Hidden in plain sight I present to you Apple repair manuals.
We can thank pressure from "right to repair" movements for these.
Free - Access to Service & Repair Documentation for Select Apple Devices @ Apple
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DingoBlue on 30/05/2022 - 12:56 support.apple.com (9262 clicks)
Last edited 12/10/2022 - 14:58 by 1 other user
Last edited 12/10/2022 - 14:58 by 1 other user
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Attention to details is what Hybroid is calling out. Something you may not have overcome as yet - as you gave your MacBook Pro away..
@SF3: And So am I. iFixit has everything including samsung's but not to the level of detail of Apple.
That’s like asking if they have one for blackberry
What's so funny about that? There are heaps of cheap, aftermarket batteries that are poorly manufactured.
You buy a genuine apple battery put it in voids the warranty.
Happened to my MacBook Pro 10 years ago.
Apple store refused to warrant my screen not turning on (unrelated to the battery). That was their excuse.
Said I could get it repaired with a new logic board for $1,300.
Never bought another apple product since.
Careful guys.
The repairs are now ok’ed by apple
back in the days when we were transitioning from the bigger sim cards to the micro/nano sim cards, i had to cut my own sim card to size to fit into my new iphone. apple refused my warranty of my iphone draining battery on idle using my sim card as excuse 😂😂😂 the apple genius treated my sim card like it was covid, literally threw it on the table the moment he realised it was home cut, and said he wasn’t allowed to touch it. imagine my reaction 🤣
A bit of a stretch but it's not untrue, like you wouldn't want to use a sharp metal screwdriver to pry a lithium polymer battery from the chassis of a device. Those things don't like to be punctured or shorted otherwise you'd end up with a smoking goonsack
You do realise batteries can explode right? I personally wouldn't trust most aftermarket battery manufacturers out there.
Puncturing a battery for example is a very serious safety issue. Not sure why you think that warning is funny?
as opposed to genuine apple parts and proper tools which come with no risk whatsoever /s
There are significantly greater risks with aftermarket batteries, at least Apple uses some level of quality in building them and having hardware that monitors the battery condition.
Anyone can accidentally jam a screwdriver into a battery too, but if you use the right tools it's less likely.
Mostly it's to legally cover their butt and make more sales, but it is a real concern. After I had an aftermarket laptop battery expand on me I've tended to pass on third party ones.
lowest common denominator.
Despite how much you may enjoy people getting a Darwin award, corporations has a duty of care for everyone.
hahahaahahahahahahaahhaahahahah
This is bullshit anyway, since you still have to get apple approved parts and then get them to pair the parts with your device, which altogether cost as much or more than taking it to a store for repair.
There's no "right to repair" here, all it is is right to save Apple techs some money and time by doing their job for them
Cant find AU prices, but for the US: 7 day rental of tools is $49, Battery bundle is $71, drops to $46 after returning replaced part.
https://www.theverge.com/2022/5/21/23079058/apple-self-servi…
Good write up here from the US perspectiveThanks for sharing that, very interesting. I admit, some of those tools look rather cool. I hope that more customers take them up on this.
@chadma: Nice article, best summed up as "How dare you not be a grateful little consumer. You should be thankful that daddy Apple deigned to bless you with the ability to pay them more money to do their job for them."
@TheRealCJ: I think it's more than fair to say John Gruber is frequently an Apple apologist (though not always - see The Tragedy of Safari 15 for Mac’s ‘Tabs’ as a quick example).
Your "You should be thankful that daddy Apple deigned to bless you" is a bit much, but I get what you mean 🙃
I found that article bizarre. He complains that they gave him the same equipment that they use in Apple stores. What did he expect?
It’s not available in Australia.
Very reasonable prices in the USA though.
This stuff is interesting. For the battery (and I assume everything else) "This part requires the System Configuration software tool. After performing the repair, contact us by chat or phone to initiate System Configuration".
Required for battery, screen and front facing camera. And you must have an official purchase order from Apple which has the serial number of your phone included and the actual replacement parts you are putting into the phone. Then you call Apple at the end of the process and they will pair the replacement parts to your main board so they work properly.
