What to do if the screen on the iPhone breaks or the battery loses power?

Apple has been notorious for not making it easy for its customers in these cases.

It was often awkward or associated with hurdles to get the devices working again.

Apple refused to allow its customers to carry out repairs themselves.

Roland Lindner

Business correspondent in New York.

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Thiemo Heeg

Editor in business.

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The company argued that it needed expertise that most customers lacked, and improper repairs could damage the products. It is therefore often the easiest option to buy a new device. However, this is in contrast to Apple's own claim to be a trendsetter in eco-standards.

In order to resolve this conflict of goals, the group initiated a remarkable U-turn: Apple has announced an offer called “Self Service Repair” and intends to use it to sell spare parts and tools for repair directly to customers in the future.

It is slated to launch in the US in early 2022 and then in other countries later this year.

Initially, it is said to include iPhone 12 and 13 series, followed by certain Macintosh computers.

At the beginning, the focus should be on components such as screens, batteries and cameras, which are repaired particularly often.

"Right to repair"

Apple and many other electronics manufacturers have so far been accused of not offering enough repair options, and there has recently been increasing pressure from politicians and consumer and environmental groups to fix things quickly. Corresponding initiatives are often summarized under the name “right to repair”. US President Joe Biden earlier this year ordered the FTC to develop rules that give consumers more options for repairs.

An Apple investor specializing in sustainable investments recently filed a shareholder motion aimed at changes to its repairs policy. Anyone who has previously wanted to have an Apple device repaired can go to one of the more than 500 Apple stores or to one of the around 5000 partner shops authorized by the company. Apple also started a program two years ago that gives independent service providers access to original spare parts. Many critics considered the previous selection to be inadequate.

Electronics repairs platform iFixit welcomed Apple's announcement, calling it "a remarkable concession to our collective expertise."

How many owners of Apple devices will use the new offer remains to be seen.

The group itself says that the program is intended for “technicians” with the appropriate know-how, and that for the “vast majority” of customers it will remain the best solution to seek professional help.

In doing so, he himself is stirring up doubts in the industry that a large new area of ​​business could open up for him.

He has not yet revealed how much the spare parts and tools should cost.

Competitor Samsung

Apple's main competitor, Samsung, does not yet offer spare parts, but has a cell phone on offer that allows owners to replace the batteries themselves. Otherwise, the group does good business with repair services. Customers can send in their devices or drop them off at one of the so-called Customer Service Plazas, and there is also an “Express Repair Bus”, which costs ten euros to order. However, according to Samsung, this mobile service is currently not available “due to a technical malfunction”.

The global cell phone market leader was recently praised by Stiftung Warentest for this.

"Nobody repairs Samsung phones cheaper than the manufacturer themselves," the testers stated in April 2020 in a comparison of smartphone repair services.

Samsung received an overall rating of “good” (2.4), eight others only received a “satisfactory” rating.

Customers can determine the costs themselves on the homepage.

For the top model Galaxy S21, changing the entire display module costs 189 euros, while Samsung swaps the battery for 73 euros.