Apple's Embrace Of Used Parts Has Limits. Also: Maine Senate Kills Effort To Gut Auto Repair Law
Apple's decision to embrace used parts has one big exception. Also: Maine's Senate killed an effort to gut an auto right to repair bill.
As we noted last week, Apple announced a significant shift in its approach to repairs, set to debut alongside the release of new iPhone models this autumn. Namely: support for the use of replacement parts. The news comes just weeks after Oregon’s governor signed into law the nation’s strongest state right to repair law which explicitly banned the practice of parts pairing. Apple downplayed any link between Oregon’s bill becoming law and its decision saying this project has been underway for the past two years. But Apple’s thumbs up to used parts isn’t the ground shaking revolution it might seem, with a major exception that may still pose problems for owners and independent repair shops, as we’ll discuss.
Parts pairing primer
So what is “parts pairing?” In practice, parts pairing - also known as “part serialization” - is a process by which manufacturers bind replaceable parts to specific device hardware via software and digital signatures. Using specialized software, those seeking to replace a part must “authenticate” it to the device in order for the part to be recognized and function. Devices with replacement parts that fail to authenticate can be outright blocked from working, or have their performance degraded: displaying warning signs and alerts related to the presence of the unauthenticated part. Historically, that has been true even when the replacement part was manufactured by the same OEM (say: Apple). Some examples of this include:
The iPhone 15 will lose its battery health metrics when the battery is replaced incorrectly.
Certain MacBook models display a white shadow around the camera when the screen is replaced without Apple’s authorization.
The Apple Pencil, won’t draw straight lines if it's being used on an iPad Pro that has had a screen replacement.
Because specialized, manufacturer software is needed to perform the authentication, parts pairing puts OEMs in the position of gatekeepers for all manner of repairs. In our podcast from last summer with Alexandre Isaac of the Tolouse, France based Repair Academy, he talked about how Apple degrades the function of devices through its part serialization schemes, and the extraordinary efforts he and his colleagues have to make to circumvent parts pairing restrictions.
Aftermarket parts left out of Apple’s plans
Now, Apple is promising to stop limiting this functionality with their new announcement, but the company has made abundantly clear that genuine Apple parts will “benefit from the full functionality and security afforded by the original factory calibration when swapped into another device.”
Are you a consumer or small business with a story to tell about a warranty experience? The Federal Trade Commission wants to hear from you! Check out the FTC’s website to learn more!
Missing from this change of policy? Third-party parts not made by Apple. The justification? Apple says it is “to maintain an iPhone user’s privacy, security, and safety.” In short, Apple is saying using third party parts, especially for things like biometric scanning, shouldn’t have full functionality in Apple devices due to cybersecurity concerns. The company cites a range of threats: from iPhone theft, to iPhones being stripped for parts, to identity theft. But repair advocates disagree. iFixit came out earlier this year to poke holes in the argument that banning parts pairing would be a dangerous choice and cause problems like increased iPhone theft. And neither Apple nor anyone else has presented any evidence that independent repair providers (or device owners) are less reliable or cyber secure than the company’s authorized repair providers - often third party contractors or subcontractors, some of which have been shown to engage in shady behavior.
What’s next? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Still, Apple is taking a cautious approach to broadening its acceptance of after market parts, especially with security related parts like fingerprint readers. The company said “future iPhone releases will have support for used biometric sensors” but there is no mention of other products like Apple’s flagship laptop line, the Macbook, which use fingerprint readers and are covered under the Oregon law that bans part pairing.
As TechCrunch reports, the changes from Apple are notable, but “it seems unlikely that it will make the iPhone wholly compliant with the Oregon bill.”
Of course, just because the law comes into effect doesn’t mean that a company will fall in line. (Take Massachusetts, which is struggling to implement an expanded right to repair law that passed more than three years ago.) However, there have been heartening examples, such as the EU’s design requirements which forced new iPhone models use a USB-C port. Oregon’s law clearly is pushing Apple, but the story is unfolding of truly how far they will move.
