Apple has been chipping away at iPhone repair work outside their control for years now, but with new changes to the iPhone 13, they may be aiming to shatter the market completely. The new iPhone 13 completely disables Face ID functionality when you replace its screen. One of the most common phone repairs that could once be done with hand tools now requires a microscope. This means you won't be able to fix your iPhone screen yourself without seriously stepping up your repair game, or sacrificing the functionality of your device.
Update 11/9/2021
Apple told The Verge that they will "release a software update that doesn't require you to transfer the microcontroller to keep Face ID working after a screen swap." We are ... a little shocked. Clearly this was not a security issue at all! Just another move against independent repair that they're backing down from, or a bug that they never bothered to test for.
Update 12/22/2021
We are happy to report that Apple followed through with their word and as of iOS 15.2, screen swaps do not break Face ID. You can read more about the update and our findings here: https://www.ifixit.com/News/56386/ios-15-2-fixes-iphone-13s-face-id-repair-trap-and-improves-its-repair-score
Read The Verge's update here: https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/9/22772433/apple-iphone-13-screen-replacements-face-id-software-update
You can check out The Art of Repair channel here: null
Fight for your right to repair here: https://www.repair.org/stand-up/
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:24 How Apple changed screen swaps in the iPhone 13
01:30 How technicians are dealing with these changes
02:10 Interview with Justin Ashford from The Art of Repair
05:28 What this means for DIY repair
06:48 Right to Repair can help!
#iPhone13, #iPhone13ScreenRepair, #iFixit
Subscribe to our channel for all our latest teardown and repair videos!
null
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ifixit
Check us out on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iFixit
532 Comments