iPhone 11 Screen Repair and COVID-19 Lockdowns

Let me preface this predicament by saying that I am not upset or in opposition to Apple's decision to shut down locations, specifically service locations, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nor am I upset that third party Apple-authorized service providers closed either. These are unprecedented times and I applaud Apple for acting swiftly and appropriately for the safety of their employees. I am a lifelong fan of Apple... my very first personal computer that was solely mine, and not a family computer, was a tangerine Apple iMac G3. I loved that machine and have owned Apple products ever since. My wife uses Apple products, my parents use them... we are truly an Apple family and Apple's technology has had a huge part in my life.

My issue is this: in December, my wife and I each got the iPhone 11. It is such a joyful device to use. When we bought them (purchased in the US), we bought AppleCare+... because, well, I think you're crazy if you don't. We are currently locked down in the Philippines where we live part of the time working for a human right's organization committed to protecting children. During the strict lockdown in the Metro Manila area, I broke my iPhone 11 screen. We called Apple Support and they could not locate any open Apple-authorized service providers (not surprising) and looked ourselves as well. All of them were closed and remain mostly closed even as I type this. I planned to limp my iPhone along until we could get back to the US or until an authorized service provider opened here and the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) eased enough that we could, within the bounds of the law, get to the provider. Unfortunately, after a few weeks of my phone limping along, the screen continued to digress to the point that it was unusable. It was ghost touching and totally worthless to even answer or make a phone call, much less all the other things we expect our devices to do nowadays.

Eventually, I had to have a third-party home service, who is not officially authorized by Apple, come and repair my phone. I am working home and need that connectivity for that. There is simply no way around that. He did an excellent job and replaced it with an iPhone 11 screen that had been removed from another iPhone 11 that same day. It is no one else's fault but my own that the device screen got broken, and I certainly understood what it meant to have this guy repair it... but I was left with NO OTHER CHOICE.

The phone screen is working flawlessly now. Again, he did an excellent job. Other than the annoying settings notification saying that Apple can't authenticate a genuine screen... which is pesky but I knew to expect it. What really is frustrating to me is not that Apple or its third-party partners were closed. Totally get that and approve of their decision. Its not even that I had to shell out quite a bit of money to have a third-party person replace it when I have AppleCare+ for the purpose of negating much of that cost. I am fine with that based on the totality of the circumstances. What really is frustrating is that, now, because I was put in this position due to COVID lockdowns and Apple not having any service centers, my AppleCare+ protection on my screen is by policy invalidated. I am hoping that Apple is considering, given the craziness and severity of the lockdowns and their effects, that there could be an exception or waiver made for customers who were forced into a situation like this, where they had AppleCare+ but were forced by circumstances to have a device repaired through other means. I recognize this could be complicated to implement, but it is the right thing to do. When they reopened, I would even be willing to allow Apple to inspect my device before issuing such a waiver. Is this something in the ball park of an idea that Apple has considered or is considering? Is there anyone who can help me in knowing how to run this issue up the chain? I have tried the chat and feedback functions... but keep getting put in touch with someone who informs me that they can't help. They tell me to call a number and, frankly, I would rather express this issue in writing and have a response, one way or another, in writing as well. I think it's crazy that as a leader in the tech industry, Apple doesn't have an email or chat function to contact AppleCare+ for policy support and questions. That is another issue for another day, though...

Any information on if Apple has considered this issue or who to contact by email or some messenger platform to explore the issue would be awesome. I hope whoever is reading this is well.