Apple Stores have reportedly started using a device that checks a returned iPhone while it is still sealed in its box. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the device runs diagnostics on the phone so the box can go back into stock unopened. Gurman reported it in his Power On newsletter on Sunday, October 25.
Why Apple Stores want to check a sealed iPhone box
Gurman describes a growing return-fraud problem at Apple’s retail stores. Some buyers take accessories out of the box, remove components from the phone, or take the phone out entirely. They then return the box and hope the employee doesn’t notice.
Until now, the safeguard has been manual. Retail staff were ordinarily told to open a returned iPhone box and confirm its contents, according to Gurman’s report as relayed by MacRumors.
The new device is meant to remove that step. Gurman wrote that Apple’s device can “scan an in-box iPhone and run diagnostics on it to make sure the phone is fully intact, leaving the box sealed and able to be put back into inventory”.
Gurman says Apple began rolling the device out to its stores earlier in October. The Mac Observer says the tool builds on Presto, the system Apple Stores already use to update iPhones inside sealed boxes.
What the report leaves open
The report covers what the device does, but several details are still missing:
- Where: Gurman’s report, as relayed, doesn’t name countries or say how many stores have the device.
- Which products: It isn’t clear whether the checks extend beyond the iPhone to iPads, Macs or other boxed products.
- Apple’s side: As of publishing, we haven’t seen any comment from Apple on the report.
What sealed iPhone return checks mean for you
Most returns are honest, and this device targets return fraud, not ordinary customers. If you return a sealed iPhone, the store may now be able to verify it without breaking the seal. Gurman doesn’t say how long a check takes, so it’s too early to call the process quicker.
For details on Apple’s 14-day return window and in-store replacements, see our report on iPhone Duo owners reporting inner screens breaking at the hinge.
There’s also an implication for buyers. A checked sealed box can go back into inventory. That means a sealed iPhone on a store shelf could in principle be a returned unit. Neither the report nor any Apple statement we’ve seen explains how such units are sold.
Related coverage: the iPhone Duo’s limited US walk-in stock on launch day. Apple also now sells iPhone 18 Pro repair parts directly to owners. We’ll update this story if Apple confirms where the sealed-box checker is in use.
Sources: Bloomberg’s Power On, via MacRumors, The Mac Observer
