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iPhone 13 Screen Replacements Can Break Face ID, a Repair Restriction iFixit Calls 'Completely Unprecedented'
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This isn’t new news. But there are ways around it. There are a few repair shops doing some research on this. A few have figured out it that if you replace the new screens chip “forget what it’s called but it’s connected on the actual screen where the ribbon connects to the screen” with the old screens. It’ll actually trick the device into thinking it’s the original screen because it carries all the screens identifying information. Although this is a tedious job to do because it’s so small and fragile so it can’t be done by every repair shop. But it’s a start. There are always ways around everything, but that still doesn’t negate the fact that apple is doing this to keep the repairs in house.
That’s not the reason apple did this. You can completely remove Face ID and Touch ID from an iPhone. Then replace the screen. And it won’t allow you to register a new one after the device is carrying the new screen. It’s simply to stop 3rd party repair shops.
It's clearly a security issue. Apple probably found a likely or exploited scenario where hackers were able to fool faceid by "repairing" a phone. This just secures the device from those iphone screen fixit nitwits in those booths you find at shopping malls.
You own the hardware of the phone, you don’t own the software. The screen is hardware, so I own it.
Gotta say a lot of iPhone users have an unwarranted sense of their importance. If you're important enough (high rank government official) that someone would want to spy on you, they (the enemy Gub'ment) will have the technology to do a screen swap, have a spying components installed and get the FaceID working with a different screen.
I don't have that problem. Hail, I don't have the problem of someone spying on me via my phone. I've got a firewall that allows me to disable/enable data transmission from my phone. What happens on my phone has stayed on my phone. The iPhone for all its vaunted security still transmit you data to iCloud which has been hacked in the past. In a way, my crappy ass, rooted, firewalled android phone is more secure than every iPhone in the world.🙃
If Apple were serious about security, they would put a firewall in the OS.😎 Computers have them. The iPhone is a computer, dagnabbit. iOS lets me block the cellular data🥰 for some apps but not the WiFi data😒. That's half assed security in my book.🤨
Odds are you don't own the glass either because you bought it on some installment plan that you're only going to pay half of anyway before trading it in. That said, you are not entitled to a working device that has been tampered with.
I love how people try to spin this as Apple being somehow SO greedy that they need money from iPhone screen repairs, that they went so far as to design the display to be irreplaceable because of the Face ID module. LOL!
No, Apple made a decision to secure the device from hardware hacking, and if that cuts out mall kiosk $49 screen repair, OH WELL.
If they hadn't done this, the article would read "Face ID easily hacked during display replacement" and the same people would be here with pitchforks.
LOL.
And this is why right-to-repair needs to be shoved threw. This type of BS being pulled by Apple is why the correct response to Apple "claiming" security is only F YOU. They sacrificed that argument long ago with these types of move that have no other reason that to block repairs.
Then why when you replace the screen. It disables Face ID and allows you to access the device? That’s bs. It’s not a security issue. It’s a money hungry issue.
yeah that argument falls apart here. The ONLY reason that they pulled this was to block repairs.
Have you ever consider Apple can easily do both? They are choosing to not do that.
The iCloud "scandal" was due to a phishing attack that got people to give up their iCloud passwords. Not Apples fault in any way.
Yah - good I guess. I hope they did it to make more profits at least, so my AAPL shares go up.
I am not so concerned about repair complainers. It's a ridiculous thing to worry about this - take it to Apple for repairs for now.
Really - I have a $2200 CAD brand new phone - you think I want to take it to a fixit shop for repairs while it's less than 2 weeks old and for example, I break my screen? No Way - it goes back to Apple Official whatever repair service.
Check back in a couple years and the fix it guys can have at it I guess -but all this thread is about a brand new newly released iPhone 13. Apple can repair or replace and handle refurbished units etc. "It's a greener way to go" as well
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Is the point of this just that "unauthorized" repair shops do not have the updated documentation/tools yet to service the newer hardware?
So how much of a burden is it for a business to get the real certification for the services they want to provide? Is there a big an ongoing cost, cut from each repair, etc?
Personally, I want my big-ticket items/appliances/house fixed by people that have been trained and/or certified for the job they are doing.
So how much of a burden is it for a business to get the real certification for the services they want to provide? Is there a big an ongoing cost, cut from each repair, etc?
Personally, I want my big-ticket items/appliances/house fixed by people that have been trained and/or certified for the job they are doing.
Well, if they buy it they can do what they want with it. The manufacturer has no responsibility for what happens after taht.
Wanting to be able to fix or mode something isn't entitlement unless you expect a manufacturer to support that.
So you are afraid of a repair shop getting your data or credit card # on your iPhone? That is a totally unrealistic event.
