Apple to Transition to Longer Serial Numbers for Repair Parts in October

Apple will begin to use a new and longer serial number format for iPhone, Mac, Apple Watch, and other product repair parts starting October 1, a few weeks following the expected launch of the new ‌iPhone‌ 14, Apple Watch Series 8, and other new products.

apple self service repair iphone
In a memo obtained by MacRumors, Apple is informing authorized service providers that their machines and equipment will need to be updated to support a new, longer 18-digit serial number for repair parts starting October 1. The current serial number for repair parts is 17-digits. The new 18-digit serial number will likely apply only to future repair parts, such as those for new iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, and Macs.

Before the launch of the ‌iPhone‌ 12 in 2020, Apple informed authorized service providers of its plans to move to use a randomized serial number for its products rather than the previous format, which has for years allowed customers and service providers to determine the date and location that a product was manufactured. Apple did not implement the randomized format until the purple iPhone 12 in May 2021.

Popular Stories

iphone 16 pro ghost hand

5 Reasons to Skip This Year's iPhone 17 Pro

Thursday July 10, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series in two months, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming...
apple tv 4k new orange

New Apple TV Expected Later This Year With These New Features

Saturday July 12, 2025 3:09 pm PDT by
A new Apple TV is expected to be released later this year, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the next Apple TV, according to rumors. Rumors Faster Wi-Fi Support The next Apple TV will be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. He said the chip supports ...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 16 New Features

Friday July 11, 2025 12:40 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are only two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:A redesigned Dynamic Island: It has been rumored that all iPhone 17 models will have a redesigned Dynamic Island interface — it might ...
macbook pro blue green

M5 MacBook Pro No Longer Coming in 2025

Thursday July 10, 2025 12:38 pm PDT by
Apple does not plan to refresh any Macs with updated M5 chips in 2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Updated MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models are now planned for the first half of 2026. Gurman previously said that Apple would debut the M5 MacBook Pro models in late 2025, but his newest report suggests that Apple is "considering" pushing them back to 2026. Apple is now said to be...
iphone 16 pro pro max

iPhone 17 Pro Models With BOE Displays Will Be Sold in China Only

Thursday July 10, 2025 11:59 pm PDT by
iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models with displays made by BOE will be sold exclusively in China, according to a new report. Last week, it emerged that Chinese display manufacturer BOE was aggressively ramping up its OLED production capacity for future iPhone models as part of a plan to recapture a major role in Apple's supply chain. Now, tech news aggregator Jukan Choi reports...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Complications

Apple Watch Ultra 3: What to Expect

Sunday July 13, 2025 10:30 am PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 is nearly over, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the Apple Watch Ultra 3:Satellite connectivity for sending and receiving text messages when Wi-Fi and cellular coverage is unavailable 5G support, up from LTE on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Likely a wide-angle OLED display that ...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Apple Says iPhone Driver's Licenses Will Expand to These 8 U.S. States

Tuesday July 8, 2025 11:26 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states, Puerto Rico,...
iPhone 17 Air Colors Thumb 2

iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air Rumored to Come in These 9 Colors

Friday July 11, 2025 12:30 am PDT by
The iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air will be available in a total of nine color options, according to new information coming out of Asia. The iPhone 17 Air's expected color options. According to the leaker going by the account name "yeux1122" on the Korean blog Naver, accessory manufacturers are now producing camera protector rings for the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air in colors to match their...

Top Rated Comments

flofixer Avatar
38 months ago
So I guess they should be called random numbers instead of serial numbers.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NoelWalker Avatar
38 months ago
Should have moved to 20-digit serial numbers instead. Maybe include emojis as well. Even 18-digit ones will run out very quickly in the foreseeable future considering how frequent their devices are being replaced every single year.

/s
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bookofxero Avatar
38 months ago

So is the point to make it more difficult to figure out if a certain phone should be avoided, or disrupt people determining other resale values on a potentially problem run of products? For example, the IPhone 12 has potential speaker issues on phones manufactured over a 3-month period.
Basically the latter. I remember massive returns of some Apple products because a certain plant was using, for example, one type of LCD panel and they wanted a specific one. The costs of that add up, as does the down-the-line customer dissatisfaction (ie, the ones who do not care about specific panels but have to wait longer to get a device because someone burned one because of SN).
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
svish Avatar
38 months ago
Wonder what the benefit will be for Apple with this change.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Porco Avatar
38 months ago
Tim Cook might have allegedly said Apple are quadruple-decatetra-hexaconta-tripling down on randomised numbers.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WWPD Avatar
38 months ago
This changes EVERYTHING. Balls in your court Samsung/Google.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)