jbtuckr

With the iPhone 7, apple made Touch ID (as always) be disabled if the home button was replaced due to damage, but they also disabled the 3D input so the button wouldn’t register. It took years to finally come up with a work-around. 

When the iPhone 8/8plus came out, Apple has it coded into iOS that those devices would disable touchscreen capabilities unless the lcd panel was OEM. This was later “fixed” because it was ridiculous and infuriated many. 

With the iPhone X-present, apple disabled FaceID if the earpiece/proximity sensor flex cable SN doesn’t match what is hard-coded to the motherboard, same as they did with TouchID except the cameras that actually read your face aren’t part of that cable. It requires going to apple so they can hook it up to a machine (“Horizons”) or their new cloud software to recode it for a HEFTY price. I also vaguely remember something about the wireless charging coil causing problems sofware-locked when replaced. 

Since the iPhone 8, Apple disabled TrueTone on the device if the screen SN doesn’t match the original screen SN, even if it’s OEM and even though the ambient light sensor is a separate module. 

When the iPhone 11 was released, Apple started having the phone display a message that says the phone needs service due to a non original apple screen, even if the screen is in fact OEM. That same year, Apple also started making the devices have SN paired batteries as well, meaning another prompt would nag you saying that the battery isn’t original even if it is indeed OEM. The batteries also stopped reporting battery health and will only say Service; every prior iPhone will still tell you the battery health regardless if the replacement battery is OEM or aftermarket. 

With the iPhone 12 series, Apple added the cameras to the list of SN locked parts that stop functioning when replaced. I haven’t worked on any 12’s yet since they’re so new still (and Ceramic Shield really is amazing), so I don’t know if this is still the case or not.  

Apple is also just petty in the repairs department, every now and then adding new screw types into the mix(tristar), making it more annoying to repair. 

For everyone making the “security” argument, this paragraph is for you: If you don’t want repair shops accessing your data, don’t give them your passcode. Apple leads the way in device security, so if you don’t give it to them, there’s no way they can hack into your device. There is currently only one type of machine that can hack an iPhone in the world, it’s called GreyKey and it was made in Israel; it currently costs $50k for government officials only to be able to purchase this machine. Also, when this machine was made aware to apple, they implemented an update that fixes this issue: the lightning port won’t transmit data unless the phone has had the passcode typed into it within an hour timeframe. Before you hand your phone over, either hit the lock button 5 times or reboot your phone and there’s nothing anybody on the planet can do to get into it.
As a side note to the open-software debate: open software increases the security of a program exponentially. Linux is open software and has virtually no bugs whatsoever. Linux can run on a device for years without having to be rebooted because it has so many eyes and minds constantly searching to fix and improve it.  

I understand Apple wanting to keep their quality top notch and wanting to preserve secrets and user security, but their repair practices hurt the consumer. Unless you’re getting a battery replacement or screen repair from Apple, you’re going to be paying the full “Other Damage (Out of Warranty)” fee, which is $719 for the iPhone 12 Pro and $599 for the iPhone 12 (to put it in perspective). Other damage includes anything besides the screen or battery, so that price is INSANE. At the shop I work at, repairs for a charge port replacement are $45, cameras are $60, back glass is $70, loudspeaker is $45, battery is $45, etc, all including labor. In short, Apple is exponentially and unethically profiting off of consumers in this aspect. If they don’t want repair shops reproducing their parts and repairing phones, the answer is to make it affordable and expand their price list to include the small-parts, and to lower the prices. Part costs are very cheap for these types of parts. 

Despite all of this though, Apple does actually have competitive screen repair costs for the quality of their screens. Also, many repair shops skimp out on screens and get the cheapest parts available but still charge full price. Even worse, a lot of shops order LCD panels instead of OLED for phones that use OLED screens, yet still charge the very expensive OLED price. (Also, OLED phones aren’t meant to power LCD screens, so there’s a lot wrong with people doing that in the first place.)
Anyways, I made my case. Apple needs to reform their repair policies, either by amending  the pricing or by not locking down every component they can any chance they get.