AppleCare Plus has saved me more than once. The plan is like an insurance policy for your technology, covering most repairs or replacements of Apple devices during the covered period. This month, Apple has extended the period in which customers can extend their AppleCare Plus coverage after it expires, changing that time from 30 to 45 days after the original plan ends. The change is noted on Apple's site, as reported earlier by MacRumors.
A representative for Apple confirmed the change.
Last year, I wrote about how happy I was to have AppleCare Plus when my young daughter dropped my phone on concrete at an Arizona wedding. Our devices are becoming more and more vital, but they're not unbreakable, and they can be pricey to replace. So even though I tend to hate buying additional care plans or warranties for most products -- didn't I just pay you a bunch of money already? -- AppleCare Plus seems worthwhile to me.
Apple's blog post notes that the new time period is good for customers in Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and the US.
If your device plan is for an iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch, you might be able to purchase new coverage that renews monthly or annually. For Macs, you have to go with annual coverage.
Not sure when your AppleCare Plus coverage expires? Apple says to go to Settings > General > About > Coverage. I tried this on my iPhone and while there was no Coverage menu, right below my device's serial number it did say AppleCare+ and noted an expiration date. You can also check your plan and find out if you can purchase the new coverage by going to mysupport.apple.com.
Read more: AppleCare Plus vs. Phone Insurance: Which Is the Better Deal?