Great, right? Yeah, in the physical realm of simple part replacements, but on the now obligatory software side of things… not so fast.
Apple’s System Configuration tool is killing independent repair shops
Said System Configuration tool, however, has become the scourge of independent iPhone repair shops. Now, Apple says that “Self Service Repair has given anyone with experience repairing electronic devices access to the same manuals, genuine Apple parts, and tools used at Apple Store locations and Apple Authorized Service Providers,” but the sad reality is that it has made repairs ever more complex.
It contacts Apple’s servers to “authenticate” the repair, then “pairs” the new part to your system so it works as expected. Of course, it can only authenticate if Apple knows about your repair in advance, because you gave them the exact serial number of your iPhone, and they’ve pre-matched it to a display or battery. This is only possible if you buy the screen or battery directly from Apple. Forget harvesting parts—which is a huge part of most independent repair and recycling businesses. It’s also impossible to pair any aftermarket parts—which means only Apple-authorized repairs can truly restore the device to full functionality.
Apple’s indirect response is that “running System Configuration after a repair authenticates genuine Apple parts, updates firmware, and calibrates parts to ensure maximum performance and quality.” Instead of giving more freedom to independent repair shops, however, the Self Service Repair program tries to remake them all into the Genius Bar at an Apple Store. It remains to be seen how long regulators and repair businesses can go on like that, but in the meantime the iPhone 15 Pro Max may also get an iFixit score of 4/10, despite Apple’s efforts to placate repairability mandates.
