The iPhone 16's Battery Is Easier to Replace, Finally

This lone affects caller smartphones launching successful the EU aft June 2025, which means the iPhone 16 does not person to adhere to this law. The regularisation doesn't conscionable interaction connected batteries though. Manufacturers request to merchantability captious spare parts for 7 years and connection astatine slightest 5 years of bundle updates. These laws often power different regions, hence wherefore Apple is apt investigating this artillery replacement process successful its latest phone. It's unclear if the caller adhesive would beryllium afloat compliant with the EU's regulations.

“The constituent of the authorities is that it won't astir apt necessitate [Apple] to wholly alteration the plan of the product," says Ugo Vallauri, codirector of The Restart Project and a founding subordinate of the Right to Repair Europe coalition. “As agelong arsenic they tin proviso the spare portion arsenic good arsenic the tools needed to execute the repair and it tin beryllium performed by a generalist person—someone with immoderate level of competence—they would not request to alteration overmuch further, which tin beryllium perchance beryllium seen arsenic a weakness of the legislation. We volition spot what happens successful that respect.”

Matching Game

But easier artillery replacements are conscionable 1 portion of the story. Apple is notorious for “parts pairing,” the argumentation wherever it uses bundle to place and o.k. parts. Apple volition disable definite features if it finds the portion wasn't sourced from Apple's authoritative channels—even if the portion comes straight from different iPhone. For example, as iFixit's website says, if you regenerate your iPhone's surface with a genuine but second-hand part, your instrumentality volition suffer entree to Apple's True Tone and auto-brightness features, adjacent though the surface volition different relation normally. You whitethorn besides spot informing messages for replaced parts that Apple cannot identify.

New laws successful Oregon and Colorado prohibit the signifier of parts pairing to discriminate against different compatible parts, and Apple earlier this year said it would grow repair options to enactment utilized genuine parts starting this fall. That present applies to the Face ID sensor successful the TrueDepth selfie camera—you tin present swap this constituent from 1 portion to different without compromising security, safety, and privacy, according to Apple.

Apple besides says present if you usage a third-party portion that isn't disposable successful its cloud-based calibration servers, the telephone volition effort to activate the portion and marque it enactment to its afloat capability. It volition besides amusement the repair past of the instrumentality wrong Settings and database which parts person been replaced. Any utilized Apple parts volition present beryllium capable to beryllium calibrated aft you instal them, and these and volition look arsenic “used” parts successful the device's repair history. That means features similar True Tone volition yet beryllium enabled for third-party displays, and you'll beryllium capable to spot wellness information for third-party batteries. The beforehand camera and lidar scanner volition besides enactment operational if the module is replaced.

“I've ever felt similar the extremity of close to repair is to make the inducement for these manufacturers, who are the ones bully astatine making stuff, to prioritize oregon astatine slightest incorporated repairability into their objectives," says Nathan Proctor, elder manager of the Campaign for the Right to Repair astatine Public Interest Research Group (PIRG). "And erstwhile they do, they are really coming up with caller ways to marque things easier to hole successful ways I couldn't person predicted oregon thought up. It's breathtaking to spot Apple engineers coming up with solutions for making things much fixable.”

Lock Step

But there's a caller interest connected the skyline with iOS 18 rolling retired to Apple devices: Activation Lock. You mightiness beryllium acquainted with this if you person erased an iPhone successful the past but forgot to region your Apple relationship details, fundamentally locking a caller proprietor retired from the instrumentality unless they person your password. In iOS 18, this Activation Lock diagnostic present extends to iPhone parts. The thought is that this volition deter thieves from stealing iPhones to merchantability parts. If the iPhone detects that a utilized portion has been installed, it volition inquire for the archetypal portion owner's Apple relationship password.

Proctor says the fig 1 ailment he's heard from instrumentality refurbishers is astir Activation Lock—these companies person devices legally acquired from donations oregon recycling programs, but they cannot bash thing to unlock the phone. (Apple has ways to bypass Activation Lock if you person proof of acquisition documentation.)

“We request a mode to verifiably accidental this is not a stolen part,” Proctor says. “I truly respect and admit and recognize the worth of the mode Activation Lock thwarts theft, but there's got to beryllium immoderate mediate crushed wherever a reputable recycler doesn't person to shred moving parts and moving phones. It's ridiculous. It has the imaginable to undermine immoderate biology gains from each the different worldly that they're doing."