England Apple stores reopen as new tier system comes into force

Customers can finally go in for their iPhone Upgrade Program appointments.

What you need to know

• Apple stores in England have reopened as the country moves into a new tier system of COVID-19 restrictions.
• Stores in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales remain open but are only accepting customers by appointment.

Apple has reopened stores in England Wednesday as the country moves into a new tier system of coronavirus restrictions, following four weeks of national lockdown.

Stores were closed throughout England on November 5 as part of a second national lockdown in the country designed to quash the coronavirus pandemic. Today, Wednesday, December 2, those stores have reopened.

All 32 stores in the country have reopened, and are open to customers for appointments, and seemingly walk-in shopping too. By contrast, stores in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland are open but are only accepting customers on an appointment basis. From Apple's website:

We're currently open for click-and-collect including returns. We look forward to resuming full operations as soon as possible.

As noted by iMore reader Shaun on Twitter, customers in England can now upgrade their iPhone on the iPhone Upgrade Program by reserving a phone and booking a slot at their local Apple store.

@StephenWarwick9

— Shaun Jenks  🇬🇧📱⌚️💻📸✈️ (@Shaunjenks) December 2, 2020

Whilst most stores have remained open in some capacity for click and collect services, customers in the UK have to have an in-store appointment in order to take part in the iPhone Upgrade Program, which has been unavailable for the last four weeks as a result.

Not all England stores are back to full opening hours, and you can find out exactly when your store is open on Apple's UK retail store list. The move means that all UK Apple stores are now open in some capacity, with most operating special, shortened opening hours. Temperature checks and masks (provided by Apple) are mandatory for customers entering stores.

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