Adrian Covert
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Apple Stores are now able to replace cracked iPhone 5C screens while you wait.
The $149 screen-repair service is being offered for the first time on Monday for Apple’s new “budget” phone. Apple began offering screen repairs for the iPhone 5 in June. Apple’s flagship iPhone 5S and the older-model iPhone 4S are still not eligible for in-store screen repairs.
Replacing screens on site marks a big policy change for the Apple Store. Before Monday, Apple would ship customers’ phones to an off-site repair center to fix cracked screens, costing customers $229.
An Apple Store employee confirmed to CNNMoney that it began offering iPhone 5C screen replacements on Monday. A spokesman for Apple declined to comment. The on-site screen fix story first surfaced as a rumor on 9to5mac last week
The iPhone 5C was released in September as Apple’s lower-cost smartphone. The move to offer in-store repairs is seemingly a response to the rising popularity of third-party repair services, which are cheaper but void iPhone warranties.