By Glenn Fleishman

July 28, 2025 8:15 AM PT

Don’t overpay for cellular data while traveling

Travelers used to find themselves at a loss for cheap mobile data when traveling outside of their home country or region, and often wound up paying dearly for it. You now have an enormous range of options, but it’s always better to make plans before you leave.

I remember going to the United Kingdom in 2017, my first trip to Europe since 2000, and being armed with too little practical information. I knew that I should be able to drop into a Tesco or other store and find a cheap SIM plan that I could use for the several days I was there. I bypassed airport kiosks, warned that they were overpriced. Jet lagged, I probably wasted an hour figuring out what to do, but it worked just fine and it wasn’t a lot.

The next year, on a family trip with all four in our grouping, I had pre-purchased SIMs for each of our phones. On arrival, we sat at a café in the airport as I used a SIM remover tool and carefully took out each SIM (which I’d labeled with a Sharpie before leaving home), put it into a zip-seal bag, found the corresponding roaming SIM, and inserted that. Tedious, but better—and a lot more data for the dollar.

Now, we have the advantage of eSIMs: electronic SIMs that are a bit of circuitry that can reconfigure itself on demand to act like a physical SIM with none of the fuss. Most carriers worldwide have switched almost exclusively to them, allowing SIMs for just older legacy phones.

Starting with the iPhone XS/XR models, iPhones offered support for either a SIM or eSIM, with one active at a time. The iPhone 13 series introduced dual SIMs, allowing you to have either a SIM and an eSIM or two eSIMs active simultaneously. In the United States, Apple removed the physical SIM slot with the iPhone 14 introduction.¹

In 2022 and 2023, I travelled to multiple destinations in Europe with a combination of carrier-provided free international data and eSIM, and that was a breeze. But there were a lot of choices to make about cell plan, eSIM provider, and managing data between them.

Get familiar with eSIM installation and activation

One of the nicest things about eSIMs is that they’re not hard to deploy. Apple relies on an industry-supported standard and provides multiple paths to add an eSIM after purchase to an iPhone or to an iPad with a cellular modem. You can transfer an eSIM from a nearby phone when you’re migrating service, but for travel, you will either use a QR code or manually enter the eSIM number that is encoded in that QR code. Apple offers clearly written instructions.

In Apple’s eSIM overview, it notes that for a “new” iPhone, you need to be on an Wi-Fi network to activate services, except with a U.S. iPhone model starting with series 14. That applies to setting up base service.

When you’re adding a roaming eSIM, you need to make sure you have all the instructions required, like the QR code or other information, stored on your device or downloaded into an app, which many roaming providers offer. In some cases, you may only be able install the eSIM only when you’re in the area in which it offers service; in others, you can install in advance.

Installing may activate the SIM, starting a service days countdown, or your eSIM plan might have an expiration date for starting a service period. For instance, Airalo says to check your eSIM, as it may activate on installation; Holafly notes, “Install the eSIM before your trip and keep it turned off until needed to avoid unwanted data usage in multi-destination plans”; while Saily explains, “Your plan will automatically activate when you reach your destination or 30 days after you’ve bought it.” Read the instructions before purchasing!

After installing an eSIM, you can effectively archive or disable it when your service period or data usage limit is over. You can later reactivate it after you’ve topped up or renewed services through the eSIM provider, but you don’t need to scan a QR code or re-enter the eSIM information.

You can store up to eight eSIMs per device, though only one or two can be active at once, depending on your iPhone or iPad model. You can enable and disable eSIMs via Settings > Cellular or Settings > Cellular Data.

Check your carrier first

American carriers have a variety of options for service outside the United States. The cost split among them for data beyond the border is fairly stark, depending on how often you travel.

• Neighbors included (CA/MX): All carriers’ current plans include data in Canada and Mexico, save one Google Fi pay-as-you-go offering. These plans range from unlimited 128 Kbps service to full-speed service up to the monthly U.S. data limit of your plan before throttling.
• Day pass with monthly cap (AT&T, Verizon): AT&T and Verizon offer day passes that are capped at a monthly maximum (AT&T) or have a monthly option (Verizon). Both included daily data usage across 210+ countries² in the world. Big warning! If you use a single bit of data, one text, or one minute calling outside your included service on either carrier, they charge for you a day pass on their current “unlimited” plans that don’t include that country (more details below).
• Some level of unlimited included (Google Fi, T-Mobile): T-Mobile has a base level of 2G speeds (128 Kbps or 256 Kbps) in all their current plans and most of their legacy ones (I’m on legacy T-Mobile Magenta). The more you pay for basic service, the more data you get while roaming internationally each month and the higher the throttled rate. Google has one plan with a capped monthly usage and 256 Kbps thereafter outside the United States.
• Legacy pay-as-you-go charges (AT&T, Verizon): If you’re on a legacy plan, one without “unlimited” in the name, you might have to call, use a web site, or use an app to load an international day pass on AT&T or Verizon before you start using service in another country. Otherwise, they charge you $2,050 per gigabyte ($2.05/MB).

