Blogging Tips And Tricks

Anyone looking to unload an Android or Black Berry smart phone can now turn to Apple.

The company expanded its trade-in program on Monday to accept certain models of rival phones, including Android, Black Berry and Windows Phone handsets. Your old phone scores you store credit, which you can then use to purchase a new i Phone 5c, i Phone 6 or i Phone 6 Plus, though not an Apple Watch, according to Apple news site 9 to 5 Mac. The program is available in the US, UK, Canada, France, Germany and Italy, an Apple spokesperson told CNET.

Apple is constantly working to gain more traction over Android device makers, most notably Sam-sung. A report from market researcher Gardner
this month showed that Apple inched past Sam-sung in worldwide smart phone sales in the fourth quarter.

Apple didn't formally announce the expansion of its trade-in plan, aka its Reuse and Recycling Program. But individual Apple Store pages now show the Reuse and Recycling Program section with the following line: "Get credit when you recycle your eligible i Phone, i Pad, or select smart phone from another manufacturer."

The program also now accepts PCs from manufacturers other than Apple, allowing you to trade in your Windows computers for store credit that you can apply toward a Mac.

The new trade-ins will be available at Apple retail stores and Apple's on-line site, the Apple spokesperson confirmed. Apple's UK site has been updated to reflect the changes, but Apple's US site has not yet been updated.

Apple has offered an on-line trade-in program through a third-party vendor called Bright-star. The Bright-star page for the UK shows several non-i Phone brands that you can trade in, including Sam-sung, Sony, Nokia, and Black Berry. But the Bright-star page for the US still shows only iPhones as acceptable trade-in devices.

Similarly, the UK page for Apple's Reuse and Recycling Program says: "Get credit for your i Phone, i Pad, or Mac, and eligible smart phones and PCs from other manufacturers. Depending on the device, take it to an Apple Retail Store or get started on-line." But the US page still displays only Apple devices as eligible for on-line trade-in.