Apple Scrapped 'White-Glove' Setup Feature for Apple Upgrade Over Privacy Concerns

Apple's new Apple Upgrade leasing program could have offered an even more seamless setup experience. According to a new report, Apple once explored shipping replacement iPhones already configured with a customer's information, but the concept never made it into the final service after raising privacy questions.



In his latest Power On newsletter to subscribers, ]Mark Gurman reports that Apple had contemplated a "white-glove component" where a new iPhone ordered through the program would arrive ready to use, preloaded with a customer's information via an iCloud backup. The feature was discussed years ago as part of the lease-style offering that ultimately became Apple Upgrade, replacing the former iPhone Upgrade Program.


Instead of transferring information after unboxing, customers would have received a device with their apps, settings, and data already restored from an iCloud backup. That convenience, however, also would have raised privacy questions. Even if the process were fully automated, the idea of receiving a phone already loaded with personal information could have been difficult to reconcile with Apple's longstanding emphasis on privacy.

Advanced Data Protection presented another challenge. Users who enable Apple's end-to-end encryption feature for iCloud likely would not have been able to use the service because it prevents Apple from accessing the information needed to prepare the device. That would have meant offering different levels of service depending on whether Advanced Data Protection was enabled. Apple was forced to pull Advanced Data Protection in the UK last year and continues to face legal pressure over its privacy policies.

While the white-glove setup never materialized, Apple Upgrade launched in the U.S. last month, letting customers lease eligible iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple Watches with the option to upgrade to a new device each year.