The “unlimited” in many cases means “up to X GB after which speeds are throttled or deprioritized in the United States, and, if unlimited is included for other countries, dropped to 3G or 2G rate.” However, a few top-tier “unlimited” plans don’t cap U.S. high-speed usage at all.

All service plans below have the price listed for a single line; multiple lines reduce the price dramatically, with 3 or 4 lines often dropping to half of the cost per line of a single line. Tax and fees are added to all monthly service charges noted, too.

AT&T

With AT&T’s current Unlimited plans, you get uncapped data, calls, and texts in and between Canada, Mexico, and the United States. There’s a footnote that says you could be dropped to 2G speeds without an explanation as to when or why.

AT&T’s International Day Pass is $12/day for unlimited data, talk, and texting when added to an unlimited plan, meaning the same limits you have for data for U.S. service.³ Additional lines that use international data on the same day are charged $6/day. It’s possible to add the pass to a legacy plan, but details of what you get then are buried deeply within a lengthy legal document. The cost is capped at 10 daily fees per line per month, so a maximum of $120 for a primary line and $60 for secondary ones.

AT&T top-tier Unlimited Premium PL plan ($85.99/mo.) includes unlimited data, voice minutes, and texting in 20 Latin American countries. There’s no plan with high-speed international usage beyond Canada, Mexico, and those 20 countries—you need a data pass.

If you don’t have a day pass added manually or automatically, the pay-as-you-go rates are $2.05/MB, which multiplies out to $2,050/GB.

Google Fi Wireless

Probably the simplest service to explain, Google Fi has two plan options that you can use with data outside the United States:

• Unlimited Premium ($65/mo.) includes 50 GB of usage per month in 200+ countries, then throttles to 256 Kbps for the remainder of the month.
• Flexible ($20/mo.) is $10/GB no matter where it’s used in those 200+ countries, including the United States.

Texting is free in those 200+ countries on both plans; calls are $0.20 per minute.

T-Mobile

Three of T-Mobile’s current plans and of some of its still-active legacy ones include unlimited international data at 128 Kbps or 256 Kbps in 215+ countries with some plans including higher-speed data. Calls are $0.25/minute except in Canada and Mexico, where they are free and unlimited; texting is unlimited worldwide.

With their current plans, you can opt for:

• Essentials Saver ($50/mo.): Canada and Mexico are included with 128 Kbps unlimited data usage. No other international usage can be had.
• Experience More ($85/mo.): You get 15 GB/mo. in Canada or Mexico and 5 GB/mo. in 215+ countries (or is it 213+?) before a 256 Kbps throttle.
• Experience Beyond ($100/mo.): This top tier offers 30 GB/month is Canada and Mexico and 15 GB/month everywhere else before a 256 Kbps throttle.

T-Mobile uniquely has an optional data pass you can add to plans, all three of which include unlimited calling during that period and use of the data as a mobile hotspot, something typically not allowed by carriers on any international roaming:

• 512 MB of data for $5 per day
• 5 GB of data for $35 across 10 days
• 15 GB of data for $50 across 30 days

Verizon

With either of the current two lower-tier Unlimited plans, a pass is automatically added when usage is detected; you can opt to add one for legacy plans that don’t start a pass for you. You can also subscribe to the Unlimited Ultimate plan for your line or lines ($90/mo.) to have international roaming included.

The Verizon TravelPass is $12/day in “210+ countries and destinations.” At that price, you get 5 GB a day at “high-speed” rates, which typically means the highest contracted Verizon has, likely 10 Mbps or much faster, depending on the carrier and region. After 5 GB, you’re dropped to “3G” speeds, which typically means a few Mbps. This daily pass also includes unlimited voice call minutes and text messages.

For $100/month, you get a full month with no additional charges and up to 5 GB per day and 20 GB per month before dropping to 3G speeds (1.5 Mbps). Weirdly, this pass is described as including only 250 minutes of calling.

Verizon customers with one of their Unlimited plans ($65/mo.) get data, calls, and text in Canada and Mexico as part of that service. Otherwise, it’s $6/day for either Canada or Mexico.

