iPhone XR Launch Day Continues Around the World

Following the first deliveries to customers in Australia and New Zealand, iPhone XR launch day continues around the world.


Apple CEO Tim Cook visited the company's Piazza Liberty store in Milan today to celebrate the iPhone XR release, posing for pictures with customers and employees, which he later shared on Twitter.

Video of Tim Cook at Apple Piazza Liberty via setteBIT

While the iPhone XR is available for walk-in purchase at Apple Stores, many locations have few customers waiting in line. At Apple Walden Galleria in Buffalo, New York, for example, VentureBeat reporter Jeremy Horwitz tweeted that he was the only person lined up just minutes before the store opened.


As more customers lean towards online pre-orders, the iconic iPhone launch day lines of the past have dwindled over the years.

Retail employees cheered as the first customers entered Apple's temporary Fifth Avenue store in Manhattan this morning, as recorded by Apple analyst Walt Piecyk, but lines are typically much longer at this flagship location on iPhone launch days. To be fair, Apple is still renovating its iconic glass cube location a few steps away.


There are a few exceptions, as hundreds of customers lined up for iPhone XR launch day at Apple Shibuya in Tokyo, Japan. It was also the grand reopening of the store following several months of renovations, however, so many of those customers may have lined up to check out the new design and score a free shirt.

apple shibuya 1

Line at Apple Shibuya on iPhone XR launch day

As usual on an iPhone launch day, most Apple Stores are opening early at 8:00 a.m. local time, with display models now available.

MacRumors traveled to New York City this week to spend some time with the iPhone XR ahead of its release. While there, we spent the day unboxing the device and testing its camera with help from volunteer New Yorkers. We also hosted Q&As on Reddit and through our Twitter account @MacRumors.


Update: Apple has shared additional photos of iPhone XR launch day at Apple Stores around the world.

iphone xr launch 2
iphone xr launch 4
iphone xr launch 3
If you were or will be at an Apple Store for the iPhone XR launch today, be sure to tweet @MacRumors with a photo of your store and device.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Monday June 30, 2025 1:08 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are less than three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max in September this year. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an...
A18 Pro Chip

New MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Spotted in Apple Code

Monday June 30, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
Apple is developing a MacBook with the A18 Pro chip, according to findings in backend code uncovered by MacRumors. Earlier today, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to launch a low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone chip. The machine is expected to feature a 13-inch display, the A18 Pro chip, and color options that include silver, blue, pink, and yellow. MacRumors...
iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Magsafe

iPhone 17 Pro's New MagSafe Design Revealed in Leaked Photo

Wednesday July 2, 2025 8:37 am PDT by
The upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are rumored to have a slightly different MagSafe magnet layout compared to existing iPhone models, and a leaked photo has offered a closer look at the supposed new design. The leaker Majin Bu today shared a photo of alleged MagSafe magnet arrays for third-party iPhone 17 Pro cases. On existing iPhone models with MagSafe, the magnets form a...
Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
macbook air spacegray purple

Apple Planning to Launch Low-Cost MacBook Powered By iPhone Chip

Monday June 30, 2025 3:20 am PDT by
Apple is planning to launch a low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone chip, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In an article published on X, Kuo explained that the device will feature a 13-inch display and the A18 Pro chip, making it the first Mac powered by an iPhone chip. The A18 Pro chip debuted in the iPhone 16 Pro last year. To date, all Apple silicon Macs have contained M-series...
iOS 18

Apple Releases Second iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Tuesday July 1, 2025 10:19 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a day after Apple provided the betas to developers. Apple has also released a second beta of macOS Sequoia 15.6. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adds a Useful New Wi-Fi Feature to Your iPhone

Wednesday July 2, 2025 6:36 am PDT by
iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 add a smaller yet useful Wi-Fi feature to iPhones and iPads. As spotted by Creative Strategies analyst Max Weinbach, sign-in details for captive Wi-Fi networks are now synced across iPhones and iPads running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. For example, while Weinbach was staying at a Hilton hotel, his iPhone prompted him to fill in Wi-Fi details from his iPad that was already...
maxresdefault

Five Features Coming to AirPods Pro 3

Friday June 27, 2025 10:52 am PDT by
Apple hasn't updated the AirPods Pro since 2022, and the earbuds are due for a refresh. We're counting on a new model this year, and we've seen several hints of new AirPods tucked away in Apple's code. Rumors suggest that Apple has some exciting new features planned that will make it worthwhile to upgrade to the latest model. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Heal...
replay all time playlist apple music

Apple Music Debuts All-New Personalized Playlist

Monday June 30, 2025 7:16 am PDT by
As part of its 10-year celebrations of Apple Music, Apple today released an all-new personalized playlist that collates your entire listening history. The playlist, called "Replay All Time," expands on Apple Music's existing Replay features. Previously, users could only see their top songs for each individual calendar year that they've been subscribed to Apple Music, but now, Replay All...

Top Rated Comments

Steve121178 Avatar
87 months ago
The photos above are so cringe-worthy.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AngerDanger Avatar
87 months ago
The iPhone Xr is a flop device, in 4 months will apple stop the production
Ah, gotta love the untapped collection of clairvoyants, analysts, and would-be supply chain gurus that frequent MacRumors. :)
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Tofupunch Avatar
87 months ago
Congrats everyone!

Btw, can someone confirm if the lte issues of the xs are showing up?
[doublepost=1540559279][/doublepost]
The photos above are so cringe-worthy.
I wonder if the employees clapped and cheered for the one guy in line...:confused::eek::oops:
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
white4s Avatar
87 months ago
I'm going to ask the obvious... Does this mean the XR is a flop? I mean, NY, 1 person in line?? Terrible...
Orrrrrr most people just pre-ordered........
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Stuey3D Avatar
87 months ago
I'm going to ask the obvious... Does this mean the XR is a flop? I mean, NY, 1 person in line?? Terrible...
I don’t think it’s going to be a flop, I think it will be a bit of a slow burner to start with and will be the phone most people will upgrade to over the year.

I think the reason there are no queues is because people who wanted the latest and greatest features and weren’t willing to wait went and got an XS/Max and those who were willing to wait have pre ordered it already.

Don’t forget it took a little while for it to start slipping a little on the pre order and I think that’s because there are 18 different SKU’s for the thing giving people plenty of choice.

As I said before I think it will be the one people upgrade to through the year as it’s a much cheaper device for very little sacrifice compared to the XS/Max, I think now it is released you’ll probably see the sales for the XS/Max calm down a bit because this will cannibalise them.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
citysnaps Avatar
87 months ago
The photos above are so cringe-worthy.
Because happy people having a good time upsets you?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)