Spare parts for Apple products will have a longer serial number from October

Apple will make a change from October 1: spare parts for its various products such as the iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch will have 18-digit serial numbers. Currently, serial numbers have 17 digits.

According MacRumors, Apple informed authorized repairers in a memo that their machines and other equipment will need to be upgraded to support 18-digit serial numbers. Also, the novelty will probably only apply to future repair parts, such as those for the new iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac.

It should be noted that the change will take place very shortly after the launch of the four models of iPhone 14 and the Apple Watch Series 8, as well as its variants. These devices are expected to be announced during a keynote on September 7 and available for purchase on the 16th.

Note that prior to the launch of the iPhone 12 in 2020, Apple informed authorized repairers of its intention to switch to using a random serial number for its products rather than the previous format, which for years allowed years for customers and repairers to determine when and where a product was manufactured. Apple didn’t implement the random format until the purple iPhone 12 in May 2021.