With Unlimited Ultimate, you get a similar-but-worse deal than the $100/month TravelPass benefits: 15 GB per month before 3G throttling, plus unlimited texting and calls. I’m unclear if layering a day pass on top would change that—probably—but at that point, you should consider an eSIM data service provider.

Verizon’s pay-as-you-go rates are set country by country, but my spot check shows they are the same as AT&T: $2.05/MB, thus $2,050/GB.

Find a data eSIM alternative

If you need more than the included amounts with service or find the day pass or other extended usage rates a bit high as you add them up, this is where roaming eSIM providers come in. While there are many companies you can purchases these from, a few appear frequently across reviews and testing; I’ve used one of them.

For the purposes of apples-to-apples comparison, I’m listing the price for European coverage, which typically covers roughly 40 countries, including the UK and all EU nations. For specific countries or other parts of the world, prices tend to be comparably proportional to Europe. I’m also looking at the best data and dollar combinations relative to the cost of using carrier day passes or upgrading service.

• Airalo: The company has what it calls a Eurolink eSIM, which has two sweet spots of unlimited data for 10 days for $35 (up to 3 GB per day before throttling) or 20 GB of data across 30 days for $49. I’ve used them on two different trips, and topping up service while still underway was a breeze via their app.
• aloSIM: aloSIM’s European eSIM packages include 15-day unlimited usage for $35 (up to 1.5 GB per day before throttling) or $37 for 10 GB across 30 days.
• Holafly: Holafly only offers unlimited data plans in Europe, with 10 days costing $36.90; a 30-day plan is $74.90. No specific daily limited are noted: “Some carriers may reserve the right to apply a Fair Usage Policy.” You can also share up to 1 GB/day as a mobile hotspot.
• Saily: Get unlimited usage in Europe over 10 days for $35.99 with a maximum of 5 GB per day at full speed and then 1 Mbps thereafter. A 30-day plan with 10 GB is $35.99 as well.

The decision tree

Carrier options used to be so terrible and expensive that it seemed silly to discuss them. Now, with the options described above, you might be able to use included service or upgrade a line or your family to a higher tier plan for one month (if allowed with your service). Day passes could be very useful occasionally for a single day, but once you hit two or more days, there’s no reason to pick one over an eSIM data option.

However, don’t forget to figure in Wi-Fi hotspots. High-speed Internet service is often available at many locations even in mid-sized or small cities charging reasonable fees. If you’re in a hotel with uncapped service or in a rental home or with friends or family and know that they aren’t charged overages, that’s a great way to manage your high-usage uploads, too.

[Got a question for the column? You can email glenn@sixcolors.com or use /glenn in our subscriber-only Discord community.]

[Glenn Fleishman is a printing and comics historian, Jeopardy champion, and serial Kickstarterer. His latest book, which you can pre-order, is Flong Time, No See. Recent books are Six Centuries of Type & Printing and How Comics Are Made.]

By Dan Moren

July 25, 2025 6:49 AM PT

The iPhone Upgrade Program is compatible with AppleCare One

One of the questions raised by the recent announcement of AppleCare One came from Six Colors member Jono, who—when I mentioned that the only AppleCare I had was via the iPhone Upgrade Program—wondered “if there is any interaction with that at all.”

It was a good question, and honestly, one I should have thought about more myself, being an iPhone Upgrade Program subscriber.

The answer, perhaps surprisingly, is yes! These two programs are compatible, though if you want to do that, it does require a bit more work.

Apple spokesperson Anna Mitchell told me that iPhone Upgrade Program subscribers can contact Apple Support and unbundle their coverage from the iPhone financing, then upgrade to AppleCare One. Keep in mind that AppleCare One is only available in the U.S. at present, and requires a U.S.-based Apple Account in good standing.

Of course, my personal experience with the iPhone Upgrade Program—while it has gotten better every year that I’ve been a subscriber—is that it sometimes struggles with unusual cases, so if you do go this route, be prepared for some potential extra challenges if you choose to upgrade your phone this fall.

[Dan Moren is the East Coast Bureau Chief of Six Colors, as well as an author, podcaster, and two-time Jeopardy! champion. You can find him on Mastodon at @dmoren@zeppelin.flights or reach him by email at dan@sixcolors.com. His next novel, the sci-fi adventure Eternity's Tomb, will be released in November 2026.]

By Dan Moren

July 24, 2025 10:20 AM PT

First Look: watchOS 26 Public Beta

After a pretty big overhaul a few years back with watchOS 10 and a more modest update in watchOS 11, I’d describe this year’s update—now numbered 26 like the rest of Apple’s platforms, and available as a public beta—more focused.