Maine Senate defeats effort to gut auto right to repair
A last ditch effort by automakers to gut a robust automotive right to repair law passed via ballot measure in Maine died in the state’s Senate this week. The bill, LD 1911, "An Act Concerning Automotive Right to Repair,” which was sponsored by Maine Representative Bruce White and passed through the state’s House of Representatives in March was “indefinitely postponed” by a vote of the senate and declared “dead” in on April 15th.
“We're happy to see the legislature saw through the disinegenuous confusion tactics of the car manufacturers and their sponsors and voted down LD 1911,” Tom Hickey, the director of the Maine Automotive Right to Repair Coalition said in an email statement. “With our law fully in tact, we will now work with the (Maine) Attorney General to convene the task force effort to implement the law in the most effective way for the betterment of consumers and the small businesses of Maine.”
As we wrote, the amendments sought by LD 1911 would have stripped key provisions from the law, including language guaranteeing independent repair professionals and vehicle owners direct access to wireless repair information, as well as legislated oversight by the Maine Attorney General, and a due process for disputes over access to repair information.
Also this week: the Maine Senate overwhelmingly passed LD 1487, a bill granting Maine residents the right to repair electronic devices. Senators voted 33 -1 to pass an amended version of the legislation. The bill now passes to the Maine House where its future is uncertain.
Other News
Bloomberg: what really happens when you recycle your device with Apple. Apple touts its network of shredding robots and contractors as a greener way to reuse old gadgets, but a lengthy court battle and a Businessweek investigation have cast some light on the recycling industry’s dirty secrets, Bloomberg reports.
Farmers in Illinois face challenges accessing repair tools for their high-tech equipment. The state has recently introduced right-to-repair legislation after the agreement between the Farm Bureau and equipment manufacturers has made little impact on farmers. The legislation hopes to end the dependence farmers have on costly manufacturer repairs.
McDonald’s broken ice cream machines may hold an answer to climate change. McDonald's ice cream machines are often cited in discussions about "right to repair," advocating for consumer rights to fix products independently without manufacturer constraints. But Reid Heavner, a freshman at Santa Rosa High School and staff writer for the student newspaper there noted in a recent guest commentary that says the issues behind McDonald’s balky ice cream machines underscore the need for national support for the right to repair. “With improved legislation, we can create a world where our products work for us. Whether that’s as simple as being able to get ice cream at McDonald’s or as complicated as fixing an old computer, repair rights create a world we could all benefit from.”
Japan is planning to increase penalties for monopolistic practices by tech companies, raising fines to 20% or more of their applicable sales nationwide, aimed at preventing monopolies in app distribution and targeting companies like Apple and Google, requiring them to allow third-party app stores and payment systems, with violations resulting in fines from the government, in contrast to the current penalty of 6% of sales under the country's antimonopoly law.
E-reader maker Kobo's new partnership with iFixit is ensuring repairability in a new e-reader line, featuring larger screws, accessible connectors, and easy-to-use plugs, challenging the notion of unrepairable mobile devices and potentially setting a precedent for other manufacturers.
Pennsylvania legislators are considering a repair bill, prompted by State Rep. Scott Conklin's experience with a broken cell phone charging port, highlighting the urgent need to challenge manufacturers' monopolistic control over repairs and updates. The current proposal exempts medical devices and agricultural equipment.
Apple sued for deliberately slowing phones in Belgium. The Belgian consumer group, Test Achats, took Apple to court in 2020 over planned obsolescence practices orchestrated via software updates. That include the company’s now-notorious decision to issue software updates in 2017 for iPhone 6 models leading to performance degradation which some allege pushed users towards purchasing newer devices. Apple paid around $500 million to resolve legal claims over that decision in the U.S. However, the case has moved more slowly elsewhere. After procedural delays in the Belgian system, Test Achats has restarted the proceedings, pushing for faster resolution through legal reforms.
Students for Right to Repair
Do you see the trend to support to repair is growing with non-Apple device smart devices makers? It wil be valuable that non-Apple makers allow repair.