AppleCare One Family Covers Six People for $49.99 a Month

Apple has introduced AppleCare One Family, a new subscription plan that covers up to six individuals sharing a single monthly fee of $49.99. This plan, available in the U.S. starting September 14, provides comprehensive protection for a wide range of Apple devices, including iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple Watches, AirPods, Apple TVs, HomePods, Vision Pro headsets, and Apple Studio Displays.

Under the Family plan, eligible devices are covered for unlimited accidental damage repairs, battery service, round-the-clock support from Apple experts, and theft or loss coverage for iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches. However, the plans allows for a maximum of six theft or loss claims per year across the entire group, not six per person.

This is an improvement over AppleCare One Individual, which offers three claims, but it's still less than what separate AppleCare+ Theft and Loss plans offer, which provide two claims per device.

AppleCare One Family is priced at $49.99 per month, which equals $599 per year. This plan is designed to be more affordable for families with multiple Apple devices. For instance, a family of four, each with an iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, would pay about $600 a year under the Family plan, compared to about $960 a year if each member subscribed to the Individual plan separately. This represents a potential saving of roughly $360 annually.

The plan also includes devices that are less than four years old and in good working condition. Headphones must be less than one year old. Newly purchased devices are automatically added without any extra cost. Existing AppleCare+ customers can switch to AppleCare One Family without manually canceling their old coverage. Apple will handle the cancellation and issue any necessary refunds, typically as Apple Gift Cards.

While the Family plan offers significant savings for larger households with multiple Apple devices, smaller families or those with fewer shared devices may still find it more economical to stick with AppleCare+ or the Individual plan. The pooled theft-and-loss claim limit also means that families should consider how often devices are likely to go missing before deciding if the flat fee is a good deal.