Sure, there’s a new Liquid Glass design that aligns with the rest of the company’s platforms, but the vast majority of big new features focus on a single app—Workout—which gets not only its own UI overhaul, but also a big new Apple Intelligence feature, Workout Buddy.

watchOS 26 isn’t without its tweaks and enhancements, though how much they help you may rely more on both what version of the Apple Watch you’ve got, as well as the ins and outs of how you use your Apple Watch everyday. And, of course, there are a few features debuting across Apple’s platforms this year that show up on the Apple Watch too.

Continue reading “First Look: watchOS 26 Public Beta”…

By Jason Snell

July 24, 2025 10:20 AM PT

First Look: iPadOS 26 Public Beta

iPadOS 26, now available as a public beta, is one of the biggest updates in iPad history. There’s a new design that changes the look and feel of the whole interface, yes, but also the introduction of a whole raft of productivity features that lift the iPad closer to the Mac—for those who want to use it that way.

It’s like a weight has been lifted from the soul of the iPad. It remains a very nice device to use in full-screen mode with all the simplicity attendant to that mode, or via a single tap it can turn into a multi-window, multitasking device that’s appropriate for the Mac-class hardware underpinning today’s iPads. The iPad no longer feels like it’s trying to live up to the promise of being the Future of Computing; with iPadOS 26, it’s more comfortable being itself.

Continue reading “First Look: iPadOS 26 Public Beta”…

By Dan Moren

July 24, 2025 10:20 AM PT

First Look: iOS 26 Public Beta

iOS 26! It feels like just last year we were here discussing iOS 18. How time flies.

After a year that saw the debut of Apple Intelligence and the subsequent controversy over the features that it didn’t manage to ship, Apple seems to have taken a different tack with iOS 26. In addition to the expansive new Liquid Glass design that spans all of its platforms, Apple has largely focused on smaller, “quality of life” improvements rather than marquee new features. That’s not a bad thing, either—these are often the types of things that Apple does best, and which actually make a meaningful impact on the lives of their customers: saving them time waiting on hold on the phone, helping them avoid dealing with spam, and improving their driving features.

It’s also worth noting that, with very few exceptions, all of the iOS 26 features that Apple demoed during its WWDC keynote this year are available, right now, in the public beta. The exceptions include the digital ID feature in Wallet that uses info from your passport and the age rating/content restriction updates in the App Store. That’s it. Everything else has been there since the earliest beta builds.

I’ve spent the last few weeks running those initial developer betas of iOS 26 so you don’t have to. As the public beta arrives, you may be tempted to dive in, so allow me to run down the biggest changes to your phone. And, as per our usual reminder, this is the beta period, so everything is still subject to change and the final version, when it arrives this fall, might look or work differently from the way it does today.

With that disclaimer out of the way, let’s take a look at what might convince you to take the plunge.

Continue reading “First Look: iOS 26 Public Beta”…

By Jason Snell

July 24, 2025 10:19 AM PT

First Look: macOS Tahoe Public Beta

For many years, Apple’s annual operating-system cycle seemed to be all about the iPhone, with the occasional bone thrown to the Mac or iPad. But Apple’s latest operating-system releases (all synced up as version 26)—due this fall and available now as a public beta—are spreading the love around.

Yes, macOS Tahoe inherits a new design language that feels like it was designed for other devices. But look closer and you’ll find the biggest updates to Spotlight ever, including direct access to app actions and Apple’s first-ever clipboard manager. Shortcuts also gets a huge productivity boost, both from the introduction of automations and from access to Apple’s AI models.

There are a bunch of other little improvements, too. I won’t lie: that new design is a mess, though Apple appears to be making progress, and there’s still time to address some of its biggest issues. But after using early releases of macOS Tahoe, I’m willing to say the productivity gains will outweigh whatever design quirks we might have to put up with as Apple figures out how to apply its design to the Mac.

Continue reading “First Look: macOS Tahoe Public Beta”…

By Dan Moren

July 23, 2025 8:04 AM PT

Apple announces AppleCare One, a device coverage bundle program

Maybe you religiously sign up for AppleCare when you buy a new Apple product. Maybe you do it every once in a while. Maybe you never do it. No matter your approach—well, maybe not the “I never sign up for it” people—there’s a new option in town: AppleCare One.

The new service, which Apple announced on Wednesday for customers in the U.S., gives you coverage for up to three Apple products for $19.99 a month and additional products for $5.99 per month per device—no matter what kind. You can even add your existing products if they’re up to four years old and what Apple describes as “in good condition,” which may require you do an Apple-provided diagnostic check.

