Apple offers free repairs for iPhone 14 Plus users, but there’s a catch. Here's everything you need to know

Apple has announced free service programme for iPhone 14 Plus users who are affected by rare kind of issue that affected devices manufactured between April 10, 2023 to April 28, 2024. The affected iPhone 14 Plus devices suffer from a manufacturing defect where the smartphone does not show any preview while using the rear camera of the device. 

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Is your iPhone 14 Plus eligible for free repairs? 

iPhone 14 Plus users affected by a specific camera issue can check their eligibility for free repairs by visiting Apple's official support page and entering their device's IMEI number. If eligible, Apple will provide the repairs free of cost. Additionally, those iPhone 14 Plus users who previously paid for repairs related to this issue are also eligible to request a refund.

Apple has stated that users can make claims for these free repairs for up to three years from the original purchase date of their iPhone 14 Plus. This programme, however, applies only to a “very small percentage” of iPhone 14 Plus devices and does not extend to the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max, or newer models.

This marks Apple’s first free repair programme in three years, with the last one being in 2021 for the iPhone 12 models affected by an earpiece issue.

Separately, Apple recently rolled out its iOS 18.1 update, introducing the first wave of Apple Intelligence features on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 series models. While the iPhone 14 series received the update, it lacks support for the new AI features due to the older SoC and lower RAM. Even the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus models, released last year, did not receive support for Apple Intelligence.