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Apple last week announced the launch of a new Self Repair program, which is designed to allow iPhone 12, iPhone 13, and iPhone SE owners to repair their devices on their own using manuals, tools, and replacement parts sourced directly from Apple.


We were curious how the Self Service Repair program works and how it compares to the simplicity of bringing a product in to Apple for repair, so we had MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera order up a repair kit to replace the battery of his iPhone 12 mini.

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Dan describes himself as the opposite of a handyman and he's never done an iPhone repair before, so we thought he'd be the perfect representation of the average consumer who just wants to save some money by doing DIY repairs.

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To start out with, we ordered a kit and components on the day that the program went live, and received it not too long after, so the turnaround time for what we needed was fairly quick. It's worth noting that for most of the repairs, you need the parts and Apple's repair kit. The repair kit comes in two separate packages, and the two boxes weigh in at a whopping 79 pounds. You get it for a week before you need to send it back via UPS, or else Apple charges you $1300.

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It's inconvenient to have to deal with one 40 pound repair kit and a second 30 pound repair kit, so that's a negative right off the bat. It costs $49 to get the kit and $70.99 for the iPhone 12 mini battery bundle, though you get $24.15 back for sending in old parts.

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That means it costs a total of $95.84 to do a battery swap on the iPhone 12 mini, and comparatively, it's $69 to have Apple swap it out, so it's not really cost effective to do that repair on your own.

Note that you can order the parts alone without the tool kit, but Apple's repair manual instructs users to use tools in the kit that they wouldn't otherwise have on hand, such as an Apple-designed battery press.

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You can purchase all of the tools individually so you have them on hand for repairs, but Apple's components are expensive. A battery press is $115, a torque driver is $99, a heated display removal pocket is $116, and a display press is $216, and all of these are needed for battery removal according to Apple's repair manual.

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It is not cost effective for someone who wants to make a single repair to use anything but the rental kit, though some of the individual part purchases will make sense for repair outlets who want to get their hands on Apple-designed tools.

As for the actual repair process, Dan found it to be difficult, even with Apple's instructions and tools. It was frustrating to get into, and there were components missing from the kit that were required by the manual, such as tweezers and heat protective gloves.

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Dan needed to go to the store on two separate occasions to get more supplies, and because of this, the repair took the better part of the day. Dealing with adhesive was time consuming and almost put a stop to the self repair.

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Overall, for the layperson, it's probably better to take your phone to a professional for repair rather than attempting to fix it yourself. This is especially true of repairs for things like the battery and the display, which are generally cheaper to have Apple replace.

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If you're feeling brave, you can save some cash if you need a camera, Taptic Engine, or speaker repair, but make sure to study the manual and know what you're getting into. It's well worth watching Dan's full video up above to get a complete picture of the repair process and what's involved.

Article Link: Testing Out Apple's Self Repair Program With an iPhone 12 Mini Battery Fix
 
I expect these are the exact same tools and processes a Genius Bar or Apple Authorized Service Center use.

As such, they're designed for trained service professionals, not your average consumer. And that is why your average consumer would stay far away from this and use a Genius Bar or AASC - which I am sure is what Apple wants.
 
Now we know why it took so long to launch this program.

Apple has designed this program to be so cumbersome, hardly anyone would want to do it themselves. The message is clear, pay the Apple Store to do it. The program seems to be a way to get regulators off Apple's backs.

The risk of losing $1,300 because Apple forces you to order 79 lbs of tools for a battery change is ridiculous. You do not need a display press to replace the battery.
 
A few lines in the middle of their phones, a few visible screws and you you know what? Opening an iPhone and replacing parts wouldnt be so difficult. Instead they use glue to put it together and create a convoluted system of repair to keep all that repair/replacement money to themselves. Repairing iPhones is literally part of the iPhone profit scheme along with getting you invested in their app store, signed up to their services, not using cases that totally protect the phone and so on. If Apple had just one competitor that made phones slightly different to make things easier on the consumer, lots of people would jump ship. There is a better way, they just don't give it to you because that would mean lost revenue.
They are playing the game as cutthroat as they can without grabbing you and forcing you to buy their stuff. Which means more revenue for them. As long as their customers don't wise up to and and demand more they will keep seeing how far they can take things. The only limit is us and we put up with way more than we have to from these people.
 
Now we know why it took so long to launch this program.

Apple has designed this program to be so cumbersome, hardly anyone would want to do it themselves. Instead, they'll pay the Apple Store to do it.

The risk of losing $1,300 because Apple forces you to order 79 lbs of tools for a battery change is ridiculous.

never mind I think this was just to check a box to avoid further EU regulations

pretty lame
 
Repairing iPhones is literally part of the iPhone profit scheme along with getting you invested in their app store, signed up to their services, not using cases that totally protect the phone and so on. If Apple had just one competitor that made phones slightly different to make things easier on the consumer, lots of people would jump ship. There is a better way, they just don't give it to you because that would mean lost revenue.

Apple's repair business is not profitable. It's break-even at best.
 
Now we know why it took so long to launch this program.

Apple has designed this program to be so cumbersome, hardly anyone would want to do it themselves. Instead, they'll pay the Apple Store to do it.

The risk of losing $1,300 because Apple forces you to order 79 lbs of tools for a battery change is ridiculous.
I'm guessing Apple wants to provide only the professional tools that they use, to avoid liability by users screwing it up using DIY-ish methods. With all this public and legal pressure to force Apple to make self-repair a thing with these incredibly tiny and compact components, Apple probably says "Okay fine. Here's all the crap to do it right, like how we do it in-house. Check 'self-repairable' off the list." They have no interest in making it easier. And really, since we like these incredible advanced and compact devices, it's just not going to be easy or simple to repair them.
 
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Yes as a former Apple FRS and Apple Authorized ARA at Best Buy, that is the proper toolset for repair.

Maybe if customers see what's involved in the repair, they will give a little more respect to the technicians.
Exactly. The same numbskull that says the phone should have screws would be the 1st to complain about its waterproof rating..
 
I'd like to see what the process for replacing the actual screen would be. Something surprising to learn though was that it only costs $69 for the newer iPhones to replace the battery. Honestly, that's an amazing price! As someone who used to replace the batteries and the screens myself on all the older iPhones, $69 for an apple brand battery and a technician to do it for you is a great price. Can't say the same for a new screen but knock on wood it's been a while since I cracked one of those.
 
Or you can go to iFixit and get functionally similar tools for less than fifty bucks. I’ve replaced the camera and the battery in my iPhone with their stuff and little bit of elbow grease. And I’m not the most mechanically inclined.

Apple could make this much less scary if they wanted to. The fact that they don’t tells me everything I need to know about this repair program of theirs. Malicious compliance at its most odious.
 
What were people expecting? The battery alone is dearer than the service and the battery together.
The guy from Snazzy Labs had a good review of it. For battery and screen it comes out cheaper to take to the Apple Store but for other repairs that Apple just charges a flat high fee for no matter what the issue is, it is a better deal to fix it independently. Someone was commenting on that thread about how their local makerspace is going to be buying the official tools to repair the phones.
 
I wouldn't mind this being somewhat challenging. I enjoy repairs. But having 75 pounds worth of kit being shipped to me and then finding that the g-d thing is missing some necessary components?! Do better, Apple.
 
never mind I think this was just to check a box to avoid further EU regulations

pretty lame

Pretty obvious this is the case.

With all the critical acclaim that Apple gets for design and ease of use, these are the tools Apple provides? It's as if they went to repair shops in Shenzhen and said, "Just give me a set of your tools in raw form. We don't want our customers to use them."
 
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