Apple users can now repair iPhone & Co. themselves

• As of April 27, repair instructions and replacement parts are available to US customers
• Apple recommendation: Only experts should carry out repairs themselves
• Many millions of tons of electronic devices are disposed of every year – self-service repair means a step towards sustainability

As Apple announced in a press release at the end of April, iPhone owners in the USA have been able to buy original Apple spare parts, view repair instructions and borrow the necessary tools from a newly created online shop since April 27. The group is thus responding to increasingly loud demands for a “right to repair” and is taking a step towards sustainability and customer friendliness.

Battery, screen, camera & Co. can be changed by the user

Initially, “Self Service Repair” is only available in the US, but the service will be rolled out in Europe later this year, according to Apple’s press release. In addition, for the time being only spare parts for models from the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 generations and SE-3 devices are available, the range will also be expanded to Mac parts in 2022. Available replacement parts include battery, screen and camera, among others. The replacement parts are exactly the same parts that are used by the Apple repair service or in authorized independent workshops. According to the information portal heise, independent workshops have been able to install original Apple spare parts since 2019, provided they meet certain conditions set by Apple. According to Apple, the number of such workshops has risen sharply in recent years.

Repair at home can pay off

If you order a set for changing the battery from Self Service Repair, for example, you will receive the required adhesive and other materials in addition to a new battery. Such a battery repair kit for the iPhone 12 costs around 70 US dollars, whereby customers who send their old battery to Apple after the repair are reimbursed part of the costs and only pay around 47 US dollars in total, reports heise – the prices are given without sales tax. If you send your iPhone to the Apple repair service in Germany for a battery change, you currently pay around 87 euros for it. So customers who own their own tools can really save money with Self Service Repair.

Apple recommends that you continue to have the repair performed by professionals

If you don’t have your own tools, you can also rent Apple tools for a period of one week – at a price of 49 US dollars. Here it is worth comparing the total amount with the cost of using the Apple repair service. Because: In the press release, Apple clearly emphasizes that repairs at home are now possible, but that repairs by trained specialists are strongly recommended.

To ensure that Self Service Repair customers actually deal with the repair, the IMEI of the device and the repair ID are requested when ordering. After the repair, customers will need to contact Apple to remotely run through a system configuration. According to the manufacturer, this serves to check whether the spare part is actually a safe and tested original part.

Apple’s updates respond to “right to repair” initiatives

“[Die Klimakrise ist] a major challenge that no single company or private individual can master alone. This year, we’re addressing that with a bigger effort than ever before,” said Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives, in Apple’s 2021 Sustainability Report According to the European Parliament, 53 million tons of electronic waste were disposed of in 2019 alone.

However, Apple’s efforts don’t come out of nowhere: in recent years, more and more voices have been raised calling for simpler repairs of electronic devices – which Apple initially consistently ignored. As the European Parliament reported in early April, a full 77 percent of EU citizens would rather have their devices repaired than replaced. That is why the Parliament voted with a very large majority to accept a legislative proposal from the European Commission on the “right to repair”. Should there soon be new laws for the provision of repair options, Apple would probably have gotten into trouble with its old regulations at the latest.

Olga Rogler / Editor finanzen.net

Image sources: Anton_Ivanov / Shutterstock.com, Apple