typically they give warranties of one month to a year. Most defects are apparent within the first few days.
Buying new Apple Devices
When Apple closed down they said that their online store will remain open. Therefore you can go to Apple's official website. You can also visit Amazon, and your carriers website.
If you need a device ASAP then Best Buy, Costco, Target, and WalMart are all viable options.
Ricardo Gonzalez
Author