The Apple Education Discount now requires proof that you’re a student

Apple is now requiring proof of eligibility from US customers who purchase products online at discounted educational rates, which also applies to the Apple Watch for the first time. According to the new pop-up message displayed on Apple Educational StoreApple is directing students, parents, and teachers to verify their status via Unidays’ third-party verification service — a system the Cupertino company has already implemented in other countries, including the UK.

Apple insider Reports indicate that the Unidays service is now also being rolled out to Apple customers in Canada, Australia, Hong Kong, Turkey and Chile. Eligible customers can use an email address, photo ID or other valid document from an educational institution to verify their academic status through the Unidays app or website.

This joins existing verification requirements already in place when purchasing products at education prices in physical stores. Apple notes that customers can also complete Unidays verification in advance to speed up in-store purchases. The changes are being implemented to prevent people from abusing education pricing, as anyone in the US was previously able to make discounted purchases via the Virtual Education Store.

This is actually Apple’s second attempt to adopt Unidays verification for US purchases He introduced it briefly four years ago Before removing the condition. Let’s see if it lasts longer this time.

Another change to Apple’s education program is that Apple Watch models are now available at a discounted price for the first time. Discounts will save education customers up to 10 percent off the regular price, and apply to Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch SEand Apple Watch Ultra 3.