Apple Recovery Toolkit
Apple is expanding its Self-Repair Program procedures and adding the ability for consumers to use part mating to completely activate used parts during repairs — provided that they were not obtained from stolen devices.
Starting this fall, Apple is rolling out a new joining process that it says will “ensure iPhone user privacy and security while offering consumers more options, extending product life, and minimizing environmental impact.” repair.” The company will change the process for pairing parts — and will prevent the use of parts associated with a device that has Activation Lock enabled.
This is an expansion and complication of pairing of replaced components in Apple software after repair. The practice is controversial, with repair shops and rights-to-repair advocates complaining that it limits options and generates heaps of electronic waste. Apple says law enforcement has long demanded that stolen iPhone parts be banned.
Also in the fall, presumably in iOS 18 and related releases, Apple will expand the parts and service history on devices to show whether an installed part is new or used.
Apple also says that starting this fall, Apple parts, both new and used, will be calibrated after installation. The source of the parts used is still unclear — they may have to be purchased from Apple or removed from the donor phone.
We've reached out to Apple for more details on how service providers can purchase parts. Apple's existing parts supply is a mixture of new parts and factory refurbished parts.
Other changes announced Thursday include the fact that future iPhone releases will be able to use used biometric sensors. Additionally, customers and service providers will no longer need to provide the device serial number when ordering parts from a self-service store for repairs other than motherboard replacement.
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Excludes compatibility with new used parts , the program's procedures remain essentially the same.
If a part is ordered from Apple after a user's self-diagnosis, the customer will place an order for the parts and tools through a dedicated online store. Consumers will have to return “essential” parts in the same manner as this repair shops do to get a credit toward the original purchase price of the part.
The complexity of the repair job and the high cost of the parts mean that Apple's self-repair program is not practical for people who have just scratched their display. No matter how expensive a visit to an Apple Authorized Service Center may be, it remains the most cost-effective route in terms of cost, time, and risk of further damage to your devices.
In total, the program supports 35 products in 33 countries, and materials are available in 24 languages.
After being announced in November 2021, the self-repair program launched in April 2022 for iPhones only.
In June 2023, it expanded to iPhone 14 and some Mac computers. It was extended to iPhone 15 and M2 Apple Silicon in December 2023.
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