iPhone Upgrade Program Temporarily Unavailable at Apple Stores in England Due to Lockdown Restrictions

Apple today informed customers that its iPhone Upgrade Program is temporarily unavailable in England due to new COVID-19 lockdown restrictions that have gone into effect across the country starting today until December 2.

iphone trade in 202010 FMT WHH
In the United Kingdom, the iPhone Upgrade Program requires visiting an Apple Store, but England's lockdown restrictions have forced these retail locations to operate on a click-and-collect basis only with Express Pickup windows at the entrance. Due to these restrictions, Apple cannot allow customers inside the stores to complete their iPhone upgrade at this time, according to an email shared with MacRumors by several readers.

As noted by 9to5Mac's Michael Steeber, all Apple Stores in England are closed today and will reopen Friday with click-and-collect service.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Popular Stories

iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
ios 18 to ios 26 upgrade

Apple Pushes iPhone Users Still on iOS 18 to Upgrade to iOS 26

Tuesday December 2, 2025 11:09 am PST by
Apple is encouraging iPhone users who are still running iOS 18 to upgrade to iOS 26 by making the iOS 26 software upgrade option more prominent. Since iOS 26 launched in September, it has been displayed as an optional upgrade at the bottom of the Software Update interface in the Settings app. iOS 18 has been the default operating system option, and users running iOS 18 have seen iOS 18...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 Release Candidates to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Wednesday December 3, 2025 10:33 am PST by
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 updates to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third betas. The release candidates represent the final versions of iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found during this final week of testing....
Photos App Icon Liquid Glass

John Gruber Shares Scathing Commentary About Apple's Departing Software Design Chief

Thursday December 4, 2025 9:30 am PST by
In a statement shared with Bloomberg on Wednesday, Apple confirmed that its software design chief Alan Dye will be leaving. Apple said Dye will be succeeded by Stephen Lemay, who has been a software designer at the company since 1999. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Dye will lead a new creative studio within the company's AR/VR division Reality Labs. On his blog Daring Fireball,...
iOS 26

When Will Apple Release iOS 26.2?

Monday December 1, 2025 4:37 pm PST by
We're getting closer to the launch of the final major iOS update of the year, with Apple set to release iOS 26.2 in December. We've had three betas so far and are expecting a fourth beta or a release candidate this week, so a launch could follow as soon as next week. Past Launch Dates Apple's past iOS x.2 updates from the last few years have all happened right around the middle of the...
Intel Inside iPhone Feature

Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone

Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone. In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
maxresdefault

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...
ive and altman

Jony Ive's OpenAI Device Barred From Using 'io' Name

Friday December 5, 2025 6:22 am PST by
A U.S. appeals court has upheld a temporary restraining order that prevents OpenAI and Jony Ive's new hardware venture from using the name "io" for products similar to those planned by AI audio startup iyO, Bloomberg Law reports. iyO sued OpenAI earlier this year after the latter announced its partnership with Ive's new firm, arguing that OpenAI's planned "io" branding was too close to its...
iphone air camera

iPhone Air's Resale Value Has Dropped Dramatically, Data Shows

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:27 am PST by
The iPhone Air has recorded the steepest early resale value drop of any iPhone model in years, with new data showing that several configurations have lost almost 50% of their value within ten weeks of launch. According to a ten-week analysis published by SellCell, Apple's latest lineup is showing a pronounced split in resale performance between the iPhone 17 models and the iPhone Air....
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

iPhone 17 Pro Lost a Camera Feature Pro Models Have Had Since 2020

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:18 am PST by
iPhone 17 Pro models, it turns out, can't take photos in Night mode when Portrait mode is selected in the Camera app – a capability that's been available on Apple's Pro devices since the iPhone 12 Pro in 2020. If you're an iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone 17 Pro Max owner, try it for yourself: Open the Camera app with Photo selected in the carousel, then cover the rear lenses with your hand to...

Top Rated Comments

jarman92 Avatar
66 months ago

better than labour, I dont think Boris has done the best but he isn't as bad
I don't live in the UK so I don't have skin in the game, but how can you say Boris is doing "better than Labour" if Labour hasn't been in power for like 10 years?
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
User 6502 Avatar
66 months ago
Tories or Labour have zero relevance with the topic. There is a lockdown and a pandemic, apple and Barclays should have found some agreement on how to avoid unnecessary travel or store visits. If Barclays can’t accept any alternative, Apple should stop using Barclays moving forward. Personally I will just pay off my loan and quit the iPhone upgrade programme, as it didn’t respect the promise of allowing an upgrade after 11 months, and I will not be getting iPhone 12 as I don’t think Apple deserves a sale considering how badly they handled this issue.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
VermontsFinest Avatar
66 months ago

this is a scam its not fair the whole idea for the plan is to get a new phone each year and not pay full, now ive payed much more than I needed to and cant even get it soon, so will end up paying 4 extra months and to clean the balance its only £460 I can sell the handset private for more
While this is super frustrating and something Apple should have thought of (ie. allow trade in via mail as in the US), there is and has been nothing stopping you from selling privately and paying off the remaining loan balance at any time. Then you can decide to purchase your new phone however you like. I know the upgrade program is your ideal way to do it, it is for me as well, but we have to remain flexible.

You still have options and COVID is certainly at fault here, though calling it a 'scam' is a stretch.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PinkyMacGodess Avatar
66 months ago
*sigh* People are frightened of lockdowns, and pushing against mask requirements, but then the virus does what viruses do: Infect people.

If the UK, and America had dealt with the pandemic as adults, they could be like New Zealand and Australia. Both have been able to control the pandemic, and reduce the deaths among their citizenry. It's a crying shame that the elections are so close in this country. Let's reelect the person that has allowed far too many Americans to die. Insanity. And now armed groups are demanding that the counting of votes be stopped. Armed groups demanding that one of the tenants of American Democracy be trashed, drowned in the swamp...
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kylo83 Avatar
66 months ago



This is what happens when your country is governed by a fascist buffoon who has led a virus go so out of control compared to other countries with real democracy that it has not only lead to the death of so many loved ones but also to the complete annihilation of so many functions that are imbued in the fabric of our society. I pray for the UK and the others like it that are walking on the same road.
better than labour, I dont think Boris has done the best but he isn't as bad
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kylo83 Avatar
66 months ago
so what they gonna do ive already paid over 2 months extra and now it will be another month it wont be worth me giving it in im paying to much for it now
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)