Apple has expanded its self-service diagnostics tool to Europe, allowing customers in 32 countries to diagnose issues themselves, making repairing iPhones easier.
But the bigger news is Apple’s commitment to improving the user experience with third-party iPhone repairs. A new white paper titled “Longevity, by Design” discusses the company’s efforts and reveals some upcoming changes.
One improvement is software support for third-party screens. iPhones with non-OEM displays will soon be able to enable True Tone, the feature that adjusts the display’s white balance for a more natural viewing experience.
But, Apple warns that performance might be affected as True Tone relies on precise communication between the screen and light sensors, which can vary with third-party components. Users will also have the option to disable True Tone if they’re not satisfied.
Another requested feature is coming to third-party batteries: battery health metrics. iPhone users will now see information like maximum capacity and cycle count, even with non-Apple batteries.
In an effort to improve support for third-party batteries, starting later in 2024, Apple will display battery health metrics with a notification stating that Apple cannot verify the information presented.
However, Apple said that they cannot verify the accuracy of this information. Their white paper details safety concerns with some third-party batteries and reveals the importance of using parts that meet strict standards.
And finally, Apple is also trying to make the process of acquiring parts for self-service repairs hassle-free. Previously, users needed to enter their device’s serial number to purchase parts through the Self-Service Repair store. This requirement is being removed.
These changes are expected to arrive later in 2024, likely with the release of iOS 18, which was announced at WWDC. Hopefully, it will make repairing iPhones as streamlined as they have revealed.
More here.