Apple allows self-repairs to iPhones, Macs

California, Nov. 18 (U.S.): Apple has allowed some iPhone users to repair their own phones, a sharp turnaround for a company that has long prevented anyone, except for company-certified technicians, from tampering with its own parts and software.

The company said Wednesday that it will enable users of two of the latest iPhone models and eventually some Mac computers to access genuine Apple parts and tools for consumer repairs, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

This shift reflects the strengthening of President Joe Biden’s “Right to Repair” movement that affects everything from smartphones to cars and tractors. It’s a reaction to the infusion of software into more everyday products and manufacturers’ practices that have made these products increasingly difficult and expensive to repair.

Apple is launching an online self-service repair shop early next year that it says will contain more than 200 individual parts and tools for making the most common repairs to an iPhone 12 or iPhone 13. It will initially focus on doing it yourself — do-it-yourself screens, batteries, and displays, which Apple previously resisted it and cited security and safety concerns, such as faulty battery replacement that could damage the device.

Maureen Mahoney, senior policy analyst at Consumer Reports said:

“If you buy a product, you should be able to fix it,” she said. Otherwise, “Consumers have to either rely on the manufacturers approved repairer or they will have to purchase a new repairer.”

The Federal Trade Commission, the Biden administration, and state legislatures have been eyeing regulatory changes that would make it easier for Americans to fix their broken devices.

Regulators have expressed concerns about restrictions that direct consumers to repair networks of manufacturers and resellers, adding costs to consumers and closing independent repair shops from business opportunities. They also said that these reform limitations often fall hard on minority and low-income consumers. An FTC report to Congress in May noted that many small black-owned businesses repair equipment, and repair shops are often owned by entrepreneurs from poor communities.

Apple has long been a target of right-to-repair advocates for its practice of locking its software so that parts are encrypted for a specific device. Some repair attempts – such as replacing an original broken screen with a third-party one – have left the phones unusable.

Nathan Proctor, senior director of the Right to Repair Campaign at US PIRG, a consumer advocacy group, said there are limits to the changes Apple is making, but it’s still a “huge milestone”.

“One of the most prominent opponents of the right to reform is to reverse course in a meaningful way,” he said.

This is thanks to increased pressure, including from some Apple investors, Proctor said. A shareholder proposal from an environmental investment group calls on the company to stop anti-reform practices, arguing that they are contributing to e-waste.

MI