The iPhone I couldn't find
When the iPhone Duo came out, I knew exactly which one I wanted: the color, the storage, all of it. And it was gone. Every time I checked, the answer was the same: not available for pickup.
Stock does come back. Stores get new units, and somebody gets lucky. But you only find out if you happen to look at the right moment. So you check again. And again. That's a frustrating way to buy a phone.
Why isn't there a “notify me” button?
Apple lets you check whether a store has an iPhone for pickup right now. What it doesn't do is tell you when that changes. There's no way to say “let me know when my iPhone is back in stock at my store.”
Honestly, I think that's a bit wrong. If you want something and you're ready to pay for it, you shouldn't have to refresh a page all day for a chance to get it.
You shouldn't have to refresh a page all day to get the iPhone you want.
So I built it for myself
I made a small tool that watched the Apple Stores I cared about and sent a notification to my phone when the configuration I wanted showed up for in-store pickup. No more refreshing. It just told me.
It worked so well that it felt wrong to keep it to myself. If I needed this, so did a lot of other people.
Now anyone can use it
That small tool became RestockRoo. You pick your iPhone Duo color and storage, choose the Apple Stores near you, and we send a push notification and an email when a verified source reports it available for pickup. I want everyone to have a fair shot at the iPhone they actually want, not just the people who happen to refresh at the right second.
You can check iPhone Duo availability near you for free, or browse stock by city.
Why it costs a little
Checking stock on the website is free. The price is there to cover what it costs me to run RestockRoo: the servers, the stock checks, and the emails and push notifications. It's meant to be a cheap tool that pays for itself, not a way to make money off a launch. Got your phone? Cancel in one click.
What I promise
- Every status shows where it came from and when it was checked.
- We never guess stock, and “Unknown” never means sold out.
- We only use data sources we're permitted to use.
- You're never charged before coverage for your stores is live.
- You can cancel in one click, any time.