Apple will allow some Europeans to fix their own phones

Apple expands its self-repair program that launched in the US earlier this year to select countries in Europe.

Customers in Belgium, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and the UK can now purchase genuine Apple parts and tools as part of the tech company’s Self Service Repair program that launched in the US in April.

Repair manuals, parts, and tools are available through Apple’s Self Service Repair Store. Apple said that customers would be able to perform the most common repairs for iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 lineups, as well as Mac laptops with silicon chips, the first of which were released in 2020.

As in the US, the Self Service Repair Store will offer access to more than 200 individual parts, including displays, battery presses, torque drivers, and repair trays. All parts are the same – and retail at the same price – as those available at Apple-authorized professional repair providers.

Apple said that in some cases it will offer credit to customers who send back replaced parts. The self-repair tool kits can be rented for $49 but must be returned in one week. Apple will cover the shipping costs.

“We believe the best technology for our customers and for the planet is technology that lasts, which is why we design our products to be durable and rarely require maintenance or repair,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer.

In the past, tech companies were averse to calls to let users fix their own devices but eventually heeded the public pressure and legislation aimed at ensuring the right to repair in the US and within the EU.

In August, Samsung also launched a self-repair program for some of its phones and tablets in a move that industry experts welcomed as “a big step toward better sustainability.”