Apple recently announced improvements to existing repair procedures that will allow customers and independent service centers to use parts Apple used in repairs.
Available already this fall for some models iPhone, is a new process designed to ensure the safety and privacy of iPhone owners while offering consumers more choice, extending product life and minimizing the impact of repairs on the environment. With this next step forward, used genuine Apple parts will benefit from all the functionality and safety provided by original factory calibration, just like new genuine Apple parts. “With the new expansion of our repair program, we are pleased to offer our customers even more options and convenience, while helping to extend the life of our products and their parts,” he said. John Ternus of Apple.
Apple will also extend the popular Activation Lock feature to iPhone parts as a deterrent to disassembling stolen iPhones to recover components. At the request of customers and law enforcement, the feature was designed to reduce iPhone theft by blocking activation of lost or stolen devices. If the device under repair is found to have acquired a supported part from another device with activation lock or loss mode enabled, the calibration functionality for that part will be limited.
In addition, when considering the lifespan of a device, Apple believes it is important that the second or third person who acquires the device has access to the entire component and repair history. With “Parts and Service History” accessible from Settings on iOS starting next fall, Apple is the only smartphone company to transparently show whether its device has been repaired and provide information about used parts, whether they’re new or used. Over the past five years, Apple has nearly doubled the number of service centers with access to genuine Apple parts, tools and training, reaching more than 10,000 independent repair shops and Authorized Apple Support. Self-service repair gives those experienced in repairing electronic devices access to the same manuals, genuine Apple parts and tools available at Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Centers. The self-service patch was launched in April 2022 and now supports 40 Apple products in 33 countries and territories and 24 languages.