iFixit, a company known for dissecting tech products and rating these devices based on how repair-friendly they are to the average consumer, announced today that it is drastically lowering the score on the iPhone 14.
Following its release last year, iFixit published a teardown for the iPhone 14, calling it "the most repairable iPhone in years." Unlike other phones, what made the iPhone 14 stand out was the ease at which users could remove the back glass panel, which was secured with two screws, a single connector, and less glue. The most recent generations before the iPhone were more difficult to repair due to the rear glass panel.
iFixit explains in its blog post today, however, that Apple's restrictions make repairs to the iPhone 14 more challenging than initially expected. Major repairs for modern iPhones require approval from Apple, as iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens elaborated. That mean you cannot simply swap out one part for another as those that self-repair and professional repair shops need to go through Apple's System Configuration tool, locate the genuine part from the tech giant, add your serial number for the repaired device in question, and pair the part to the device.
"You have to buy parts through their system, then have the repair validated via a chat system," Wiens went on. "Otherwise, you'll run into limited or missing functionality, with a side of annoying warnings."
And if you decide not to go through Apple, well, your iPhone will be sure to let you know, thanks to parts pairing. The term in question refers to gadget makers that leave software barriers, calling out users who may be using "ingenuine" parts in the phone. As you can see in the image below, Apple has notifications displayed on the center of the phone when it detects an ingenuine part inside the device - or, those "annoying warnings" Wiens mentions.
Parts pairing is an issue in the repair community. Third-party repair shops, for example, will typically repurpose completely functional parts from broken devices and use them to repair them, or they will buy third-party parts entirely. iFixit even noted that several repair professionals told them their intentions to leave "the business entirely" because of the obstacles involved with repairing an Apple device.
iFixit explains how its new scoring process reflects things, including parts pairing and other aspects, such as the number of tools needed and how often you may need to swap tools when factoring in how repair-friendly a gadget is. It clarifies that it could reinstate the iPhone 14's original repairability score with a software update. With the iPhone 15 out this Friday and using the same rear panel as its predecessor, it will be interesting to see where iFixit lands repairability-wise.
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
