Third-party screens & batteries coming to iPhones as Apple relaxes restrictions
In future, there should be less trouble with non-Apple components in the iPhone. Replacing the battery could also soon become easier.
Opening an iPhone 14.
(Image: iFixIt)
Apple has announced that it will relax the inspection of components supplied by third-party providers for repair purposes in future iOS versions. As the company writes in a white paper published this week, this will apply to both batteries and screens. For the latter, the company even wants to deactivate a previously imposed block. This will at least partially lift the typical Apple hardware restrictions that "Right to Repair" activists have been complaining about for years.
More data from components
This year, it should be possible to check the maximum capacity and charge cycle of batteries from component suppliers that have not been certified by Apple. Although the corresponding "Battery Health Metrics" are already being transmitted, Apple does not trust them for third-party suppliers – whose hardware is often used by independent repair providers, for example – and ignores them. "To improve support for third-party batteries, Apple will display battery health metrics from 2024."
However, there will still be a warning stating that Apple "cannot verify the information presented". The company also states that it has discovered that "some of the third-party batteries sold as new are actually second-hand". It was also discovered that "the battery health metrics have been manipulated". In other words, there is no guarantee for the data from Apple, but at least it is now displayed. In terms of batteries, another new development is that Apple is planning to make it easier to replace them in the iPhone in the future. A new, electricity-based process will allegedly replace the usual adhesive, writes IT news site The Information. Allegedly, a special machine will no longer be needed to insert new batteries.
True Tone even without an Apple display
Apple is also planning – also "later in 2024" – better support for third-party displays. These will then be able to use the True Tone color function for the first time, which adapts the color display to the ambient light.
"Apple will enable consumers to activate True Tone with third-party parts to achieve the best possible performance," the company writes in its white paper. However, this is also noted in the system settings, where the feature can also be deactivated "should it not work to your satisfaction". Previously, Apple had disabled True Tone by default on third-party displays because it had led to "unexpected behavior".
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