Bought 5 thanks OP
I do not know why you bought 5🤔
Limited by the amount of printer paper. Any deals on 80 gsm?
Not an Apple fan, but I have to say that Apple make their devices a lot more repairable than most. To swap out a smashed ipad screen, apply heat, remove screen, remove four screws, remove three ribbon cables, put the new screen in. Simples.
By contrast, Samsung seems to take delight in making their tablets difficult to repair. They have this plastic bezel inside the case, which you have to undo using a spudger. The later models have the screen and digitiser fused together, making this process even more difficult.
I tried to repair a Nintendo 2ds XL, and by God it just about broke me. Apparently the 3ds has more ribbon cables leading to the top screen and is even worse. Even fixing a switch dock connector led me to curse the midwit who decided to put such a short ribbon cable inside the dock.
You forgot the part where you have to contact Apple support to have your screen verified and paired to the logic board, and if you don't have a screen you bought directly from Apple they won't do that, which literally breaks face ID, true tone, and even automatic brightness
I'd rather get paid to shill than do it for free like a good little apple fanboy
Dont get me wrong, Im a big right to repair fan. I love to repair stuff rather than see it go to landfill. I admit that most of my repair efforts are on my kids ipads (Ipad 4, original Ipad air), so the company may well have made it more difficult on their newer models.
If your device has a fingerprint or face scanner, they tie the screen's serial number to the phone or tablet's logic board. If you install a screen that isn't 'verified' by Apple, then the device not recognise it as 'genuine.'
A non-genuine screen will not allow face or fingerprint scanning, the front-facing camera will not work the way it's supposed to. Neither will automatic brightness or even true tone, which is Apple's name for dynamic display colour correction.
non-'geniune' batteries will not display properly.
Non-'genuine' camera modules will not take photos and the viewfinder will not open properly.
Well having been burnt buying a used iPhone with an after market screen that i did not realise, this is a god send.
And that's assuming GSX is working that day. I have 3 jobs from today I need to reattend because the serial number module online is broken at the moment.
Once they added waterproofed ratings to the phones, repair is just not as worth it. If you get water damage they'll probably just blame you for failing to repair it properly. I did enjoy repairing the earlier devices, iphone 4, ipod touch, etc.
Same. The glue on the iphone 5s was so poor that you could lift the screen off with a fingernail. Crap build quality, but it did make it easy to change parts out.
Honestly, a phone maker that would make their phone modular, easily swappable, easily repairable would get a vote from me. But who wants to make a phone like that? Much more profitable to sell some throwaway phone to the rubes and then two years later sell them another one.
I regret selling my old iPod mini particularly when you look at how much they are going for on ebay these days. Switch out the hard drive for a compact flash card and the battery life is not too bad. Of course i regret not buying apple shares at that time, but you live and learn.
Apple was the first manufacturer to make things difficult, everyone else followed suit. It's great Apple is doing this but I think it's largely due to the right to repair movement.
I miss the days of swappable batteries!
Not an Apple fan, but I have to say that Apple make their devices a lot more repairable than most.
Uh no they don't?
I've swapped SSDs, Batteries, RAM, etc in plenty of laptops/computers very easily, no heat, glue or ribbon cables required.The 3 Macs I've helped friends repair have taken an entire evening, with 30-step tutorials, custom adapters/cables/tools, hacks with the time to get the latest supported MacOS to install, etc.
2/3DS is a particularly bad example. PS4s, Xboxes, etc are easy to fix.
If you are the market for an iPhone, get the 13 now
Releasing these manuals is Apple telling you the 14 is going to skyrocket in price
And this is what Apple has really been trying to hide all along
System Configuration requires a strong Wi-Fi network capable of 1.0 Mbps download and upload speeds, with less than 400 ms latency and less than 2% packet loss. Estimated data usage to run System Configuration is 6–22 MB.
