Apple Will (Finally) Sell Parts and Tools Allowing You to Fix Your Broken iPhone

As the old saying goes, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em,” and it appears that Apple is now at least partially embracing this in bowing to the inevitable in its long-standing fight against “Right to Repair” legislation.

After years of insisting that repairs to iPhones, iPads, and Macs should be confined to Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers (AASPs), the company has just announced that it will soon begin selling parts, tools, and manuals to individual consumers who want to undertake their own do-it-yourself (DIY) repairs.

It’s a massive reversal for a company that’s long tried to keep an extremely tight rein on the repair industry, claiming that it doesn’t want customers hurting themselves.

However, it’s also a fight that Apple seems destined to lose, as the Biden-Harris Administration begins rolling out new consumer rights legislation, taking the fight from individual states onto the national stage.

So, it’s pretty clear that Apple wants to get ahead of the game here, hoping to open things up on its own before it finds itself forced to do so by government regulation. It’s arguably both a good public relations move and an attempt to at least maintain some control over the process.

Self-Service Repair

To be fair, however, while Apple will be rolling the program out in stages, it doesn’t appear to be taking any half measures in its plans.

According to Apple’s announcement, customers who are comfortable doing their own repairs on their devices will be able to access Apple genuine parts, tools, and even official repair manuals.

The program is starting with only the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13, although Apple has already promised that it will soon include Mac computers featuring M1 chips. There’s no word yet on when the iPad will join the program, or whether older Intel-based Macs will be included.

“Creating greater access to Apple genuine parts gives our customers even more choice if a repair is needed. In the past three years, Apple has nearly doubled the number of service locations with access to Apple genuine parts, tools, and training, and now we’re providing an option for those who wish to complete their own repairs.Jeff Williams, Apple Chief Operating Officer

Initially, Apple will be focusing only on those parts that are most commonly serviced, including the iPhone display, the battery, and the camera modules, but it plans to expand that to additional types of repairs later next year.

Specifically, Apple will be launching a new Self Service Repair Online Store that will offer more than 200 individual parts and the necessary specialized tools that will allow customers to undertake these common repairs. Presumably, these tools will also include access to the necessary calibration systems that are used by authorized Apple technicians to pair up displays, batteries, and biometric sensors.

In addition, customers will be able to return their used parts for recycling and even receive credit toward the purchase of the new parts.

How Does Apple Self Service Repair Work?

While Apple will presumably offer more details once the new parts store goes online early next year, it appears the process will basically go something like this:

1. Customers will review an online Repair Manual to ensure that they can safely perform a repair and confirm the parts that are needed.
2. The customer will then be able to place an order for the Apple genuine parts and tools needed for the specific repair from the new Apple Self Service Repair Online Store.
3. Once the parts are received, the customer will be able to conduct the repair using the parts, tools, and instructions provided by Apple.
4. Following the repair, customers can return the used part, such as the defective display, battery, or camera module, to receive a credit toward their purchase.

To be clear, this isn’t a repair program for everyone, as even with the proper tools and detailed instructions, there’s still a lot of fine work involved.

Apple notes that “Self Service Repair is intended for individual technicians with the knowledge and experience to repair electronic devices,” and recommends that most customers still go through “a professional repair provider with certified technicians who use genuine Apple parts.”

There’s also no word on what these genuine Apple parts will actually cost, so the DIY option may not seem to be more cost-effective than visiting a local repair shop. This largely depends on how much profit Apple plans to make on selling parts directly to consumers.

However, it’s important to keep in mind that any shop that participating in the Apple Authorized Service Provider (AASP) program or Independent Repair Program (IRP) must use the same genuine Apple parts, and then charge labour fees on top of that. Even if parts sold directly to customers carry a slightly higher price than what repair shops pay for them, the difference in labour costs should still make DIY repairs more affordable.

Of course, you’ll always be able to find bargain-basement repair prices from unauthorized repair shops, especially when it comes to things like broken screens and battery replacements. Many of these shops use grey market or counterfeit Apple parts, and of course, they don’t have access to the necessary tools to properly calibrate the replacements. We generally recommend steering clear of unauthorized repair shops unless you know them very well, as they can often use defective and even dangerous parts.

After all, there are plenty of places where you can get your iPhone serviced with legitimate replacement parts and technicians that are properly trained by Apple. The company notes that its global repair network boasts over 5,000 AASPs, plus 2,800 Independent Repair Providers.

Apple’s Self Service Repair Program is expected to be available early next year to customers in the U.S., and expand to additional countries throughout 2022. It will initially be limited to the most common repairs for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 lineups, although Apple promises that M1 Macs will soon follow, along with repairs for other components later in the year.