For that monthly fee, you get all the coverage of AppleCare+, which means unlimited accidents¹, battery coverage, and priority coverage. Additional fees apply for some coverages, based on the type of incident, ranging from $15 for accidental damage to your Apple TV to $299 for accidental damage to your Mac, Apple Display, or Apple Vision Pro.

Apple is also extending theft and loss protections to the iPad and Apple Watch, though deductibles and fees will apply. AppleCare One covers up to three total claims for theft or loss in a year across all your devices. (The newly launched individual AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss plans for iPad and Apple Watch each cover two incidents per year.)

AppleCare One certainly simplifies the pricing structure, especially for people with lots of Apple products, and it makes coverage more flexible, since you can adjust your plan at any time, swapping products out as you like. Traditionally, you’ve had a limited time to sign up for AppleCare: 60 days after the purchase of your device, and different devices have commanded different rates.

But is the bundle cost effective? Apple says in its release that “a customer can enroll their iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, and save up to $11 a month over enrolling in separate AppleCare+ plans for each device.”

Which…yes, they could. But herein lies the fine print, because in many cases it depends on what model devices you have; as always, AppleCare costs vary depending on how expensive the device is.

So, if you have a base level iPad ($2.99/month) and an Apple Watch SE ($1.99/mo.) along with an iPhone 16e ($9.99/month), your monthly cost would be on the order of $15 per month, significantly cheaper than the $19.99 AppleCare One fee. And even more so if you’re willing to sign up for a year of coverage for your devices—just $170 instead of the almost $240 for AppleCare One, which doesn’t offer an annual discount. But, of course, you lose the aforementioned flexibility. On the flip side, if you’ve got an Apple Vision Pro ($24.99/mo.) and any other Apple devices, you could stand to save quite a bit.

In other words, your mileage may vary. One lingering question involves the iPhone Upgrade Program, which already includes AppleCare+ coverage as part of its subscription fee. It’s unclear exactly how that works with AppleCare One, though I’ve reached out to Apple to ask.

So, why is the company rolling this out now? Well, let us not forget that AppleCare is part of Apple’s Services division, and the company is hot on increasing its revenue there. Like any insurance plan, Apple has run the math and decided that the amount it’s likely to bring in from the recurring revenue more than offsets however much it costs to do device repairs and replacements.

Apple is scheduled to hold its third-quarter financial results call in just over a week, on July 31, and it will undoubtedly tout this new plan as a great option for its customers. Which, again, it may be, depending on what devices you have and your predilection for damaging or losing them. But it’s also a great deal for Apple.

Updated on 7/23 at 3pm Eastern with more details on pricing by type of device.
Updated on 7/24 at 11:30am Eastern with corrected and expanded device pricing.

[Dan Moren is the East Coast Bureau Chief of Six Colors, as well as an author, podcaster, and two-time Jeopardy! champion. You can find him on Mastodon at @dmoren@zeppelin.flights or reach him by email at dan@sixcolors.com. His next novel, the sci-fi adventure Eternity's Tomb, will be released in November 2026.]

By Joe Rosensteel

July 22, 2025 8:30 AM PT

Michelin mess: How Apple Maps fumbles location details

Apple Maps navigation might be on par with Google’s these days, but Apple’s location data is not. Google offers broad coverage for many points of interest, while Apple’s data has mostly relied on knitting together bits from competing business partners. This attempts to mimic Google’s comprehensive coverage without Apple having to do the foundational work itself.

Apple recently announced it would integrate data from Michelin Guide (prestigious/exacting), The Infatuation (trendy/young), and Golf Digest (retirees/executives/awful world leaders). While initial partnerships seemed shrewd for bootstrapping Maps data, Apple now appears content to make the entire platform out of boot straps.

This approach layers on top of existing partners like Yelp, OpenTable, TripAdvisor, and Foursquare, not to mention numerous international partners. Let’s focus on restaurants, the core of the Michelin Guide’s focus.

Guides by Michelin Guide, not Michelin guides

Michelin integrations remain limited to the U.S., three months post-announcement. (Sorry, France!) However, I don’t think anyone is truly missing out, as the Michelin integration offers very limited value.

Curiously, there’s no “Michelin Guide” within Apple Maps’s Guides feature. Instead, some cities feature Apple Maps Guides created by Michelin Guide to highlight specific restaurants. For instance, “Best Korean BBQ in Los Angeles” spotlights Korean BBQ restaurants, but only one has a Michelin rating, and its specific rating isn’t indicated within the Apple Maps Guide interface. You must visit each linked location to find out. Why are the rest unrated? It’s a mystery.