What System Configuration does Why it’s important Transfers factory calibration values Certain parts like displays, cameras, and ambient light sensors have calibration values that are customized to each individual part during manufacturing. Transferring these values ensures maximum performance and quality after a repair Links Secure Element and biometric authentication parts After repair of a logic board or a biometric authentication part (Touch ID or Face ID), linking the biometric sensors to the Secure Enclave on the logic board is required to ensure device security. Ensures repair integrity After a hardware repair, software checks are performed to ensure repair integrity. Repair integrity means that a genuine Apple part has been correctly installed. Assigns wireless region To comply with regional communications regulations, a wireless region must be assigned to your logic board. Updates firmware Keeping firmware up to date ensures that the device has all the latest security and performance features. 
skyrocket in price
Username checks out
Apple now has a self repair program although you can only order parts if you are in the states.
https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2022/04/apples-self-service-r…
Watch the videos from Louis Rossman (he does independent repair of many types of devices including Apple). Apple still has a ways to go as you cannot get all parts just yet and not for all models of devices they sell. These repair shops are a big part of the right to repair what you OWN and do it cost effectively. The trend from many companies has been the opposite of repair and instead they want you to replace.
Alot of repair shops do depend on grey market parts from a used part bins in a far away land and schematics and manuals developed by independent repairers over time. Vendor sources for these things have not been available and all sorts of barriers are still in place to get genuine parts from the manufacturer.
Big hand to the independent repair shops for supporting this, but also a big hand to the farmers for starting the right to repair movement in the first place. Farmers just wanted to repair their own tractors and the likes of John Deere wouldnt let them do it. Have a look:- https://video.vice.com/en_us/topic/right-to-repair
Doesn't look like internal documentation though, would be much more interesting. This is likely just given to the 3rd party authorised repairers
They're available to anyone who wants to self service repair their own devices https://support.apple.com/self-service-repair
Not just given to 3rd party authorised repairers
Good video walking you through the entire battery + screen replacement process:
This is a step in the right direction. Hopefully at some point companies will be legal obligated to provide schematics to techs. The serialisation of components also needs to stop; if a compatible display or battery is connected, why does Apple's server need to approve of it?
Right to repair benefits everyone, it's also a major step forward for climate change that none of the major policy makers have spoke about. Ultimately, these laws need to be passed by some of the largest first world nations to hold any weight (e.g. the US or EU).
There is also an implication for the far future. Over time these devices will end up in collectors and museums hands. Without the free availability of schematics, parts these devices may never be made functional in the future. It's far easier for me to upgrade and make useful a 10 year laptop than a 3 year old one. At least with PC parts it's fairly straightforward but this 'signing' of non-security parts is wrong as it's just vendor lock in and non-competitive. The right to repair movement is pushing hard for legislation but it's one of those right thing to do but not many votes in it sort of issue.
Anything for the android fan boys
The satisfaction of not "owning" an Apple product.
Ah. FU Apple.
I need to get up to date on the latest Rossman videos to form an opinion on this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuX3VOGW4kA
With this, I’m going to convert my old phone into expensive Lego
Don't know if there's employees shortage or companies just want to make their customers self dependent but increasingly companies are offering DIY docs.. this could be a new normal. Everyone's tech!!
Is there no gray area? Can't Apple hire people to make the manual hard to read to deter repair?
Watch Hugh Jeffrey's latest YouTube video to see what a pain the program actually is
Watch this one and see that it's really not a pain at all.
I am only seeing a couple of repair manuals for a few phone models. Where are the repair manuals for the macbooks?
Apple Silicon manuals are coming later this year
The new online store offers more than 200 individual parts and tools, enabling customers who are experienced with the complexities of repairing electronic devices to complete repairs on the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 lineups and iPhone SE (3rd generation), such as the display, battery, and camera. Later this year the program will also include manuals, parts, and tools to perform repairs on Mac computers with Apple silicon.
https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2022/04/apples-self-service-r…Cheers.
What a joke after watching Hugh Jeffreys video.
Can I self service my iPhone 4 or change my iPhone X battery with them? ;P
Yes, you can because it is your iPhones.
Literally walked into the Apple Store today with a 2017 13" macbook pro with a dodgy battery and a keyboard button coming off.
