Apple has announced that it will relax its guidelines for used parts iPhone Repair. This makes it easier to fix your broken iPhone and save some money along the way.
In one Press releaseApple calls this new feature an “upcoming improvement” to its existing repair processes. “Used genuine Apple parts now benefit from the full functionality and security provided by the original factory calibration, just like new genuine Apple parts.” The policy will come into effect later this year, expected to coincide with the launch of the iPhone 16.
Previously, if you went through a third-party or repair shop for iPhone replacement parts, you had to use Apple-supplied parts or the device would not function properly. Apple employs “Part pairing“Associating the serial number of a component with a specific device. You can’t even swap batteries between iPhones without encountering this semi-blockage.
Apple claims that pairing parts is “critical to maintaining the privacy and security of the iPhone,” which is why it will enable remote calibration of parts once installed in another device. And for repair shops, Apple writes that “service providers are no longer required to provide a device’s serial number when ordering parts from the Self Service Repair Store for repairs that do not require motherboard replacement.”
Although iPhone users had a way to do this Repair devices If it’s broken or faulty – it’s so much better than it used to be – there hasn’t been an easy way to replace broken parts with third-party used ones. If you wanted to repair your iPhone, you had to go directly to Apple to source the necessary parts and pay more for a proper repair that didn’t render your device unusable.
Apple is also implementing Activation Lock to prevent a black market for stolen iPhone parts. If you declare that your device is lost, Apple will not calibrate the components once they are in a new case.
The “Right to Repair” movement has achieved some success in recent months. In March, Oregon passed a right-to-repair law that likely helped Apple incentive towards a slightly greater opening to external providers – this is largely similar to the motivation why the iPhone 15 finally uses USB-C (thanks, EU mandates!)
In the end, Apple will benefit from this decision. It allows a good relationship between the company and its die-hard users and those who want it Be Users, but can’t afford the latest and greatest. It will also make it easier to convince people who might buy an earlier iPhone model of the features of a newer budget Android offering. Ultimately, this all helps Apple maintain its dominance in the smartphone market, even when it comes to older devices.