To find all Michelin-rated restaurants in Los Angeles, users must search for “restaurants in Los Angeles” and manually toggle filters for every type of Michelin Guide rating in the Maps view.

Everyone gets a rating system

What do these ratings tell us? Consider three Nancy Silverton restaurants operating from the same building:

• Osteria Mozza — Michelin-rated with one star and a green star. It has a 4.8 on OpenTable.
• Pizzeria Mozza — This casual pizzeria has a Bib Gourmand. Its Michelin “about” section focuses more on the proprietors than noteworthy dishes, and it’s rated 4.7 by OpenTable.
• Chi Spacca — It has a Green Star¹ from Michelin and a 4.8 on OpenTable.

It’s striking that Apple Maps has captured not a single Apple Maps rating for these three notable restaurants, nor for the vast majority of Michelin-rated restaurants in LA.

Apple Maps never presents all available ratings and reviews for a location. Yelp and TripAdvisor have lower ratings for these restaurants, but because these three use OpenTable for reservations, only OpenTable ratings and reviews are shown, which consistently trend higher.²

Consider two other nearby restaurants with differing review systems in Apple Maps:

• Jon & Vinny’s — The original Fairfax pizza and pasta location somehow has a Bib Gourmand and a 3.5 on Yelp. How does one compare this to Pizzeria Mozza (Bib Gourmand, 4.7 on OpenTable)?
• Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura — This Beverly Hills restaurant has a Michelin star, a gushing Michelin “about” section, and a lower-than-expected 4.0 on Yelp. How do you choose between this and Osteria Mozza if you’re picking a Michelin-starred Osteria in LA?

Searching Maps for “restaurants” and selecting “Top Rated” reveals no clear pattern for what “Top Rated” signifies. It pulls from a patchwork of rating systems and random Apple Maps Guides. Some listings only have Apple Maps ratings and no other reviews, even when Yelp or TripAdvisor data exists. An “Overall” score of 84%³, for example, is supposedly enough to deem a place “Top Rated.” Not in any school I ever attended, but sure.

How will this hodgepodge improve when The Infatuation’s 0-10 ratings data is added? What new assortment of metrics will define “Top Rated” then?

The menu problem

Deciding on a restaurant often hinges on its menu, yet this isn’t a primary consideration in Maps. It’s almost always hidden behind a “More…” button. Apple frequently relies on third parties for menus, often displaying “Menu” with a Yelp icon, rather than linking directly to the restaurant’s website menu.

Apple is indexing the whole internet, but can’t index restaurant menus? While many restaurants fail to keep their online menus updated, an effort is still needed. This failure to index menu information also explains why searching for specific dishes or cuisine in Apple Maps is ineffective. A search for “khao soi” in LA yields only “Khao Soi Thai,” not the many restaurants offering the dish. “Khao soi noodle” incorrectly suggests places like Lan Noodle, which doesn’t serve it.

Yelp, an Apple partner, handles this search better within its own app, as does Google Maps, both displaying the expected Thai restaurants.

Perhaps Google excels because it indexes these menus. A Google Maps restaurant listing prominently features “Menu” after “Overview,” linking to the restaurant website and displaying user-submitted photos of physical menus with dates. It’s imperfect, but it’s an active attempt to solve the problem, not bury or outsource it.

The camera eats first

Photos convey much about a restaurant and its dishes. Apple Maps offers photos, but often without dates or captions, sourced from various third parties, including Michelin Guide, and potentially dating back to Foursquare’s early days. Yelp sometimes requires a deep link to its app to view photos.

There’s no way to filter photos by source service (to exclude those requiring an account) or to show only Apple Maps user submissions. While Apple Maps allows user photo uploads, users can’t caption or categorize images, and there’s no alt text for accessibility. While privacy-preserving in allowing anonymous uploads, the utility is questionable, especially the setting allowing Apple to share uploaded photos with partners.⁴

Google Maps, however, provides photo captions and can even surface photos of frequently mentioned or photographed menu items.

Reviews you can use

Apple Maps’s scoring system, which presents results as percentages, offers little actionable information. What does 87% for Food & Drink mean? We need words to make sense of “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” feedback.

While user reviews can invite attention-seeking behavior (thanks for reading my column), they contain valuable data best shared in writing, not as a binary metric. Aggregated reviews are particularly useful, and AI summaries, despite their flaws, can highlight the frequency of compliments or complaints.

