Zagg seeks to rival Apple Care with its own mobile protection plan

Zagg's cases and screen covers have been protecting phones for years. This week, the InvisibleShield maker unveiled Zagg Protect, a repair and protection plan.

For an annual fee of $99, you can get up to two incidents of accidental damages covered per year, including cracked screens and liquid damage. The plan also covers failure of a phone's battery, headphone jack, touch screen, speakers, camera and more. Each repair still requires a $49 deductible.

The plan offers an alternative to protection plans like Apple Care Plus and Samsung Care Plus. It covers both new and used phones from most major smartphone makers, the company said in a release.

An Apple Care Plus plan will vary in cost depending on the iPhone model and may be cheaper than Zagg's plan. Zagg Protect's $49 deductible for all repairs is cheaper than Apple Care Plus' $99 charge for accidental damage repair, though a screen repair is only $29 with Apple's service. Samsung Care Plus ranges from $4 to $13 month depending on your device. Samsung's repair fee for the most likely types of accidental damage is a hefty $249, though some screen repairs are $29.

Zagg Protect will cover used phones, as long as they're running Android OS using Chrome browser version 68 or newer, or iOS 11 or newer with Safari or Chrome. Apple Care Plus must be added within a year of purchase of an eligible iPhone or sooner depending on location. Samsung limits eligibility to 60 days after purchase.