Apple will improve support for third-party iPhone displays and batteries later this year. The company revealed this in a new whitepaper published on June 26.
Titled “Longevity, by Design,” Apple detailed approach to longevity in the whitepaper.
True Tone will soon work with third-party displays
Third-party and independent repair shops can repair iPhones using non-Apple displays and batteries. However, due to Apple’s parts pairing and lack of relevant data, features like True Tone and battery health monitoring do not work with third-party components.
In its whitepaper, Apple says this will change later in 2024 and has detailed other changes to its repair process. When a third-party component is used, your iPhone will show a message the first time it boots after the repair. A constant message will also appear under the Parts and Service History in the Settings menu.
For True Tone, Apple says it disables the feature for third-party displays because of the lack of the required calibration data. But to “offer more complete support for third-party parts, starting later in 2024, Apple will allow consumers to activate True Tone with third-party parts to the best performance that can be provided.”
Similarly, for third-party batteries, Apple says it will show the battery health metrics. A notification will appear alongside this if the company cannot verify the battery’s information.
Apple is making these changes as it expands its DIY iPhone and Mac repairs to Europe.
Better calibration for third-party components and easier sourcing of official repair parts
Apple states in the whitepaper that it will make the process of calibrating a used component the same as a new part.
“Starting later in 2024, the process for calibrating a used Apple part will be the same as calibrating a new Apple part in the repair of supported devices — it will automatically happen on device without the need to purchase the part from Apple,” says the whitepaper.
Apple is also making it easier to source official repair parts. Placing component orders on Apple’s Self Service Repair store will no longer require you to enter a device serial number.
In a bid to thwart the use of stolen components, Apple will extend Activation Lock to individual iPhone parts. If a stolen component is used during repair, your iPhone will not calibrate it.
You can download Apple’s “Longevity, by Design” whitepaper from here.
