In this quick post, we go over some basic facts about when the warranty for your new iPhone or other Apple device starts.
Note that the facts mentioned here are for individual purchase, and not if you made a bulk business purchase for reselling. Secondly, we’re talking about the 1-year standard warranty Apple provides with every new purchase in most countries (in some regions, Apple provides a 2-year standard warranty).
If you bought from an Apple Store
When you buy an iPhone or any other Apple device from an official Apple Store or an authorized Apple reseller store, the warranty should start right on the date of purchase.
Also, check out: 13 things not covered under your iPhone warranty
If you bought from the official online Apple Store
When you buy an iPhone or other Apple device from Apple’s online store (apple.com), chances are its warranty starts on the day your product leaves Apple’s warehouse and is handed over to the courier (such as FedEx or UPS), or the day you receive it.
Imagine you place an order for the new iPhone 17 on 22nd December 2025 and:
- Apple ships it the same day: In this case, your warranty will likely start from 22nd December.
- Apple ships it after 5 days: In this case, your warranty will likely start from the day your iPhone is shipped (i.e., 27th December).
- Apple ships it after a month, as the demand is huge: In this case, your warranty should start on the day it’s shipped, and not the period you were left waiting.
Here’s more on it based on a few of my purchases from Apple India’s official store. Note that in all cases, I set up my devices right on the day they were delivered.
When I bought MacBook
I recently bought a new MacBook Air with an M4 chip from Apple’s official online store. Here are the facts:
- Order placed on: 12th September 2025
- Apple shipped it on: 13th September 2025
- Delivered to me on: 15th September 2025 (confirmed via courier’s text message and setup screenshots)
- Warranty will expire on: 12th September 2026
In other words, my warranty started on 13th September 2025, that is the day my Mac left Apple’s warehouse.
Ideally, the warranty should have started on 15th September 2025 (delivery date) and end on the 365th day, which is 14th September 2026. So, I contacted Apple support about it, and they told me the warranty starts on the day the product is shipped to you. They said this is their standard policy. Then I asked: What if I lived in a remote corner of the country, and it took 15 days to deliver the order? Does that mean I lose about 15 days of warranty for no fault of mine? The Apple Support representative replied that they use the fastest possible shipping and that it won’t take more than 7 days to deliver all serviceable PIN codes in my country. They further agreed that they can’t do anything from their end for this loss of up to 7 days of warranty.
When I bought AirPods
I also ordered the new AirPods Pro 3 on 12th September 2025 from Apple’s official online store. Since it was a recently launched device, it was in high demand, and Apple shipped it to me on 30th September 2025. I received it on 2nd October 2025. However, my warranty started on 30th September 2025 and ends on 29th September 2026, giving me 365 days of coverage from the date of shipment.
- Order placed on: 12th September 2025
- Apple shipped it on: 30th September 2025
- Delivered to me on: 2nd October 2025
- Warranty will expire on: 29th September 2026
When I bought Apple Watch
For my Apple Watch Series 10, the warranty began on the day of delivery and setup.
- Order placed on: 9th September 2024
- Apple shipped it on: 19th September 2024
- Delivered to me on: 21st September 2024
- Warranty expired on: 21st September 2025
When I bought iPhone
Similarly, the warranty for my iPhone 15 Pro Max started on the day of delivery and setup.
- Order placed on: 15th September 2023
- Apple shipped it on: 21st September 2023
- Delivered to me on: 23rd September 2023
- Warranty expired on: 23rd September 2024
When I bought Mac mini
In the case of my M2 Mac mini, the warranty started on the day of shipment.
- Order placed on: 2nd February 2023
- Apple shipped it on: 2nd February 2023
- Delivered to me on: 4th February 2023
- Warranty expired on: 2nd February 2024
When I bought iPad Pro
And for my M2 iPad Pro, the warranty started on the date of delivery and setup.
- Order placed on: 18th December 2022
- Apple shipped it on: 19th December 2022
- Delivered to me on: 21st December 2022
- Warranty expired on: 21st December 2023
So, to sum up, when you buy from Apple’s official online store, the warranty will start on the day it’s shipped to you or, in some cases, the day it was delivered to you.
If you bought from third-party offline stores or online websites
When you buy a sealed iPhone from a local store that’s unauthorized by Apple, there is a strong possibility that the warranty for that iPhone will start on the day you set it up. This is because a small local store may give you a simple bill and not report the sale in Apple’s system that very day. Therefore, chances are Apple will count that iPhone as ‘in-use’ when you first activate it and set it up.
The above fact may also be true when you buy an iPhone from Amazon, Best Buy, and other online retailers. For instance, I placed the order for a new iPhone 16 on 13th January 2025 and it was delivered to me on 14th January 2025. My iPhone 16th warranty started on 14th January 2025 (the day it was delivered and set up), and ends after 365 days, on 13th January 2026.
Important: There may be cases where a small store purchases a few iPhones (especially immediately after a new model is launched) from Apple and then resells them after a few days at a markup. In this case, even though you activate your newly purchased iPhone after a few days, you may notice that its warranty had started a few days back, which is likely the date the original seller bought the device from Apple. Read below to learn what to do in this case.
One simple math fact to keep in mind
I’m sure most of you know this.
The 1-year warranty by Apple and most other companies is for 365 days. So, let’s assume your 1-year warranty for an iPhone starts on 1st January 2025. In this case, your warranty will end at midnight on the 365th day, that is 31st December 2025. Don’t assume the warranty is valid until 1st January 2026, as that’s the 366th day.
Check your warranty status
You can check your iPhone’s warranty status by going to Settings > General > AppleCare & Warranty.
What to do if your date of purchase is incorrect
If your warranty expiration date is incorrect by several days or a few months, you can contact Apple with proof of purchase (bill, invoice, etc.), and they may fix the hardware coverage issue.
For more, check out these Apple resources:
Also, check out: