Apple will let more third-party stores fix out-of-warranty iPhones and use its own parts and tools on devices for the first time ever
- Apple will start verifying more iPhone repairs by third-party companies
- The company will supply companies with resources, tools, and training
- In order to participate, stores must have at least one Apple-certified technician
- Apple has long worked to blockade third-party repairs of its devices
Apple is starting to cede some ground on third-party repairs by broadening the number of verified stores licensed to fix iPhone screens, replace batteries, and more.
According to a blog post from the company, a new repair program will begin providing more independent phone repair stores with ‘the same genuine parts, tools, training, repair manuals and diagnostics as its Apple Authorized Service Providers.’
As long as the store has a certified Apple technician, they will be able to join its program for free, meaning nearly any and all third-party repair spot could now be allowed to provide iPhone repairs — at least for older models.I
The program will be confined only to iPhones that are out of warranty meaning newer Apple products will still have to be sent back to the company for repair.
Apple is starting to open up its resources to third-party repair companies. In a new program the company said it will expand the number of verified repair stores who can fix batteries, repair screens, and more.
This will likely come as a welcome change for Apple customers whom, amid battery-relate speed docking and preventative phone prices, have needed to service their older devices more than ever.
The move could potentially cut down on wait times at Apple stores and lower the burden on Apple’s own repair outfit, making outcomes smoother for both the company and its customers.
‘To better meet our customers’ needs, we’re making it easier for independent providers across the US to tap into the same resources as our Apple Authorized Service Provider network,’ said Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer in a statement.
Getting a verified and authorized to do repairs will be free for businesses, but the ease of doing so comes with a considerable caveat.
In order to get the company’s blessing, third-party shops will be required to have at least one Apple-certified technician on-hand, and it will cost them.
Those certifications require participants to undergo a somewhat rigorous training process that involves spending at least $300 — sometimes as much as $600 — and passing multiple tests.
This stipulation will likely deter companies with a tighter budget, making them less apt to join the network.
According to the blog post, Apple has been silently piloting its program throughout the past year and currently has 20 independent repair businesses as a part of its network.
The move to open up its resources to third-party repair shops marks a significant shift for the company who has been notoriously prickly to non-Apple stores in the past.
Apple has often worked to blockade third-party repairs by changing its software or sometimes voiding features on phones that had been ‘tampered’ with.
Recently, major third-party repair company, iFixit, noted that Apple activated dormant software in its phones designed to hamstring unsanctioned battery repairs.
The software blocked phones’ battery diagnostic capabilities and those of third-party apps after their batteries had been replaced by a non-Apple technician.
Instead of displaying important information about battery health, the devices were adorned with a semi-permanent ‘Service’ notification that could only be resolved by bringing the phone to Apple.
‘Unless an Apple Genius or an Apple Authorized Service Provider authenticates a battery to the phone, that phone will never show its battery health and always report a vague, ominous problem,’ said iFixit.
As a result of Apple’s efforts to blockade third-party repair companies calls for a ‘right to repair’ legislation that would legally establish the right repair one’s phone personally or through a service of one’s choosing, have gathered steam.