Believe it or not, if you own an iPhone with Face ID, it cannot be easily replaced if it stops functioning for whatever reason—no, Apple often has to replace the whole unit. However, a new report claims that this will soon not be the case.
This information comes from an internal memo obtained by MacRumors, which is said to come from a reliable source. It reads that Apple is planning on allowing both technicians in their stores as well as Apple Authorized Service Providers to repair the Face ID modules on iPhone XS or newer.
More precisely, Apple says that it will give access to the TrueDepth Camera service part, which has all the components that Face ID consists of, including the front-facing camera. As we know, Face ID and the notch housing started with the introduction of the iPhone X, however, that model seems to be excluded from the list.
Apple says the reasoning behind this decision is to reduce the carbon footprint of its products. Another consequence of this decision will be the increased repairability of iPhones, which you don’t hear often when it comes to Apple products.
What the price of such a repair will be, though, is uncertain. Given the high-tech parts the Face ID module consists of (and the fact we are talking about Apple repairs here), it would come as no surprise if it ends up costly.
Technicians will be able to use Apple’s Service Toolkit to decide which of the two repairs is required—same-unit Face ID repair or a whole-unit replacement. The tech giant has stated it will send the necessary training and documentation sometime this year.
Do you think Apple is getting closer to being repair-friendly? Will, we one day see an iPhone that is easy to repair? Let us know in the comments.
