Customers are holding onto phones for longer – does that spell trouble for Apple?

Apple’s iPhone slump over the last quarter has been blamed on tariff fears, poor AI roll-out and lack of innovation – but Verizon, America’s largest mobile network, dropped another reason this week and there’s not a thing Apple can do about it.

At a Deutsche Bank investor conference, Verizon’s chief consumer revenue officer Frank Boulben discussed handset churn.

Three years ago, Verizon switched from 24- to 36-month handset contracts. “When we were in the 24-month regime we would tend to have an elevated churn at the 24-month mark,” he told the conference. “Now, on average, customers are keeping their deals more than 41 months. If their device is still in good working condition, they keep it longer.”

It sounds so simple – “if their device is still in good working condition, they keep it longer”.

That noise you hear is Apple’s business plan shuddering with fear.