Ironically, Apple uses AI summaries for App Store reviews (where grievances are common) but not for restaurants, where people are often motivated to rave about a great meal.

I have reservations

Apple’s reliance on OpenTable for reservations overlooks other services. Sometimes Yelp is offered, or Yelp’s wait lists appear under “More….”

The Michelin integration now allows reservations via Michelin, but this isn’t native; it routes you to Michelin’s site, listing services like Resy—which Apple doesn’t partner with, despite my having its app.

Google Maps’s “Reserve” button either offers an app/service picker or a seamless in-Maps reservation process regardless of service. Apple should emulate this, avoiding routing users through Michelin Guide for a service-agnostic reservation list, especially when Michelin Guide covers only a fraction of restaurants.

Thumbs down

I could continue, and certainly for other location types beyond restaurants, but I believe I’ve made my point: every new Apple Maps partner merely adds another incomplete layer of data. The underlying problems persist because Apple relies on these external sources rather than genuinely investing in its own internal ratings, reviews, or photo capabilities. As such, their data remains largely unhelpful.

The Michelin Guide, The Infatuation, or any “expert” source will never cover every restaurant in every city. As for user reviews, OpenTable users are limited by its business model, and both Yelp and TripAdvisor offer more features and consistency in their own apps than Apple provides in Maps.

Google Maps, however, offers a one-stop shop for ratings, reviews, menus, reservations, and even real-time busyness data, all directly comparable to surrounding places and usable worldwide.

It would be beneficial for Apple to expand its first-party data and incentivize users and business owners to contribute fresh, relevant information to points of interest with the same volume and frequency as other platforms. There are so many iPhone users writing reviews, and submitting photos, but they’re not doing it in Apple Maps. Why not incentivize those users to post that data directly at this point, instead of piecing it together from business arrangements made with different providers that do collect the data?

[Joe Rosensteel is a VFX artist and writer based in Los Angeles.]

By Glenn Fleishman

July 21, 2025 11:40 AM PT

Claiming warranty service on Apple accessories

One of Apple’s key selling points for decades has been its warranty service. Yes, the company has had some notable points of irritability—some of which have led to apologies or consumer lawsuit settlements—but, by and large, you don’t have to fight or fight much less hard to get your devices repaired.¹

When it comes to stuff you buy that works with Macs, iPhones, and iPads, the track record is a little murkier, partly because it’s not always clear what warranty service is available and under what terms.

Six Colors member Nathan writes in with a complaint and question about this:

I’m dealing with an iPad Magic Keyboard issue, and apparently, before I can get a repair or replacement, I need to call Apple and have them associate the iPad with the keyboard. And each iPad can only have one accessory, so I had to un-associate an Apple Pencil first.

I’ve seen online that the association should happen in the first 60 days, but nobody seemed to care, which raises the question: What is the point of this if I can just change associations whenever I want? Also, apparently, sometimes associations happen automatically?

How do you make an association? How can you tell what’s covered? And how long does coverage last?

What’s covered and how?

Because every country and some states or regions have variations in warranty requirements that Apple must conform to, I’ll cite and link to the relevant text for U.S. warranties below. However, despite using the decision tree at the Hardware Warranties page to drill down to a product, model, country/region, and even the years covered by warranty language,² the same warranty appears to apply to many countries. Where that’s not the case, Apple meets or exceeds the U.S. warranty requirements in most of the world.

This general “Apple One (1) Year Limited Warranty – Accessory” for products branded as Apple or Beats covers quite a lot of goods that function on their own: AirTags, earbuds, headphones, Apple TV, and so on. This is true, too, for Apple Pencil, Apple-branded iPad keyboards, Mac keyboards (which can also work with iPhones and iPads, of course), and mice and other input and pointing devices with the Apple name.

Where you start seeing a division in coverage is with AppleCare+. With the included warranty, defective products can be repaired or replaced at no cost, and you get 90 days of technical support beyond troubleshooting—you can get someone to talk you through migrating a Mac or installing apps on an iPad.

Pay for additional coverage with AppleCare+, and technical support extends for as long as you pay, as well as repair and replacement, plus some bonus features that are free or come with a set fee. Batteries on any device with one can be replaced at no charge when they drop below 80% capacity. The fees cover things that are your fault or someone else’s. With AppleCare+ for Mac, you can pay a flat fee to repair accidental damage: $99 for screen or case, $299 for other kinds of damage. With Apple’s AppleCare+ with Theft or Loss for iPhone (available in 18 countries), you can pay $149 to replace a phone that’s lost or stolen, up to twice in a 12-month period.

