Apple Has Started Selling iPhone 16 Replacement Parts

If you have an iPhone 16 and you break something, you’re in luck: Apple has started selling replacement parts including cameras, displays and batteries for its latest iPhone. The company, long resistant to customers repairing their devices, has been making it easier following years of pressure from repairability advocates like iFixit.

A replacement camera assembly will cost $169 for the standard iPhone 16 or $249 for the larger 16 Pro and Pro Max. Displays range from $279 to $379 depending on model and size. Batteries are $99, or $119 for the 16 Pro, though they’ll be the same as $60 for the Pro if you return your old battery to Apple. The camera will run you close to $189 if you return the damaged part. You’ll want to check Apple’s official replacement site for full pricing on return credits. If you don’t have special repair tools, Apple will rent you a battery repair device that its technicians use.

Apple is debuting its 2022 repair program, which gives customers access to parts, tools, and repair manuals for select iPhones and Macs. The company for years has restricted repairs to authorized technicians for years, saying that unauthorized technicians can make mistakes that will damage devices and damage the Apple brand. And iOS still rejects components not approved by Apple. But these decisions contradict Apple’s commitment to sustainability, because the company’s restrictions make repairs more expensive and can lead to many people simply throwing away new devices. An open market ultimately lowers costs and makes it easier for people to stick with the device for longer.

Fortunately, the pressure has pressured Apple to open repair manuals and parts to anyone, and the company will soon offer better support for affordable third-party parts, extending the life of devices that consumers feel will continue to work well as long as they can replace a part, such as a broken camera or display. Recent data suggests that consumers are gradually upgrading their devices.

It’s great that Apple has been able to make their devices so durable, increasing their value. But as customers replace their devices less and less, the company has been making up for lost revenue by pushing harder on services, where it charges recurring subscriptions for products like the Apple One. It just started rolling out Apple Intelligence, a suite of artificial intelligence tools baked into iOS that require the latest hardware that the company hopes will convince customers to upgrade to the iPhone 15 or newer.