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Independent phone repair shops in Australia will soon be able to repair the newest iPhones, using genuine Apple parts, as long as they are approved by the tech gaint to join its Independent Repair Provider program.
Joining the program will help the shops avoid the problems associated with them using cheaper imitation parts to fix the newer models of the iPhone. However, for many the deal with Apple could come with some strings attached.
The repairers approved for Apple’s program can receive free training to fix all Apple devices, and purchase genuine parts, tools, repair manuals, and diagnostics from the tech giant. But they also need to sign a contract with Apple to keep their tools and techniques confidential, and only let Apple-certified technicians make the repairs.
Long, owner of a repair shop in Melbourne, said his customers might not want genuine Apple parts at the price he’d have to charge.Credit:Joe Armao
There are also concerns that the move could let Apple exert excessive control over the independent shops. According to a Motherboard report from last year, contracts in the US version of the program allowed Apple to physically audit businesses’ operations unannounced, impose fines, ban the use of certain parts and continue inspections even if businesses leave the program.
Melbourne repair shop CPRepairsLab’s owner Long, who requested that his full name wasn’t published, said the popularity of iPhones meant there were a lot of refurbished parts available. But Apple’s Home Buttons, camera modules and vibration motors are specially serialised so the phone can detect when they’ve been changed, and restrict access to some device functions.
Apple’s security measures can make iPhones difficult to repair, but its popularity makes compatible aftermarket parts easy to come by.Credit:Joe Armao
“Apple has a chip inside the screen now so whenever you replace it, starting from iPhone 11, you get a pop-up saying it’s not an authorised screen,” he said.
“Or for the iPhone X or XR. If you want to replace the front speaker on that phone, you lose the Face ID. To do a proper job you’d have to take it to Apple for repair, because they have a special machine.”
Long said he would be interesting in joining the program, but with Apple currently charging $250 for a screen replacement job he offers for $120, he is worried about how much extra the genuine parts will cost.