I bought the thing for $300 on gumtree and unfortunately was informed by the Apple Store staff would cost me about $300 for a new battery.I thought consumer law covered the dodgy butterfly keyboard and battery. I'm just glad I haven't been hit with the ol flexgate issue most of the macs have.
Ah, flexgate, didn't know that was the term for it!
the ol flexgate issue most of the macs have.
Maybe not "most" but did affect 2016-2018 models according to iFixit
However, I experienced it personally on my 2015 MacBook Pro, which Apple repaired without cost due to a separate issue IIRC.
How is this a deal/bargain. More a PSA if anything. Should he in forums
Well, iFixit (I think … or was it Hackaday?) had an article on Apple Tool Repair Kit available for a daily lease or even purchase.
Now, having the info & tools is a long way before actually using that info & tools to repair anything.
Ain't that easy.
Yes is a lot of fun regardless.I'm sh!tty that I have an iPad that has been impeccably looked after. It was working perfectly, then one day I tried to use it and the screen wouldn't register being touched. No reason for it - not dropped, damaged etc.
I tried everything - removing screen cover (which is still in perfect condition as is the screen underneath), a hard reset, restoring via itunes and then fully wiping it. Nothing worked. Went to the Tech Bar. They could only suggest everything I'd already done. Otherwise, they said there is literally nothing they can do except offer for me to buy another ipad! They said a component inside must have "died" which just happens, and there is no way to fix it. As it is over 2 years old, they won't do anything even after I made an issue about the ACL requiring repairs to be available for a reasonable period after purchase, which I submit for a $1k product means at least a few years.
How absurd that I have an iPad that is otherwise in perfect condition but unable to be used or repaired.
What a bl00dy waste that a part can't just be replaced. It would be one thing to weigh up the cost of repair vs replacing, but not even having the option is what pi$$es me off. If we didn't need the ipad, I'd look at other options, but some stuff is ipad specific (Osmo etc) so I'm stuck with Apple. Grrrrrr.
p.s. A legit question - Is it possible to donate it somewhere? I am struggling with the idea of just disposing of something that surely has some value to someone or can be put to some use?
Ebay and gumtree for parts only listings if you want to go that route. The charities would only be well served with working stuff.
How old is it?
They automatically do 2 years but you could probably push them out to three years under ACLs "reasonable".
Otherwise the phone stand next to the food court will almost certainly be able to fix it for circa $100 or less.
Thanks. It is 5 or so years old. I realise it is "old" especially in the world of tech, but $1k investment for me meant that I went overboard looking after it so it is basically in "as new" condition. I even avoided the more recent updates as I know they tend to cripple the older tech (to encourage you to upgrade).
I've had a bad experience once with one of those shopping centre repair places so I'm hesitant. But I'll see if I can find some recommendations for a good one near me.
In this day and age of climate concerns (I'm no eco warrior, but I try and do my bit where I can), I'm just at a loss as to how this can be the state of affairs!
5 years is pretty reasonable for a $1k product that gets a lot of use.
@MrFunSocks: Like I said, not complaining about it needing repair given its age (although it didn't get a huge amount of use), but I am complaining that repair simply isn't an option. When I spoke to Apple about it, they said ipads cannot be repaired. If it was under 2 years old when the fault happened, they said they would have replaced it (this is their way of satisfying the ACL requirement that repair be available for a reasonable period after purchase, and they assess 2 years to be the "reasonable period"). So, after 2 years, there is just nothing I can do.
It is the fact that I don't even have an option to repair (at my cost) that is my issue.
@allie181: That doesn't seem right, since they show you places to get your ipad repaired through the apple website.
https://getsupport.apple.com/solutions/schedule-repair/provi…
@MrFunSocks: That unfortunately means nothing. There may be menial things they repair, such as the charging socket. Perhaps they replace cracked glass? But several people from Apple confirmed that a non-responsive screen, which must be caused by the failure of some internal component, is not something that can be repaired by Apple. I too was shocked so I pressed further up the chain and this was confirmed to me by more senior people within Apple.
@allie181: Have you tried contacting one of the official repair places on that link after choosing an ipad with a non responsive screen?
Is there one for samsung too?