It’s a dreadful moment. Watching your iPhone in free fall, waiting for the inevitable sight of it smashing on the floor, maybe even bouncing and smashing once more. Then the panic sets in.
For years, the only way to fix a damaged Apple device was to do so at an Apple store or one of its authorized vendors.
And unless it’s still under warranty or you subscribed to the extended care program, repairs aren’t cheap.
But Apple appears to be loosening its grip, and will soon allow Canadian consumers to repair their iPhones or MacBooks on their own — if they dare. It’s something right to repair advocates have long argued for, but Apple has always resisted. Until recently.
Apple is expanding its Self Service Repair to Canada next year. The service launched in the U.S. in 2022 and has since expanded to 32 other countries in Europe and is available in 24 languages.
Consumers will have the option to avoid the rigamarole of going to an Apple store and will instead be able to access manuals and order appropriate parts and tools to take repairs into their own hands.
Here’s what you need to know about the self repair program — and whether it will really be worth the effort.
As more people look to repair instead of replace broken products, the Canadian government is signalling that ‘right-to-repair’ legislation to help consumers could be on the way.
Which Apple devices can you repair?
There are 42 products supported, including the most recent models of iPhones (anything before iPhone 12 and you’re out of luck), as well as a variety of Mac laptops, desktops and displays. Apple watches, iPads and accessories like AirPods are not eligible in any country where the service is available.
The manuals, parts and tools to fix Apple devices are available through the Self Service Repair Store, the company’s third-party provider.
How much does it cost?
The amount you’ll pay depends on which device you need to fix and what parts and tools are required.
Let’s say you broke the screen on your iPhone 15 — the latest model, though the iPhone 16 is due to be released soon.
Apple recommends going through the appropriate repair manual and getting to know the steps, parts and tools you’ll need before you order anything.
There’s no Canadian pricing yet, but based on what’s available from the Self Service Repair Store in the U.S., an iPhone 15 display and screw kit will cost $267.96 US.
Be warned, the older the model, the more expensive the parts are. Prices also vary if you have a Pro or Pro Max version of the iPhone.
You’ll also have to buy display adhesive and maybe new security screws, which will set you back a few more bucks.
But, wait! There’s more.
In order to do this repair, you’ll need to rent a tool kit — $49 for a seven-day rental, shipped separately. It also requires a credit card authorization hold to cover the cost of the items if they’re lost or damaged.
The rented tool kit includes, among other items, a heated display removal apparatus and a display press that you use to put the phone back together and heat the glue that creates a waterproof seal on your device.
Is self repair worth it?
But unless you’re someone who geeks out over getting a peek inside your device or figuring out how to fix things yourself, it might not be worth it, says Alissa Centivany, an associate professor at the University of Western Ontario’s Faculty of Information and Media Studies.
“Many people are not going to have the interest, the skill, the confidence, the time to undertake these kinds of repairs on their devices,” she said, noting it’s also not something that will necessarily save you money.
According to the estimate calculator on its website, performing a screen repair on an iPhone 15 through Apple in Canada — either taking it into a store or sending it back to Apple — would cost $429, barring no additional service fees once it’s been diagnosed.
Centivany said taking your damaged iPhone to an independent repair shop could cost half as much as what you would pay at the Apple Store or if you fix it yourself. That’s one of the reasons right to repair advocates say consumers should be able to fix their devices any way they choose.
But in the terms and conditions for any Apple product you buy, the company warns that unauthorized modifications to its devices could render them ineligible for out-of-warranty service and could cost more if it needs to be returned to Apple for any further repairs.
B.C. Supreme Court approved a $14.4-million settlement from Apple over a class-action lawsuit accusing it of deliberately providing software updates that slowed iPhone 6 and 7 models.
Should you even try to repair your own device?
That’s a tricky question. Apple clearly states that the service is intended for product owners with the know-how and skills to repair a device.
How hard can it be? Just ask Brian X. Chen, a consumer technology writer for The New York Times who tried to use the new service to repair his wife’s iPhone12 in 2022.
In was, in his own words, a “catastrophe.”
Chen neglected to remove two security screws at the beginning of the process. That was all it took to ultimately wreck the phone’s display — something he only realized after he powered it up following his repair efforts.
Fortunately, he was able to reach out to an actual phone repair expert who had a a spare screen to finish the job properly.
Does this really address consumers’ right to repair?
Centivany, who’s advocated for consumers’ right to repair and researched the topic since 2017, says it’s good that Apple is offering greater access to its manuals and parts.
But she called the service’s expansion to Canada “overwhelmingly underwhelming” and said it doesn’t really address what repair advocates have been pushing for.
It may seem like Apple is doing something to help consumers on the surface, she said, but the company is still maintaining a “pretty exclusive control.”
And she points out that in some cases, Apple is making even more money because consumers are doing the labour themselves on top of paying for the parts.
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She says the newly expanded repair program is a way for Apple to dissuade people from using competing repair services, but that it also effectively makes the idea of people repairing their own devices unappealing.
“They make it sort of onerous,” she said. “They make it expensive. They make it inconvenient. They make it scary.”