Last November, Apple surprised everyone by announcing a Self Service Repair program for its products. At long last, Apple device owners would be able to fix Apple hardware from the comfort of their homes. Nearly six months after the initial announcement, Apple opened its Self Service Repair Store in the US on Wednesday, April 27. Apple says that the program will expand to more countries, starting in Europe, later this year.
Self Service Repair now available for iPhone
According to Apple’s press release, the new store currently offers over 200 parts and tools. Customers will be able to perform repairs on iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 models, in addition to the third-generation iPhone SE. As of today, Apple is selling parts and tools for repairs on the battery, display, camera, bottom speaker, SIM tray, and Taptic Engine.
The store will also stock manuals, parts, and tools to perform repairs on Mac computers with Apple silicon later this year. Apple didn’t share a specific release date.
How to repair an iPhone yourself
If you have the technical know-how to perform a repair yourself, your first step should be to visit this page on Apple’s support site and open the repair manual for your device. Read that manual from front to back before you start ordering parts from the store. You will need the manual ID found within the manual to purchase parts and tools anyway.
Once you’ve made sure that you’re comfortable performing the repair, visit the Self Service Repair Store. As Apple notes, this store is operated by a third-party provider, but it offers the same parts and tools that Apple provides to Apple Authorized Service providers.
While you will have to buy the parts that you need for the repair, Apple will rent out tools to perform repairs. The company made kits for each iPhone model containing the specific tools that customers will need to fix their iPhones. Renting a tool kit costs $49, and the rental lasts for seven days. If you don’t put your tool kit in the mail by day seven, Apple will charge a fee and a tax. If any tools are damaged or missing, Apple will charge you for them as well.
Once you complete your repair, you can return any used or damaged parts to Apple. Apple will then refurbish or recycle the parts, and in some instances, offer the customer a credit. You can learn more about this process on the store website.
Know your limits
“Self Service Repair is part of Apple’s efforts to further expand access to repairs,” Apple said in a press release this week. “For the vast majority of customers who do not have experience repairing electronic devices, visiting a professional repair provider with certified technicians who use genuine Apple parts is the safest and most reliable way to get a repair.”
More iPhone coverage: For more iPhone news, visit our iPhone 14 guide.
