Looking to pick up the new iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, or Apple Watch Series 4 but forgot to pre-order? Don’t worry, there are a few tricks to potentially get your new iPhone XS, XS Max, or Apple Watch Series 4 on launch day.
While these tricks aren’t a 100% guarantee, and most involve waiting in long lines, you gotta do what you gotta do to get the latest and greatest….
How to get new iPhone and Apple Watch on launch day
Check local retailers such as Best Buy, the Apple Store app, or through carriers
Usually local retailers, including Apple itself has some stock reserved for launch day. While it’s usually not much, especially for higher-demand devices, it’s worth a shot. The Apple Store app is always the best option if you live near an Apple Store. It has the most accurate stock availability, and Apple of course will allocate the most stock to themselves.
However, Apple Stores is typically where the longest lines are. Your second bet is with either Best Buy or your local carrier store. Unfortunately, these retailers usually don’t have the most reliable stock availability tools so that’ll likely be hit or miss.
Regardless of which method you go through, you’ll need to line up pretty early in the morning to get a spot in line for the potential to get your hands on the new phones or watches. With Apple Stores likely looking to be packed the night before, so be sure to get there early!
If you’ve already had a pre-order that is being shipped to you
If you’ve already pre-ordered a phone, however, and are expecting a phone or watch on Friday, you might have a few options as well, in regards to getting your phone earlier in the day, versus waiting all day for UPS to arrive.
The best plan here is to sign up for UPS My Choice (free!). After signing up, her to Tracking > Manage My Deliveries (UPS My Choice) > you’ll be able to see all incoming packages addressed under your name.
Under Delivery Change, tap Change, and then tap Pickup my package at a UPS location. On the next page, make sure you select pick up at a UPS Customer Center (UPS CC/hub) and not a UPS Store. Picking up at a store will cause a delay, likely until Monday. Also make sure its the UPS hub that you normally get UPS packages through, picking the wrong hub will also cause a delay in your package.
Once selected, you might see a delivery date unavailable sign or something similar, ignore that as UPS will need to catch up with the change you have just made. Once it scans into the next location, the date should change back to the 21st.
On launch day, you can now pick up your new phone or Apple Watch when your UPS Customer Center opens (typically at 8 or 8:30AM), rather than waiting on the UPS delivery truck to show up!
Did you find any of these tips helpful? Let us know in the comments below!
