>draconian

Someone needs to look up the definition of draconian. You might also want to read the posts from Microsoft before saying stupid things.

People live in a fantasy world if they think this is the way Apple operates all the time. There are just as many stories in the other direction. What happened is simple and is exactly what you assumed. They broke your phone while replacing the battery, the damage in question could not be repaired on site and could not be blamed on the user, and a manager made the call to give you a replacement with a standard excuse.

Please do not feed the damn clickbaiters. They are not "CADs" They are unattributed renders that someone claims are real. Obligatory reminder - how did those Apple Watch Series 7 renders work out for everyone a couple years ago? I normally would not even look at a site like this but feel obliged simply to point out the obvious. The line "Of course, these files are not final and could change before the official launch later this year." is patently false (AKA a lie). No, the design on a product to be released in seven months is NOT subject to change at this point. Only cosmetics are still on the table with design and production. That is the same BS cover line they used for the Series 7 watch, every other garbage rumor they post, and all the way back to that in screen fingerprint reader in the iPhone X days. They know absolutely nothing and if they had something real Apple lawyers would shut them down. Full stop.....

1. No, returns of gifts simply do not work that way.

2. As a juvenile using a device purchased by an adult, an Apple Store would not do anything anyway beyond provide warranty support.

3. The phone number can be changed but the purchase is still tied to her.

4. I know this sounds harsh but, no, you do not sound like a rich snobby kid. You sound appallingly entitled and need to grow up. Your father would have purchased something else but unfortunately he died? You distill the death of a parent to something that cold and selfish? Your mother "is the type" as if you are a judge of types? Actually, your mother is the type who bought you a rather expensive gift. for which you are showing no gratitude. I am sorry but it sounds like your mother has good reason to keep you on a leash if this is the best you can manage.

It is just a garden variety example of what happens when an intense light source reflects off the sensor and then back onto the sensor from the interior surface of the exterior lens protector (the exterior glass is a protector, not a lens). Assuming there is no residue on the protector that is enhancing refection (not likely to do anything anyway) it is completely normal. Note how the patterns replicate the light source in all three photos. Simply put, the glass and sensor are creating their own version of a hall of mirrors effect. That is as textbook as that gets in the digital camera world. DSLRs and mirrorless cameras control for it (to an extent) by using anti-reflective coatings and additional lens elements (and changing aperture) but even they are susceptible under the right conditions or will just kill contrast across the entire frame. Smaller lenses and sensors reflect differently because they do not let in as much light.

BTW, yes, your Galaxy S10 did do that (and more) just with other types of light and different effects (I owned one). Smaller lens plus smaller sensor means less opportunity for certain issues but they were and are still present. If you want an analogy, hang a pocket mirror on a wall next to a full wall mirror and point a flashlight at the wall (or even turn on a lamp). Unless the light source happens to be in the right position, which is going to prominently reflect the light? As for the S10 series, point one directly at a focused light source like a street light and you get versions of the same effect. Beyond that it is a baseless comparison anyway since it is the equivalent of arguing that an economy car does not have some performance car's safety problem at excessively high speeds when it cannot go that speed in the first place.

Amazon does not actually refurbish anything (just minimal checks to see if it powers up) and then call it renewed, and if it is a third-party seller, as often as not, it is just a repackaged used phone. Last I checked Apple will also not replace a third-party battery - look up the warranty terms online. Personally, I would just return the device for a refund. At least pre-owned from Best Buy has actually been checked out. Amazon "refurbished" is no better than eBay but people think otherwise due to the name. You have no idea what other problems the device may have and you have already been scammed on the battery front. Don't perpetuate it (and help scammers stay in business) by keeping something that is anything but a deal.

Apple is not making a profit off the out-of-warranty battery replacement cost. If you want to replace the battery then just schedule it. No offense, but it is beyond silly to think that a trillion-dollar company is rigging the hardware/software to stick you with an "at cost" replacement bill. It is simply luck of the draw and nothing more. BTW, if you have Apple Care and did not use it for anything else, that free battery costs more than the 69 dollar/pound/etc. replacement given the overall price of the plan. If you want to pay attention to where companies are playing the odds to make pure profit, it is the realm of extended warranties.

So is there anything here besides a content free sob story about laptops and SSDs in an iPhone subreddit? You haven't said a thing about Samsung support (for an accessory) other than you were unhappy, and have not said much more about Apple laptop support beyond someone being nice. Yes, Apple support is generally quite good for phones and laptops and Samsung support is middling. This all falls in the realm of Captain Obvious but it also has NOTHING TO DO with iPhones. You made poor decisions and it sounds like your Apple laptop combined with those poor decisions cost you your files not the drive itself. Even if the drive did fail (less likely since the laptop was already having issues), there was nothing Samsung could do for you other than offer a replacement or some incentive. It sounds like that is what happened so what more do you expect? As for Apple, did Apple support point out that there are numerous, not very expensive, software options to recover lost files from the laptop to a third device (provided it is still working)? Did they tell you that you will lose everything if you send your defective laptop in for service? What exactly did they do that was more than read a better script?

