Apple now sells replacement iPhone parts directly to users, allowing them to fix their own handsets. Savings are only considerable when you add in the credit for mailing in a replaced part. Parts are available from the Self Service Repair Store. Apple charges $69 for a Battery & Screw Kit for an iPhone XR,12 or 13, whereas an iPhone SE and older models battery replacement costs $49. Apple says it’s selling these parts at the same amount it costs its repair partners.
Apple’s repair site says an old iPhone 12 or 13 battery is worth $24.15 and a returned display is worth $33.60. For battery repairs, mailing in a changed part might save you nearly a third of the cost of the repair kit. Apple says it will recycle parts sent back, but iFixit says they might be refurbished for reuse.
Apple advises that DIY repair is not foreveryone. “The safest and most reliable way to get a repair is to see a professional repair provider with licensed technicians using genuine Apple parts,” the company says in a press release. Apple also stated that this new home service is for “customers who are experienced with the complexities of repairing electronic devices.” That could explain why Apple doesn’t give eager DIYers a discount.
These measures come after years of pressure from repair activists and regulators to make gadgets easier to repair, preventing premature landfilling. Activist shareholders pushed Apple to reconsider its position on independent repairs last year.