Why device protection alone is no longer enough

Why isn’t device protection enough anymore?

Because most device issues aren’t failures...They’re friction.

Across devices and markets, the most common problems aren’t catastrophic breakdowns. They’re everyday issues like connectivity challenges, storage limitations, and setup frustrations.

In fact:

• 35% of consumers report connectivity or speed issues 
• 30% struggle with storage limitations 
• Only 21% report a device breaking or needing repair 

These are small, frequent disruptions that degrade customer experience over time, not necessarily events that trigger a protection claim.

This creates a fundamental mismatch.

• Protection is built for low-frequency, high-impact events. 
• Consumer experience is shaped by high-frequency, everyday issues that accumulate and disrupt over time.

The result is a growing gap between what protection covers and what customers actually need.

For brands, the opportunity lies in closing the gap between how technology is experienced and how it’s supported today.

What are the limitations of a reactive protection and support model?

For years, the industry has operated on a simple premise:

Break → fix → done

It’s a model built around isolated incidents, where support is activated only after something goes wrong.

But today’s reality is continuous. Devices are always on, deeply embedded in daily life, and connected across ecosystems.

And issues aren’t rare.

• 41% of consumers report at least one smartphone-related issue each year 
• 36% report issues with computers 
• 29% with home entertainment devices 
• 27% with smart home devices and appliances

This exposes the limitations of a reactive model.

• Problems are addressed only after they disrupt the experience. 
• Everyday issues fall outside traditional coverage. 
• Support is treated as a post-purchase function, not part of the overall experience. 

In a world of continuous use, a model built for interruption is no longer enough. At the same time, customer behavior is evolving in ways that further expose these gaps.

Why reducing device downtime is critical to the ownership experience

As reliance on technology increases, so does the impact of disruption.

When a device stops working — or simply doesn’t perform as expected — the consequences extend far beyond inconvenience. It interrupts communication, access, productivity, and daily routines.

More importantly, it disrupts access to entire ecosystems and the interconnected services, platforms, and devices that people rely on to manage their lives. A single point of failure can break workflows across banking, transportation, work tools, authentication, and communication.

Ensuring devices are protected is still important. But what matters more is consistently keeping the ecosystem intact without interruption.

What is proactive device care, and why does it matter?

Proactive care is a model that uses data and intelligence to anticipate issues, maintain performance, and continuously improve the ownership experience before disruptions occur.

Instead of waiting for problems to surface, it enables organizations to:

• Identify risks early 
• Resolve issues before they escalate 
• Maintain performance across the lifecycle 

The future model: integrating protection, service, and support

Protection still plays a critical role in managing risk and covering loss, damage, and failure when they occur. But on its own, it’s no longer sufficient.

What’s needed is a unified model that brings together protection, service, and support under one connected ecosystem, enabling partners to deliver a more seamless and consistent ownership experience across the entire lifecycle.

This is more than an evolution of support.
It’s a redesign of how value is delivered.

The Continuous Performance Model for modern device lifecycle management

Continuous care: always-on engagement across the ownership lifecycle

Support becomes embedded, not reactive.

Proactive intelligence: anticipating and preventing device issues

Issues are identified and resolved before disruption.

Personalization: adapting to usage and lifecycle changes

Protection and support evolve with the customer.

Ecosystem support: extending beyond individual devices

Support spans the full connected environment.

Together, these capabilities shift protection from a reactive product to a continuous experience designed to maintain performance and ensure continuity.

How proactive care drives retention, efficiency, and long-term value

This shift goes beyond improving the experience at the surface level. It changes how value is delivered and sustained over the entire lifecycle.

When support becomes continuous and proactive:

• Issues are resolved earlier, before they escalate into more complex and costly service events. 
• Everyday friction is reduced, improving overall satisfaction and confidence in the product. 
• Customers stay more engaged over time rather than interacting only when something goes wrong.

At the same time, operational efficiency improves.

• Fewer escalations to high-cost channels like repairs or replacements 
• Better use of data to anticipate demand and streamline support delivery 

Over time, this creates a more efficient operating model while building stronger, more durable customer relationships.

Why ownership experience is the new competitive advantage

The way consumers define and calculate value is changing.

It’s no longer tied to the device alone or even to the protection that comes with it. Increasingly, it’s shaped by how that technology performs throughout the ownership journey and how easy it is to rely on day to day.

When everything works as expected, the experience fades into the background. But, when it doesn’t, even small disruptions become noticeable. Over time, they shape how customers perceive both the product and the brand behind it.

That’s why the future isn’t about choosing between protection and support.

It’s about bringing them together into a single, continuous experience that maintains performance, reduces disruption, and supports customers across the lifecycle.

The brands that succeed will be the ones that continuously expand how consumers use and benefit from their connected ecosystems, creating experiences that feel more seamless, capable, and valuable over time.

Explore the full Global Connected Consumer Trends Report

This shift toward continuous care and ownership experience is part of a broader transformation in how consumers evaluate technology, service, and value.

The 2026 Global Connected Consumer Trends Report explores:

• How expectations are evolving globally 
• The forces reshaping protection, service, and support 
• What organizations must do to stay competitive