Illustration: The Verge Apple will expand its Self Service Repair program to cover recent products, including the iPhone 14 lineup and M2-based MacBooks, starting on June 21st. But perhaps more

Green backdrop, black apple logo, apple leaves surrounding
Illustration: The Verge

Apple will expand its Self Service Repair program to cover recent products, including the iPhone 14 lineup and M2-based MacBooks, starting on June 21st. But perhaps more importantly, the company seems to be responding to feedback by eliminating needless friction from the process. The “System Configuration” validation step that’s required after repairs — and involves calling Apple on the phone — has been criticized as burdensome. With the new changes, you won’t have to call the company’s repair support team anymore.

“Self Service Repair users can now initiate System Configuration by placing their devices into Diagnostics mode and following onscreen prompts,” Apple wrote in today’s press release. “Users no longer need to contact the Self Service Repair support team to run the final step of a repair, but the team will still be available to assist as needed.” No more time-wasting phone calls? Sounds like the right move, Apple. Our own Sean Hollister found the previous requirement to be one of the leading frustrations of his experience repairing an iPhone.

The System Configuration step “authenticates genuine Apple parts, updates firmware, and calibrates parts to ensure maximum performance and quality,” according to the company. As of June 21st, you’ll be able to order said parts for the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max. That’s in addition to the 13-inch M2 MacBook Air and M2 Pro / M2 Max MacBook Pro laptops. No luck for the just-introduced 15-inch MacBook Air, but clearly, there’s some lead time required here, considering it took nine months for the current iPhone lineup to join the program.

A photo of the tools included as part of Apple’s Self Service Repair program.
Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge
Apple’s Self Service Repair program involves a whole lot of tools.

“Self Service Repair will also be available for the True Depth camera and top speaker for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 lineups — as well as Mac desktops with M1 — in the U.S., Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and the U.K.,” Apple wrote in today’s news release. The company is trumpeting its efforts to increase “widespread repair access” through Self Service Repair and a growing network of authorized service locations.

But the message for most consumers remains the same: you’re better off seeking professional assistance than giving this a go yourself. “For the vast majority of users who do not have experience repairing electronic devices, visiting a professional authorized repair provider with certified technicians who use genuine Apple parts is the safest and most reliable way to get a repair,” Apple said.


You may also be interested in this

Freitag Hazzard review: E…

The Freitag Hazzard bag lets you carry your MacBook in an eco-friendly fusion of recycled materials and modern art — if you can stand the smell.Review: The Freitag Hazzard laptop

Apple Seeds First Beta of…

Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming tvOS 16.6 update to developers for testing purposes, with the beta coming a day after the launch of tvOS 16.5. Registered

New Mac Pro, Mac Studio a…

The initial batch of 2023 Mac Studio, Mac Pro, and 15-inch MacBook Air preorders have started making their way into the hands of customers. (via Cult of Mac - Tech

Who is the iPhone Air rea…

It's very thin. And very light. And quite nice to look at. It also only has one camera, the battery life isn't amazing, and it's not like Apple saved some

What new products and ser…

Apple has always been at the forefront of innovation, consistently pushing the boundaries of technology. As the virtual reality (VR) industry gains momentum, there is growing anticipation about Apple's potential

Take 15% off cool assortm…

Whether your mom prefers an elegant Apple Watch band or something a bit more practical -- even tactical -- you can get it from Mifa. (via Cult of Mac -

How to turn on Apple Watc…

A valuable feature with Apple Watch Series 4 and later with watchOS 9 is Low Power Mode. When needed, that means up to 2x longer battery life for the wearables.

iPhone 15 rumored to get …

Apple may increase the size of the batteries used in the iPhone 15, with each version rumored to get a big jump in capacity versus the iPhone 14 counterpart.Apple prides
X

A whimsical homage to the days in black and white, celebrating the magic of Mac OS. Dress up your blog with retro, chunky-grade pixellated graphics to evoke some serious computer nostalgia. Supports a custom menu, custom header image, custom background, two footer widget areas, and a full-width page template. I updated Stuart Brown's 2011 masterpiece to meet the needs of the times, made it responsive , got dark mode, custom search widget and more.You can download it from tigaman.com, where you can also find more useful code snippets and plugins to get even more out of wordpress.