The Differences Between the New ‘Apple Upgrade’ and the Old ‘iPhone Upgrade Program’

Ryan Christoffel, writing for 9to5Mac:

Apple Upgrade launched this week, and the iPhone Upgrade Program is being discontinued as a result. But despite some similarities, the two offerings are not the same. Here are the key differences.

I wrote yesterday that there seemingly is no catch with the new Apple Upgrade program, but there’s at least one, which Christoffel’s piece doesn’t note. When you lease an iPhone through Apple Upgrade, you need a cellular account on one of the big three U.S. carriers: AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon. That kind of stinks, and I’m not quite sure I understand why. You’re leasing the iPhone through Apple and Klarna, not the carrier, so I don’t know why Apple cares. If you know why, shoot me a message and explain it. Is it just a simplistic credit-risk evaluation, where prepaid plan-holders and MVNO users in general are viewed suspiciously?

I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about the higher-quality MVNOs, especially US Mobile. (Quinn Nelson mentioned last week on The Talk Show that he’s on US Mobile.) But if you’re not on one of the big three you can’t lease an iPhone through Apple Upgrade.

(I think the old iPhone Upgrade Program required you to have a plan on one of the big three carriers too, so that might be why Christoffel didn’t mention it — it’s the same, not a difference.)

★ Thursday, 30 July 2026