Apple has decided to stop selling the Apple Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 in its US online store just before a ban related to a patent dispute goes into effect. Additionally, the company will no longer provide repair services for out-of-warranty watch models.
According to reports, Apple’s customer service teams were informed that the company will no longer replace out-of-warranty models, including the Apple Watch Series 6. This means that issues like a broken screen will not be fixable through Apple’s services. However, the company will still offer software-related help, such as operating system reinstalls, and affected customers will be contacted once hardware replacements are allowed again.
This decision impacts most new Apple Watches sold since 2020, including Apple Watch Series 6, Watch Series 7, Watch Series 8, and Watch Ultra, in addition to the current 9 and Ultra 2. These models feature the blood oxygen feature covered by the patents in question.
The patent infringement lawsuit filed by medical device company Masimo against Apple led to a preliminary injunction barring Apple from selling the Apple Watch Series 9 in the US. Customers who purchased watches before the ban takes effect in the US and models still under warranty won’t be affected by the replacement restriction. However, after December 25, Apple won’t be able to facilitate exchanges for watches bought before the ban during the usual return period, but customers can still return watches for a refund.