While you can buy AppleCare+ for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch, as well as for Apple Display models, Apple Vision Pro, HomePod (all types), Apple TV, and “Headphones” (which includes Air Pods in earbud format), you can’t pay for it for AirTags, mice, keyboards, Apple Pencil, or iPad cases with keyboards.

However, this is where Nathan’s scenario comes in: if you buy AppleCare+, it covers certain accessories depending on the device beyond the device itself:

• Mac: Battery (if present), power adapter (if sold with the Mac³). Harkening back to the old days, any USB SuperDrive or Apple-sold add-on memory is also covered.⁴.
• iPhone, Apple and Beats audio gear: Battery and the cord that came with the device.
• Apple TV: Siri Remote and power cable.
• Apple Display: Power cord and an Apple stand or mount that you purchased at the same time.
• iPad: Battery, cable, and power adapter, plus an Apple Pencil and Apple-branded iPad keyboard.

Yes, the iPad is effectively the last device standing that has associated hardware! The footnote on the iPad AppleCare+ page about this notes, simply, “one compatible Apple Pencil, and one compatible Apple-branded iPad keyboard used with your iPad…” That lack of specificity does seem to leave a loophole through which you could own and have repaired multiple Apple Pencils and Apple iPad keyboards—but it’s also out of date with Apple’s own legal documents.

The battle of and/or

As I noted earlier, Apple keeps all its old warranties and similar legal documents available online, organizing them by the date they were in effect. This lets you harmonize your purchase date with what Apple agreed to cover. When you examine the AppleCare+ Terms and Conditions, you can go back to the July 15, 2020, to September 14, 2020, version to find this language in the list of what’s covered:

iPad (including an Apple Pencil and an Apple-branded iPad keyboard purchased for use with your iPad, referred to as “iPad Input Devices”)

That says and not or. This changes in the May 7, 2024, to June 19, 2024, T&C to:

iPad (including one Apple Pencil, one on [sic] Apple Pencil Pro, and/or one Apple-branded iPad keyboard to be used with your covered iPad, referred to as “iPad Input Devices”)

And is gone, but and/or rises: you should be able to have coverage for all three. It also doesn’t state anything about purchase or time of purchase.⁵

So Nathan was given bad advice by Apple Support. Even worse, though: The only way you can change an “assignment” to an iPad is by calling.

Extended warranties are always bad except Apple’s

There’s a consumer advocacy rule that can be stated succinctly: Never buy an extended warranty. There’s a reason for that: Most things we buy either break so soon that they are typically covered under a standard manufacturer’s warranty, or they take so long that your extended warranty expired or you’ve paid more for the extended warranty over the period until you need a repair than the actual cost of the repair.

Apple clearly sees AppleCare+ as a revenue center, or it wouldn’t offer it. At times, perhaps it has taken a loss for particular products, but I can only imagine it turns a nice profit. Certainly, Apple has been accused of developing products that are so difficult to repair, sometimes by inventing new screws or locking parts to devices—sometimes justly and sometimes not. But it’s also the case that with Apple Stores, 24-hour technical support, and mail-in service, it’s very difficult to beat the cost structure of AppleCare+.

With a switch from multi-year AppleCare+ in the United States in favor of monthly and yearly subscriptions, Apple has effectively raised the price for warranties, which used to be much cheaper when purchased in advance for two years (iPhone/iPad) or three years (Mac).⁶ The new AppleCare One plan obviates some of that cost increase. And the ability to have warranty service indefinitely also feels like it extends the value, particularly with the modest fee under warranty for repairing or replacing an item with accidental damage or covering loss or theft with mobile device plans. Multi-year plans remain available outside the United States, and are still in effect for existing subscribers in the United States.⁷

A four-year-old iPhone is somewhat more likely to die than a three-year-old one, and if there’s no damage involved, Apple replaces it. They’re using refurb models fixed from trade-ins or repairable units they swapped out. But the cost of four years of AppleCare+ at that point only then starts to tip over towards buying a comparable, excellent-condition refurb of the same model.

[Got a question for the column? You can email glenn@sixcolors.com or use /glenn in our subscriber-only Discord community.]

Update: July 22—Added details about how Apple downplays multi-year AppleCare+ plans. July 28—Updated to reflect AppleCare One and the removal of multi-year AppleCare+ in the United States.

[Glenn Fleishman is a printing and comics historian, Jeopardy champion, and serial Kickstarterer. His latest book, which you can pre-order, is Flong Time, No See. Recent books are Six Centuries of Type & Printing and How Comics Are Made.]