Why did my Apple device receive a $0 trade-in value?

Hey guys i also attempted to do a trade in towards a post purchase and i got $0 value for the trade in phone.

reasoning given: Functional defects found

• Unauthorized modification detected (zero value provided)

There is NO WAY this phone has been modified,

has anyone ever gotten this?

Same thing with me. It looks like a glitch in Apples system. We’re you be able to resolve the trade in?

I have the same message above on 2 different iPhone 15 while trying to do a trade in. The phone never been modified. Only a few months old and still under warranty. Something wrong with apple.

About to file a fcc complaint.

Never modified and Apple can’t give me a direct answer on what the issue is. Phone is fully functional. They just use general terminology “Functional defects found

• Unauthorized modification detected (zero value provided)” that can technically mean anything.

Apple_finatic wrote:

Very odd. I tried with an unlocked device and I got appropriate value for it. When I do it with carrier locked phones I get the $0 modification message

Nothing odd about it. Carrier-locked phones cannot be used with any other carrier and no one other than the original owner can get it unlocked, so their refurbishment or parts value is nil.

Regards.

I tried with another phone and kept getting the same 0$ value message

Your tag line says that you have an iPhone 16 Pro Max.

If that is the device that you were trying to trade in, Apple might not be accepting those for trade-in yet. Looking at the iPhone Trade In Values list on the U.S. Apple site, I see estimated values for the iPhone 7 Plus through iPhone 15 Pro Max. No iPhone 16 series phones on the list.

Maybe the "smart assessment" gave the device a $0 trade-in value because Apple isn't accepting iPhone 16 series phones for trade-in yet. They might only be interested in taking those after the iPhone 17 series phones come out.

We aren’t trying to trade in a iPhone from the 16 series. It wouldn’t even do a diagnostics let alone give any value. We are trying to trade in lower model iPhones that Apple does currently accept for trade in.

We are trying to trade in lower model iPhones that Apple does currently accept for trade in.

Well, that just might explain things.

What exact models are you trying to trade in?

The iPhone 7, iPhone 6, iPhone 5 and other lower models are not eligible for trade in.

You can find a complete list of iPhones that are eligible for trade in here:

Apple Trade InAppleApple › shop › trade-in

A model that is not edible will of course have zero value on trade.

Its more than likely Apple running trial testing to pick up on replaced parts and show $0 value on people trying to trade in phones with changed parts. This feature will probably roll put sometime soon but in the meantime the system keeps shooting out $0 unauthorized modifications on most if not all phones tested using the automatic smart assessment.

DannyiPhones wrote:

Never modified and Apple can’t give me a direct answer on what the issue is. Phone is fully functional. They just use general terminology “Functional defects found

• Unauthorized modification detected (zero value provided)” that can technically mean anything.

Did you physically take the device to the Apple Store for trade-in or was this using the online trade-in?

We have no idea, what device you were looking to trade-in.

Nonsense it wont run the test at all for a 16

was the phone you were trying to trade in carrier locked?