You can now trade in your broken iPhone

You’d probably still be better off replacing the screen at a dodgy store and reselling it yourself, but if you can’t be bothered, Apple’s one-stop shop is worth the visit. Things would’ve been even worse when the damage was not repairable and you would literally have no other choice than to rip out few hundred bucks from your wallet in order to get a new phone altogether.

But the change in the service means consumers are now able to trade-in iPhone 5s and iPhone 6 and 6 Plus units with damaged displays, cameras and buttons, as well as older models, according to a report in the 9To5Mac blog, citing sources.

Prior to Apple’s new trade-in program, The Cupertino tech giant had already set in place the Apple Store Reuse and Recycle iPhone promo. Investor Wire reported that bringing in a fully-functioning 16GB iPhone 6 Plus to a Chinese Apple Store will net customers a ¥2,200 credit while an iPhone 5S is valued at ¥950.

Apple believes that this new program will encourage new iPhone upgrades versus a standard iPhone screen fix. The machine will accurately apply the protector without air bubbles.

Employees at Apple Store will use an automated protector installation machine to apply protectors. Apple partnered with Belkin to generate the feasibility of this idea.

Apparently, the trade-in terms and conditions state that Apple will offer credit for your broken phone as long as it can still function and power on. This is because when we add together all the subsidies and financing plans, trading in your older iPhone might be a little cheaper than buying a new one. Of course the amount you receive will be calculated according to the amount of damage the phone has been subjected to. This makes the new program beneficial to both Apple and customers as it will help Apple sell new phones and let customers save more money on an updated device.

The program may seem like it’s mostly about customer experience with the company but actually tries to achieve more than just that.