Repairs are easier with Apple’s new Assistant

Apple has been taking repairability issues seriously in its products and software for a few years now. Not everything is perfect, but things are moving forward, as we see with iOS 18 and the iPhone 16.

Apple shows its white paw to the advocates of repairability. The latter have been taking the manufacturer to task for years for its practices of forced hardware integration (it has become impossible to add RAM or storage in Macs, not to mention iPhones and iPads) and serialization of spare parts. The Apple company has finally listened to these complaints, which have also earned it an examination from regulators.

An assistant for easier repairs

The batteries of the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus will thus be easier to remove for replacement. Apple did not specify it, but other components of these models benefit from “simplified access”, as the company indicated to Engadget. It is also possible to replace the TrueDepth camera of an iPhone 16 with that of an iPhone 16 Pro, and vice versa.

On iPhone 12 and later, this same camera essential to Face ID can be configured directly on the smartphone, without needing to use a Mac. The Lidar depth sensor of the iPhone Pro can also be repaired at the same time as the camera block on the back. iOS 18 also introduces a new “repair assistant” to correctly calibrate certified spare parts (such as those taken from another Apple device, for example).

This is the last step after replacing the component. It is certainly possible to bypass it, but the component in question will not work as well and the iOS settings will display alerts. The refurbished specialist Back Market was also able to test this new feature which works as announced by Apple.

For seasoned DIYers and repairers, this simplified procedure is excellent news that will speed up operations (read the support sheet). This new assistant is available on iPhone 12 and later for the battery, screen, rear camera unit, TrueDepth camera and rear cover. The iPad Pro M4 and iPad Air M2 are also part of the game for the screen in both ranges, with the addition of the camera unit and TrueDepth camera for the iPad Pro. Let’s hope that other devices – Macs in particular – will benefit from it quickly in turn. Apple had communicated on the subject last April.

Read Fixing your iPhone yourself is about to get a little easier

While genuine spare parts are easier to install, the manufacturer has also tightened the screws on traffickers of components from stolen devices: they are now linked to the iPhone’s activation lock, which means that you have to identify yourself before you can use them.

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