Apple today announced a significant update to its repair procedures, allowing customers and independent repair providers to use pre-owned Apple parts in repairs.
The aim is to uphold user privacy, security, and safety while offering more repair options, prolonging product lifespan, and reducing environmental impact, said Apple.
Utilization of Used Genuine Apple Parts
According to Apple, used genuine Apple parts will now offer full functionality and security similar to new genuine Apple parts.
This move is a result of extensive work over the past two years to enable the reuse of critical parts such as biometric sensors for Face ID or Touch ID.
Improved Repair Process
To streamline the repair process, Apple will no longer require customers and service providers to provide a device’s serial number when ordering parts from the Self Service Repair Store for repairs not involving replacement of the logic board.
Furthermore, Apple said that future iPhone releases will support used biometric sensors.
Enhanced Security Measures
To deter theft and ensure the authenticity of parts, Apple will extend its Activation Lock feature to iPhone parts.
This feature aims to prevent stolen iPhones from being disassembled for parts by restricting the calibration capabilities of supported parts obtained from devices with Activation Lock or Lost Mode enabled.
Transparency and Access to Repair History
Apple believes in providing transparency and access to repair history for device owners. With Parts and Service history accessible within Settings on iOS, Apple ensures that second or third owners can view the full repair and part history of their device.
This fall, Apple will expand Parts and Service History to indicate whether a part is new or used genuine Apple.
Self Service Repair Growth
Introduced in 2022, Self Service Repair provides experienced individuals with manuals, genuine Apple parts, and tools used in official Apple locations. Currently, this service supports 40 Apple products across 33 countries and regions, offered in 24 languages.
Over the past five years, Apple has worked to increase the availability of genuine parts, tools, and training at service locations. This benefits both independent repair providers and Apple authorized service providers.
Availability
The new repair process, beginning with select iPhone models, will be available this fall.
Announcing the updates, John Ternus, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering, said:
At Apple, we continuously seek innovative ways to enhance the customer experience while minimizing our environmental footprint. Central to this mission is our commitment to creating durable products.
Over the past two years, Apple teams have dedicated themselves to revolutionizing product design and manufacturing to facilitate repairs using recycled Apple parts, ensuring the utmost safety, security, and privacy for our users.
With the latest expansion of our repair program, we are thrilled to offer greater choice and convenience to our customers, all while contributing to the longevity of our products and their components.