A new Apple leak could save you a frustrating chat with the Apple Genius about who's really at fault for your fucked up iPhone. Business Insider reports a 22-page guide to iPhone damage dated March 3, 2017, was recently uploaded to Dropbox. Called "Visual/Mechanical Inspection Guide," it gives Apple techs a visual rule book for damages, outlining what kind of damage is eligible for in-warranty repair, out-of-warranty repair, or a complete replacement. (In-warranty repairs are the cheapest, although warranties on iPhones typically last only one year.) It applies to the iPhone 6, 6S, and 7, as well as the 6 and 7 Plus models.

As one Apple retail tech told BI, inspecting phones and determining costs is "basically half the training for iPhone techs." Before going up against the expert, decide for yourself if your messed up iPhone is replaceable.

General Damages and Issues

Under warranty, Apple will cover debris under the screen, camera foam misalignment, and a single hairline crack with no evidence that a drop or hit made that crack. You'll have to pay for cracks inflicted by drops or hits, water damage, and other obvious user-error damages. If you've tampered with your iPhone in a weird way—i.e. used non-Apple parts or run it over with a dump truck—there's no way you're getting a discount on repairs.

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Water Damage

Speaking of water, this is how Apple techs determine whether faulty operation or damage was due to water. If it was, you don't stand much of a chance of getting a free repair or replacement.

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Cosmetic Damage

As far as surface damage goes, that too is not covered under warranty. Maybe try a stylish protective case so it doesn't look so scuffy.

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Apple is reportedly launching its newest iPhone and updates to the iPhone 7 on 12 September, so in a few weeks, you'll have an excellent reason to trash your current, damaged model and upgrade to a sleeker piece of technology.

From: Esquire US