iPhone packaging is famously challenging to unwrap as Apple aims to create that spark of excitement before users finally access the device. As soon as the box is opened, the iPhone is the first item seen, while the layer beneath holds the accessories and documentation. Nevertheless, typical iPhone customers switching to an iPhone 16 or iPhone 17 model will notice the absence of a familiar bonus: the Apple stickers that were included with earlier iPhone models and other Apple items. Apple ceased including Apple-logo stickers in packaging in 2024 for environmental considerations. The company transitioned to a completely fiber-based product packaging approach, leading to the removal of the Apple stickers, which are made from plastic.
It’s not just the iPhone that has lost those signature stickers displaying Apple logos. In February 2024, the Apple Vision Pro was the first new Apple product to be delivered without stickers in its packaging. By May 2024, the M4 iPad Pro and the latest iPad Air also no longer featured the Apple stickers. The iPhone 16 lineup, launched in September 2024, introduced 100% fiber-based packaging, indicating the stickers were eliminated. Apple is implementing a self-imposed plan to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030.
Users of Apple products who stay updated on Apple happenings might have anticipated this shift. In 2020, when the iPhone 12 series debuted, Apple removed the charging brick from iPhones. The company noted that omitting the charger from the iPhone package enabled a reduction in the size of the retail box and allowed for 70% more boxes to be shipped on a pallet than previously, which was akin to taking 450,000 vehicles off the road annually. The plastic Apple stickers were likely to be phased out eventually.