Apple will let iPhone users fix their own phones starting early next year, marking a significant shift for the company, which has shied away from the idea for a long time.
Apple said Self Service Repair will first be available for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 lineups and will later be followed by Mac computers with M 1 chips.
If a repair is needed, Apple's chief operating officer Jeff Williams said, '' Creating greater access to Apple Genuine parts gives customers more choice. For the past three years, Apple has doubled the number of service locations with access to Apple Genuine parts, tools, and training, and now we are providing an option for those who wish to complete their own repairs. The right to repair movement embraced by President Biden has a positive impact on everything from phones to cars and tractors. It's a reaction to the incorporation of software into more everyday products and the practices of manufacturers that have made the products harder and expensive to repair.
Apple is going to launch an online store for self-service repairs early next year, which it says will have more than 200 individual parts and tools for making the most common repairs on the iPhone 12 or iPhone 13. It will initially focus on do-it-yourself fixes to screens, batteries and displays, which Apple previously resisted and cited concerns about security and safety, such as faulty battery replacements that can damage a device.
The Biden administration, the Federal Trade Commission and state legislatures have been looking at regulatory changes that would make it easier for Americans to repair broken devices.
Apple has been a target for right-to- repair advocates because of its practice of locking down its software so that parts are encoded to a specific device. Some attempted repairs — such as replacing a broken original screen with one made by a third party — have left phones unusable.