How to master the Genius Bar to get the most out of your trip to the Apple Store

A former Apple Store employee that spoke to Business Insider in 2012 said that people try to conceal water damage all the time, but "you can't hide water damage so don't lie about it. There's a sensor right inside the 30-pin connector that tells us if your device got too wet."

Make sure you back up all of your files before bringing it in. Black said that the Genius Bar will sometimes send a customer home if they haven't backed up their device, because they don't want to risk deleting the user's data.

The Genius Bar gets very busy, so you'll have to make an appointment ahead of time if you want to meet with a Genius without waiting for a long time. Genius Bar appointments for Mac products are 15 minutes each, while mobile appointments are 10 minutes.

Black says you should make two appointments just to be on the safe side. There's no penalty if you go over you're time slot, but at that point the Genius will have to multitask so that appointments don't get backed up.

Most of the time, Apple's technicians appreciate this because it gives them more time to focus on your issue.

Apple gives you 15 minutes to check in to your appointment. If you're late, you don't get your exact appointment time, but your priority position is maintained.

The Genius Bar is at its busiest around 5pm and around lunch time, since that's when people are usually out of the office. The best times to stop by the Apple Store for a walk-in are probably 3pm or 4pm, since most people are still in the middle of their workday at that point.

Stopping in around 7pm or later is also probably a good idea if you don't want to wait. Black says the Genius Bar is less crowded at that time, and usually people only come in at night if their device is seriously damaged.

Most of the time, this tactic doesn't work. Some people yell and scream to get their way if their device is broken, Black says. Some Geniuses will just give the customer a new phone so that they'll stop and leave the store, but most of the time this doesn't work.

And it doesn't usually fix the problem.

"I know if I replace this person's phone for free, they’re still going to be as negative as [they were] when they came in," Black said.

This may sound obvious, but Black says there are plenty of people that think there's a problem with their iPhone's hardware when it's really a software-related issue. So, these people demand a new iPhone and end up experiencing the problem again.

"[I said] 'Ok, I'm going to give you a new phone but you're going to be back in here next week with the same exact issue," he said.

If your iPhone is suffering from an issue that has been widely reported, you'll get a new phone very easily.

"If Apple determines that there's a widespread issue with lots of devices, they'll replace yours for free. When someone's explaining their problem and they even casually mention anything that's a known issue, it's an immediate replacement," the former employee that spoke to Business Insider in 2012 said.

Known issues of the past include malfunctioning home buttons, sticky lock buttons, and dead pixels on the screen.

Outside of the headphones and your device itself, Apple's warranty also covers the accessories that came with your device, like the USB power adapter.

"We used to swap them like candy,"a former Apple employee that spoke to Business Insider in 2012 said.

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