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iPhone 13 Screen Replacements Can Break Face ID, a Repair Restriction iFixit Calls 'Completely Unprecedented'
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Maybe, maybe not. Tens or hundreds of millions of devices out there, some easier than others to repair.
I just had battery replacement done on a 5th generation iPad, used local non-authorized repair shop, they did the work quickly and I know of no problems.
I would be less eager to give my new $1100 13 Pro Max to a local shop, however.
Agreed. Logic and Reason escape the dexterous digits of the nattering nabobs who react with ever-jerking knees to anything that seems rainbows-and-unicorns pleasantry. Reality is a harsh and hateful mistress for many here today, it seeems.
I can see both sides of the argument.
The days of people getting cheap screen replacements from independent shops for around £20-£50 are over on new devices. They'll need to now spend up to 10 times the amount to get an out of warranty repair done:
support.apple.com
The pricing is outrageous. £316.44 for the iPhone 11/12/13 Pro Max for example. £266.44 on the mainstream iPhone 11/12/13. It will just push people to Android devices where they can get cheap and easy repairs done.
Then on the other hand, there's the security aspect.
But lets be honest, Apple can push the security agenda all they like. They just want to get the extra revenue that third parties currently receive.
It does make an absolute mockery of Apple's environmental message. Perfectly good devices will end up in the bin because people simply wont be able to afford to get them repaired.
What will Apple do next? Ensure the batteries cannot be replaced by third parties? I'm sure they already have plans for this.
The days of people getting cheap screen replacements from independent shops for around £20-£50 are over on new devices. They'll need to now spend up to 10 times the amount to get an out of warranty repair done:
iPhone Screen Repair – Apple Support (UK)
Find out more about Apple-certified iPhone screen repair options and replacement costs by coverage type.
The pricing is outrageous. £316.44 for the iPhone 11/12/13 Pro Max for example. £266.44 on the mainstream iPhone 11/12/13. It will just push people to Android devices where they can get cheap and easy repairs done.
Then on the other hand, there's the security aspect.
But lets be honest, Apple can push the security agenda all they like. They just want to get the extra revenue that third parties currently receive.
It does make an absolute mockery of Apple's environmental message. Perfectly good devices will end up in the bin because people simply wont be able to afford to get them repaired.
What will Apple do next? Ensure the batteries cannot be replaced by third parties? I'm sure they already have plans for this.
Tim Cook has made more money this year than I will probably ever make in my lifetime so forgive me if I don’t shed a tear if right to repair makes him slightly less filthy rich.
I've always found a $20 case and $8 screen protector works wonders. I dropped my phone face-first hard on the concrete about two weeks ago, and broke my screen protector, put about 4 big cracks in it. Put a new one on, it was too off center, but put on a second and it was all good. Yesterday I dropped my phone right at a funny angle on the floor by the bathroom (again face-first) and chipped and cracked the screen protector, again. Thankfully they came as a three-pack! 
That's great info until you realize 100% of the FaceID components are mated to the body of the device and have 0 parts inside the display. Literally 0 are in the display.
the display only has clear cutouts so the sensors can see through the display.
when you change the display nothing to do with the FaceID hardware comes out.
The device detects a different SN from the display and then just disables the faceID even though the display has nothing to do with FaceID. The display does not contain the sensors and does not do any faceID processing.
So none of the security concerns exist like it did with TouchID which WAS installed into the display but could be moved to a different display to keep security.
This is why its anti repair for them to disable touchID.
The chip they are moving from one display to the next to keep FaceID is just the Identifier with no FaceID processing at all. Thats done on board the device.
Again for the record when you change a display you dont remove or even touch any FaceID components.
The local third party shops are the go-to for the majority of users, especially for battery & screen replacements. Shops in train stations/airports/service stations/shopping malls make a good living repairing devices. Its just convenient for people.
Same here. I'm fine having Apple repair my phone, though I've never needed a repair since buying iPhones for a dozen+ years.
Have to laugh at all the intense outrage here! Wonder how many people will be voting with their wallets next time they need a phone. Likely none.
Then maybe they should start by fixing their constant security issues in software first, no?
I don't understand these objections. I would never want my device repaired by someone other than Apple... At least not a phone/tablet/watch that's so miniaturized and specialized. And the majority of the time when I've needed such help, Apple's just replaced my whole device anyway.
First? Security issues should be handled one at a time? Idle the hardware team until the software team fixes all their bugs?
It’s almost as though Apple has built in a series of ways to lock customers in by making switching expensive and inconvenient.
Being able to replace the Face ID sensor does seem like a major attack vector, yeah, though I'd be surprised if just requiring a restart and passcode unlock didn't close the vector.
When you find yourself borrowing language from Spiro Agnew, it's never a good look...
They have to make up for their losses, iPhone marketshare recently dropped to under 14% and they dropped to rank #4 of smartphone manufacturers. The money's gotta come from somewhere, so make sure others can't repair and raise repair prices. They can't live from the US market alone.
I saw a YouTube video where the guy was swapping parts between two identical iPhones. Nothing really worked until he put the original parts together that came with each phone. Apple looks to be using serial numbers on the major parts and marrying the parts for a given phone together. Changing parts requires apple tools to update the serial number inventory for a given phone. Everyone is, of course, calling this a lock in to Apple for repairs.
What it is really doing is making the value of stolen parts much lower if you can't use them. Stolen phones for parts is a big business and part of why independent repair shops can undercut Apple so much.
What? Everybody, unless they're weak, has a choice. Unhappy with Apple policies? Simply vote with your wallet and reward another phone manufacturer with your currency. Will you do it?
And what a coincidence that Apple users symbolically already put THEIR credit card inside APPLE's Wallet, the App.
Vicious circle completed, and thumbscrews tightened, ready steady suck!
same issue here with my IPhone 6s, I’ve purchased a cheap EBay screen replacement and it rendered Touch ID useless/disabled, found a reputable EBay seller with iPhone 6s Touch ID compatible LCD screen replacement and works very well, I guess you get what you paid for.
A couple of years ago I accidentally got my iPhone X wet, everything still worked except for faceID. The cost to replace the module was prohibitively expensive so I went without faceID for a few months until the 11 came out. It was a real drag, and I was extremely relieved when I got the feature back after buying the 11.
I hope I never have a phone without faceID again. And I fully support the right to repair. I really wish Apple designed its products so its customers could repair their devices on their own.
IMO the only acceptable reasons for making them so difficult to repair is to make them less desirable to thieves and / or making them more secure against non-owner tampering. So if that is the case, I can live with the current design choices.
I also understand that if I don't like Apple's decisions, no one is forcing me to buy their stuff.
I hope I never have a phone without faceID again. And I fully support the right to repair. I really wish Apple designed its products so its customers could repair their devices on their own.
IMO the only acceptable reasons for making them so difficult to repair is to make them less desirable to thieves and / or making them more secure against non-owner tampering. So if that is the case, I can live with the current design choices.
I also understand that if I don't like Apple's decisions, no one is forcing me to buy their stuff.
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Are you saying you're helpless to choose another phone manufacturer should you want to?
Tech is going to be more and more complicated and integrated in order to make design more efficient. New Face ID is smaller and integrated with the screen, it's good direction in order to reduce the notch. With the pace of innovation and complexity right now some people really expect to keep repairing things with screwdriver
No one said anything about idling anyone. The argument was "look we make things so secure", when in reality many security issues exists.
Please explain how repairability or replacement of a component is a threat to security in this particular case, and please explain in detail so a hardware and software designer can understand it.