If you take your broken Apple Watch Series 3 in for repair, there’s a chance that you might get a Series 4 watch back. That is according to a report form 9to5Mac.
The site’s sources claim that an internal memo was sent to Apple Store repair staff and Apple’s Authorized Service Providers, letting them know that there are shortages of parts for the Apple Watch Series 3 Stainless Steel (GPS + Cellular) model, and that some of the replacements will be fulfilled by the comparable Series 4 model instead.
According to the site, the shortage and replacement strategy is in place globally, but there’s no word on whether or not it is temporary.
Don’t go “accidentally” breaking your Series 3 watch just yet in the hopes of a free upgrade. We don’t have official confirmation from Apple, and even if we did, this is only one specific model of Series 3 watch (Stainless Steel with cellular) and there’s no telling that the shortage means that your particular repair would be handled with a Series 4 replacement.