Seriously, everything here is on you, not the two companies involved even if one or the other device failed. You did not back up when you should have backed up. You waited until a device was having issues to protect your precious memories which I guess were not that precious until now. You seem to think an external drive manufacturer can offer you something more than a replacement. You think Apple hand holding is superior support when you have not defined a single thing they said or did to help. You have not laid out (nor asked for help with) recovery options. Again, if it is running then there are options. Last, but not least, you posted this in the wrong subreddit for group hugs.

Actually, yes it can, as Apple makes clear the first time you power off a new phone or one that has been reset. If, however, someone can access airplane mode from the lock screen (de facto default), that will turn off all tracking. Since stolen phones are often going to a glorified chop shop, there is no guarantee it will never show up in any tracking again. That is unless the Find My bug pops up and the device starts showing up as phantom pings.

Make what mistake? No one here has a say in the matter in the first place. Whether the app stays or goes is a business decision and will happen regardless of whether you repost crap from the pathological liar or ignore him.

The fact is, again, I rent cars all the time and Carplay is the only option guaranteed to work. Like many others, it is the reason my iPhone became my primary line. In my experience, with very rare exceptions, when someone has an issue with Carplay, it can be resolved by resetting the head unit and/or updating the firmware. Some head units also do not like being set up for both AA and Carplay at the same time. Toyota dealers will be happy to point that one out. Granted, they will also be happy to point out the volume of AA complaints they cannot resolve because Google does not work with the manufacturers. Quite frankly, I would not be surprised if Toyota (and by extension, Subaru and Nissan) bail on Android Auto if Google does not step up.

As for notification, you were not using an Android phone. You were using Samsung's heavily layered version of Android (one of the reasons Samsung phones have constant AA problems). Stock Android default settings result in the phone chiming for every notification unless they have finally addressed in Android 13. If you clear dozens (or hundreds) of accumulated notifications after a long meeting, it will notify you for each and every one as they are cleared. That was part of Google's sloppy vision for its stock lock screen and notifications. Sound like fun?

You made a brief comment about AOD which was patently silly since it does exactly what you claimed it does not (sans battery status). In a long post, you might as well spell out the beef. Your comment, as presented, bordered on the nonsensical and amounted to having an issue with a dimmed display behind your own list of what you already see.

I am not going to waste time on a long winded response so I will stick to a couple essentials. This is, BTW, coming from someone who has not switched to an iPhone but instead always carries an iPhone and Android flagship courtesy of my job.

1. I rent cars constantly and Carplay is the only reliable option across every brand. Android Auto is an actual bug ridden mess, as a quick stop by the Android Auto subreddit will confirm. It (sort of) works in some cars, is tolerable in others, and a disaster in a laughable number of vehicles (crashes, stutter, freezes). Travellers switch to IOS over the [insert your expletive of choice] that is Android Auto. If you came from a Samsung phone then you should already know this since they have more Android Auto problems than any other brand, with Pixels being an ironic second. If you are having problem in A CAR then reset the head unit and check with the dealer for a firmware update. You may just be the exception but those are the usual solutions. They are not Android Auto solutions through since Google pushes out unvetted updates all the time with which manufacturers cannot keep pace.

2. I will take iPhone notifications anytime over those on any Android device. They always stick until I dismiss them and are not unnecessarily cluttered. When I clear all I am also not presented with several minutes of chimes and tones (a fun Android default reality) when several hundred notifications accumulated during a four-hour DND meeting process. Whether it is that scale or just ten notifications, there is no reason to hear notification tones when clearing them out. It is also more than a bit rude and having to mute a phone to clear notifications (which I frequently need to do) is stupid.

3. I am not sure what your beef is about AOD. It shows time, date, and notifications be default. That is what I expect to see and all I choose to see on an Android AOD lock screen. What is the problem with having a dimmed lock screen image behind it? The only thing on your list not displayed by default is battery status.

I have never had that problem with any iPhone or any Android phone and I always carry one of each - currently an iPhone 14 Pro and Microsoft Surface Duo 2. This included last year, however, a Galaxy S21. No offense, but unless you are just unlucky, this is usually related to the user rather than the device. If you are hard on connectors iPhones are no less susceptible than Android devices. Bear that in mind before jumping platforms for a connector.

Buying off Facebook is always a stupid idea and getting a fake (or locked device) is always in the cards. The photo though shows nothing. Everything you are seeing is a result of using an overly bright flash in a photo of a highly reflective surface taken at an oblique angle. It causes internal reflection, differential illumination, and optical distortion. Avoid because it is Facebook, not because it looks fake. Yes, I am an actual photographer in this case....