While Apple has been gradually improving the repairability of its devices, repair site iFixit says the iPhone 15 fell short in several key areas: the battery was hard to remove, the device had “parts pairing” issues, and the LiDAR sensor couldn’t be easily swapped for one from another phone. These two issues led iFixit to give the iPhone 15 a relatively low repairability score of 4/10.
Apple appears to address these and many other issues with the release of a new repairability update for the iPhone 16. It said it strives to balance durability and repairability, placing a particular emphasis on the “repairability” aspect of its latest devices.
Now, a whole new way to remove batteries has emerged to make the job easier: by passing a low-voltage current through the new ionic liquid battery adhesive (with a 9V cell, for example), the battery will naturally release from the case. The company says this makes removal faster and safer than traditional stretch release adhesives.
At the same time, Apple made changes to the Face ID sensor hardware starting with the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro, which means you can now swap out the TrueDepth camera from one unit to another without compromising security or privacy. Previously, only Apple was able to do such repairs.
Another big change is a new Repair Assistant designed to address the issue of part pairing, allowing customers and repair technicians to configure both new and used Apple parts directly on the device without having to contact an Apple representative. Previously, repair shops had to order official parts directly from Apple and speak to an employee on the phone before iOS would accept individual parts for replacement.
Apple has also added new repairable modules, saying that on iPhone 12 and later, the TrueDepth camera can now be configured on the device, without needing to connect to a Mac, and that the LiDAR scanner on iPhone Pro models is now repairable, even on rear-facing models.
Another big change is access to on-device diagnostics: With iOS 18 and later, Apple’s repair diagnostics feature will be available on-device, allowing customers to determine what parts need to be replaced without needing a second device.
Finally, the company announced new support for third-party and second-hand Apple parts. If a third-party part can’t be calibrated by Apple’s cloud-based servers, your iPhone or other device will attempt to activate it to function at its best while showing the repair history within Settings. Second-hand Apple parts will be calibrated out of the box and will show as “used” parts in the device’s repair history. Another upcoming update will enable True Tone for third-party displays and battery health for third-party batteries. Additionally, the LiDAR scanner and front camera will continue to function even if the modules are replaced and left unconfigured.
Overall, the iPhone 16 series looks to be one of the biggest leaps in repairability yet, with improved physical access, parts compatibility, and part pairing. We’ll see if that’s reflected in iFixit’s upcoming repairability scores soon.
