The delayed iPhone subscription service is apparently still en route, but it could be more beneficial for Apple than us.
A new iPhone subscription service is still in the pipeline, despite some delays – according to fresh rumors – and the service could help to ease a growing issue for both Apple and phone buyers.
According to Bloomberg’s (opens in new tab) reliable analyst Mark Gurman, Apple’s iPhone subscription service « should still arrive eventually », despite the fact that it was expected to launch as early as last year.
The service – which could see new iPhones added to app-based subscriptions like Apple One – apparently remained in development alongside the iPhone 14 family. But according to Gurman, it was delayed by « engineering challenges » and the complex development of a « next-generation financial system ».
Given that it’s expected to be offered as a payment method for iPhones before potentially expanding to other products, there’s a chance it could still launch alongside the iPhone 15 later this year, unless it’s scuppered by further delays.
Exactly how the iPhone subscription plan is going to work isn’t yet clear. But it’s likely to be a development of Apple’s existing iPhone Upgrade Program (above), which lets you pay a monthly rolling fee to effectively lease an iPhone 14, then upgrade when Apple launches a new model.
