Apple will start selling tools & parts to let users fix their own iPhones

Apple announced Self Service Repair, which will allow customers who are comfortable with completing their own repairs access to Apple genuine parts and tools

Next year, Apple will roll out a new program, Self Service Repair, which will allow users to make routine device repairs at home. Users with damaged devices will receive “Apple genuine” tools and components through the initiative, which will be the same as those used at the Genius Bar.

Through the new Apple Self Service Repair Online Store, the company will also provide online repair manuals (text, not video). Beginning with the iPhone 12 and 13, the business built out a system for Independent Repair Providers (of which there are currently 2,800 in the US plus 5,000 Apple Authorized Service Providers), focusing on display, battery, and camera problems. Following that, a comparable service for M1Macs will be launched “soon.”

Apple hasn’t released particular pricing yet, but consumers who mail in a damaged component for recycling will receive a credit toward the ultimate amount. Consumers will have access to 200 parts and tools when the store opens in the United States in early 2022. Although performing these operations at home will not violate the device’s warranty, you may void it if you manage to significantly harm the gadget while repairing it — so follow the instructions carefully. After that, you can go to the Apple Self Service Repair Online Store and buy parts.

The announcement comes at a time when there is a growing drive for right-to-repair legislation, which has been met with opposition from some of the largest names in consumer electronics. Exemptions to the DMCA that prevented user repair were recently approved by the Library of Congress. Following the FTC’s May letter to Congress, which stated, “To address unlawful repair limits, the FTC will pursue relevant law enforcement and regulatory alternatives, as well as consumer education, consistent with our statutory power,” the president has gotten in on the act. The Commission is also prepared to engage with legislators at both the state and federal levels to ensure that customers have options when it comes to repairing things they buy and own.”

Advocates for enhanced repairability point to a number of factors, including lowering the cost of planned obsolescence and growing global worries about e-waste, the latter of which Apple has championed for several years. As smartphone technology has improved, it has gotten more difficult to fix the gadgets at home. It’s a long way from the days of swappable batteries, which prompted a small number of companies, such as Fairphone, to prioritize user repairability.

Later next year, Apple’s new program will expand to additional countries. When circumstances allow (especially for those protected by AppleCare+), the firm plainly encourages consumers to bring their devices in for repair at a licensed shop, but for those who’d prefer take matters into their own hands, this is a welcome step.