Since 2013, Apple has allowed its customers to trade in an old iPhone in exchange for credit towards a new one. But now, the company is accepting select Android, Windows and BlackBerry phones, in a significant expansion of its Reuse and Recycle Program.
9to5Mac was first to highlight the changes, which Apple quietly added to its website under the listings and details for its retail stores. The report claims that Apple will only accept trade-ins of non-iPhone devices via its physical stores - but as Engadget points out, customers in some markets can also arrange to offload their handsets online, via phone distribution and logistics specialists Brightstar, which has managed Apple"s trade-in program since its launch.
You won"t be able to trade in any old handset you"ve got lying around, though - only certain devices will be accepted. According to Brightstar UK, the list of handsets that can be traded in includes:
| Manufacturer | Accepted devices | |
| BlackBerry | Bold 9900 | |
| HTC | Butterfly Butterfly S One M7 One Mini One Max One M8 One mini 2 | |
| LG | G2 G3 G-Flex G-Flex LTE Nexus 4 Nexus 5 Nexus 5 LTE | |
| Nokia | Lumia 925 Lumia 930 Lumia 1020 Lumia 1320 Lumia 1520 | |
| Samsung | Galaxy Alpha Galaxy Mega 6.3 Galaxy Note Galaxy Note II Galaxy Note II LTE Galaxy Note 3 Galaxy Note 3 Neo Galaxy Note 4 Galaxy Note 4 LTE Galaxy S Advance Galaxy S II | Galaxy S III Galaxy S III mini Galaxy S4 Active Galaxy S4 Duos Galaxy S4 LTE Galaxy S4 mini Galaxy S4 Value Edition Galaxy S4 Zoom Galaxy S5 Galaxy S5 mini |
| Sony | Xperia Z Xperia Z Ultra Xperia ZL Xperia Z1 Xperia Z1 Compact Xperia Z2 Xperia Z3 Xperia Z3 Compact | |
It"s not yet clear if this list will apply to every market in which Apple currently offers its Reuse and Recycle program, but given that the Lumia 930 isn"t available in the US, for example, it seems likely that the list may be tweaked to recognize local and regional availability of devices.
Obviously, the amount of money you"ll get for your handset will depend on its age, condition and various other factors - although as with most similar manufacturer deals, you may well get more money by selling it on eBay.