Apple’s Solution: Overcoming the Greatest Hurdle in DIY Device Repair

Apple’s self-repair program has made repairs more accessible, but it’s still far from perfect. The main issue is that parts need to be brand-new and bought from Apple in order to use them, with the company validating whether you actually bought it. This greatly limits the use of used parts, which can often be less expensive to find and could still work perfectly well. Now, Apple is allowing the use of used parts, at long last.

Apple has announced that it’s opening up its self-repair program so that you can actually use used parts in place of brand-new parts. The process of “calibration,” which is the handshake that Apple does to “pair” parts to devices and ensure they’re authentic, will now happen on-device and will be opened up to used, authentic parts as well. Apple says that used parts will be able to be validated on Apple devices starting this fall, and future iPhone releases will be able to use used biometric sensors as well—presumably meaning that, for current Apple devices in the market, you can swap out for an used part everything but the Face ID/Touch ID sensor.

With this process, Apple says that used parts will also be able to enjoy full functionality and live a second life. One important bit to take into account is that the Parts and Service History section on your phone’s settings will also let you know whether an aftermarket part is used or new. Stolen parts, however, will not be able to enjoy this second life, at least not to its fullest, as Apple is also expanding Activation Lock to parts as well—if your phone is stolen and the thieves attempt to sell it for parts, calibration capabilities for those parts will be severely restricted. It remains to be seen how strict those restrictions are, however. After all, most people who may buy a part coming from a stolen phone might not be aware of that fact and are not at fault for the robbery, so punishing them would probably be counter-productive.

It’ll also be interesting to see how unofficial, non-genuine parts navigate these loosened restrictions. Apple says that it’s still making sure all parts going into iPhones are genuine, but they might figure something out.

Source: Apple

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