I completely own my phone. Apple forfeit all property over my phone when I paid them over $1,100 in exchange for it. I only got a license to the software that runs in it. What makes you think I don’t?
Maybe not to you. To people who understand there are people other than factory technicians with the expertise to diagnose and repair issues, let alone change oil, brake pads, etc. it makes a lot of sense.
If it’s a warranty repair, sure, let the dealership do it. Otherwise, the vast majority of issues can be fixed with the same quality for less money by third parties. If you like paying more, that’s cool, but just because you don’t understand something doesn’t make it a bad decision.
What you own is a hunk of aluminum and glass. You don't "own" a working iPhone. You don't "own" the right to have Face ID.
If you tamper with your phone, all guarantee of functionality is void. Unauthorized repair = tampering. You're more than welcome to do whatever you like with the hunk of aluminum and glass that you "own". You are not entitled to a working device once you violate the terms of use.
"I should be allowed to fix the phone I own" is utter nonsense on so many levels.
Inagine being this desperate to give over any consumer rights you might have to a corporation.
Tim is that you? Because literally I don't know why any consumer with common sense would support this....and you might want to look into consumer protection laws in many countries, you would find out that everything you said is completely wrong.
I don't like to hold onto tech. I love new tech, but it has to be an actual improvement, and since Jobs died, so many of the released Apple products have been a downgrade on the tech from the Jobs era that I already owned.
Well, Apple is still the first or second most valuable companies in the world. I'm not saying that will continue, but they seem to be doing just fine. Not a lot of customers I know are dusting off their pitchforks for independent repair shops.
The screen is seperate from the Face ID sensor. So how does this make any sense. There is no security issues with swapping the screen. If changing the sensor was the question then you'd be correct. The only way to preserve Face ID & Touch ID is to recycle the original part, which is what 3rd party repair shops currently do.
Ah, who knew that something so simple as a tempered glass screen protector might actually prevent screen replacement, in the first place? D'oh? My 6S has a screen protector and I've NEVER even cracked it once. And I've dropped my phone several times... and it's landed face down many of those times. And not on carpet... tile.
An inability to replace the iPhone 13's display without breaking Face ID could have a major impact on companies that offer iPhone repairs, iFixit said today in an article advocating for Right to Repair laws.
iFixit first pointed out this repair issue in its iPhone 13 Pro teardown, and has confirmed it with multiple tests. Replacing the display of the iPhone 13 renders Face ID non-functional, so at-home repairs are not an option. Swapping an iPhone 13's display with a display from a new iPhone 13 results in an error message that says "Unable to activate Face ID on this iPhone."
An iPhone display repair, which could previously be done with hand-held tools, now requires a microscope and microsoldering tools or access to Apple's Independent Repair Provider Program, which repair shops have criticized for its "draconian" contracts and requirements.
At issue is a small microcontroller that pairs the iPhone 13 to its display. Apple does not have a tool that allows iPhone owners or repair shops not affiliated with Apple to pair a new screen to an iPhone 13. Authorized technicians who do work with Apple need to use Apple Services Toolkit 2 to log a repair to Apple's cloud services, thereby syncing the serial numbers of the iPhone and the display.
Some repair shops have found a workaround, but it is difficult and work intensive. A soldered chip must be moved from the original screen to the replacement, which iFixit says is "completely unprecedented" as screen repair is "incredibly common" and accounts for a good amount of the revenue that independent repair shops bring in.
iFixit says that Apple's decision to disable Face ID with a screen repair could cause small repair outlets to shut down, spend thousands on new equipment, or lose out on Apple repairs. The site also does not believe that the Face ID repair issue is an accident, as Apple has previously introduced similar repair restrictions for Touch ID, True Tone functionality with display repairs, and iPhone 12 cameras.
Other independent repair shops that iFixit spoke to believe that Apple has implemented this change in an effort to "thwart a customer's ability to repair," directing iPhone owners to Apple retail locations or Apple Authorized Service Providers for help with their displays.
With the iPhone 12, camera repairs initially required Apple's proprietary system configuration tool to function properly, and cameras that were replaced were non-functional. Apple addressed this issue with an update that notifies customers that the camera in their device might not be genuine, but doesn't disable it entirely. Apple could do something similar for Face ID in a future update, but it's not clear yet if that will happen.
Customers with an iPhone 13 would be best served by visiting an Apple Authorized Service Provider or an Apple Store for any kind of repair due to the difficulty of display replacements and the potential for Face ID failure. Without AppleCare+, display repairs are expensive, priced between $229 to $329 for Apple's iPhone 13 models.
Article Link: iPhone 13 Screen Replacements Can Break Face ID, a Repair Restriction iFixit Calls 'Completely Unprecedented'
