Apple Store Scanners Let Unopened iPhone Returns Stay Sealed

Apple is reportedly changing how it handles returns of unopened iPhones. New in-store devices can run diagnostic scans on an iPhone while it is still sealed in its box, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, who cites anonymous sources.

Until now, store policy has been to open the packaging of a returned iPhone, often in front of the customer, and sometimes power the phone on before issuing a refund. The practice has confused some shoppers. One Reddit user wrote four years ago that they thought the refund would not be granted because the box had been opened.

Why Apple opened the box

The reason is fraud prevention. Apple has to guard against people who remove components or an entire iPhone, reseal the package and ask for their money back. Opening the box let staff check the contents, but it also meant the phone had to be sent back to Apple to be inspected and resealed rather than restocked in the store.

What the new devices change

According to Gurman, the new hardware replaces Apple's Presto System, retail technology designed to update and customize a gadget while it is sealed in its box. The scanners reportedly arrived at Apple Stores in October and are now becoming operational.

If they work as described, returned iPhones could go straight back on the shelf, and customers would get refunds with less fuss. The benefit is likely to be noticeable after the holidays, when many people return unwanted gifts.

The open question is accuracy. The system will need to avoid wrongly concluding that a customer damaged or tampered with a device, since a false flag would create exactly the kind of friction the change is meant to remove. Apple has not detailed the scanners in the material available, and the rollout details come solely from Gurman's sources.