(NewsNation) —Tech giant Apple made a long-awaited reversal in its used parts protocol this week which will make it easier for iPhone users to fix their devices.
Apple lifted restrictions on its used parts protocol, which includes screens, batteries, and cameras for iPhone 15 or newer models starting this fall.
The new policy will lower costs for customers receiving repairs and give them more options, according to the company.
“The new process is designed to maintain an iPhone user’s privacy, security and safety, while offering consumers more options, increasing product longevity, and minimizing the environmental impact of a repair,” Apple said in a statement. “Used genuine Apple parts will now benefit from the full functionality and security afforded by the original factory calibration, just like new genuine Apple parts.”
The move is a “big shift” for the company, Amanda Hoover, staff writer for Wired said Friday on NewsNation Now.
“This though is a huge deal for repair shops and people who want to even repair their phones on their own,” she said.
Hoover did say the company will still require the use of genuine Apple parts instead of aftermarket parts, so it’s not as strong as advocates would like, but is still significant.
The policy change could be motivated in part by new and brewing legislation coming out of Oregon and Colorado that ban blocks to parts repairs, she said.
Oregon’s law, which goes into effect in January, requires Apple and tech companies to begin allowing customers to use any part they want in repairs, regardless of whether those parts were approved by the original smartphone maker.
Apple would face a penalty of $1,000 a day for failing to comply with the law starting in 2027.
“We see legislation moving this way and it seems that that could be something that would push a company like Apple if they have to do it in these states to do it across the board,” Hoover said.