As England's second national lockdown comes to an end today, after four weeks of waiting, many customers enrolled in Apple's iPhone Upgrade Program are finally able to go in-store to complete their upgrade.
England entered a second national lockdown on Thursday, November 5, meaning that Apple stores in England were forced to close, with some converting to a click-and-collect service only.
Unlike the United States, iPhone Upgrade Program customers in the United Kingdom have to attend an in-store appointment to complete their upgrade.
Apple staggered the launch of the iPhone 12 lineup, with the iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPhone 12 mini launching three weeks later than the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro. The iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPhone 12 mini became available for pre-order on November 6, one day into England's lockdown. This meant that iPhone Upgrade Program customers in England were able to upgrade to the iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro if they did so before the second lockdown began, but not the iPhone 12 mini or iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Customers in the UK's other three constituent countries, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, were still able to upgrade as Apple Stores in these territories remained open due to different regional restrictions, albeit belatedly due to the way Apple's retail system operates.
Today, all Apple stores in England are re-opening, so the iPhone Upgrade Program is able to continue. However, as noted by iMore, not all retail stores are resuming normal opening hours.
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