Apple has extended the service program it introduced for the “very small percentage” of iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro users affected by the “No Sound” bug.
As Apple’s support page explains, the error is pretty self-explanatory. “If your iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro does not emit sound from the receiver when you make or receive calls, it may be eligible for service,” the page reads. Note that this doesn’t include the iPhone 12 mini or iPhone 12 Pro Max — only the 6.1-inch handsets are affected.
Originally available for two years after purchase, the support page has now been updated to say that handsets will be fixed free of charge for up to three years from the buy date.
As affected handsets were manufactured between October 2020 and April 2021, that means the problem will be covered until October 2023 at the very least. If you happen to own an iPhone 12 that was built in April 2021, you’re covered all the way up to spring 2024.
The repair procedure is the same as ever. You first have to get your iPhone 12 examined via an Apple Authorized Service Provider, in an Apple Store, or by posting your handset directly to Apple.
“If your iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro has any damage which impairs the ability to complete the repair, such as a cracked screen, that issue will need to be resolved prior to the service,” the company adds. “In some cases, there may be a cost associated with the additional repair.”
While the company says that only a small percentage of handsets are impacted, when you sell as many handsets as Apple does, that could still add up to quite the bill.
Apple doesn’t break down sales figures of individual handsets, but analysis from Counterpoint Research suggests that the iPhone 12 series had sold over 100 million units by June 2021 — just seven months after it had launched.
Some will be unaffected mini and Pro Max units, and others will have been built in May or June, but even accounting for that, we could still be talking hundreds of thousands or even millions of phones.
