iPhone parts Activation Lock may be Apple\'s latest blow to right to repair sold under the guise of user protection

Earlier this year, Apple announced that it would be expanding its Activation Lock feature to iPhone components. This effectively links individual iPhone components, like the battery, display, FaceID assembly, and camera hardware to an iCloud account, instead of just to the iPhone they were installed in. According to a Threads post by @betaprofiles (embedded below), component-level Activation Lock has arrived in the latest iOS 18 RC. Activation Lock for iPhone parts will work for iPhone 12 and newer devices.

The post shows screenshots of iPhone screen mock-ups warning the user that the battery that has been installed in the phone cannot be calibrated to the new device because it is locked to the previous owner. In order to continue the calibration process, the user would need to “unlock” the replacement part with an Apple account.

Apple cites iPhone theft and demand by both users and law enforcement for the implementation of Activation Lock on iPhone parts and explains the feature as follows:

Apple will also extend its popular Activation Lock feature to iPhone parts in order to deter stolen iPhones from being disassembled for parts. Requested by customers and law enforcement officials, the feature was designed to limit iPhone theft by blocking a lost or stolen iPhone from being reactivated. If a device under repair detects that a supported part was obtained from another device with Activation Lock or Lost Mode enabled, calibration capabilities for that part will be restricted.

Once components are linked to an iCloud account, the owner can mark the iPhone as locked, which will theoretically make it impossible to disassemble it for parts. Curiously, it seems as though the warning screen can simply be bypassed without significant drawbacks — although displays and front-facing cameras will likely no longer be able to use True Tone or FaceID.

While this will likely deter theft, there are also concerns that expanding Apple's grasp on spare parts and component serialisation may further erode the right-to-repair movement, either practically or by setting a precedent for the rest of the smartphone market. However, it remains to be seen if Apple's component-level Activation Lock will actually prevent legitimate repair efforts, since the locked state needs to be triggered manually by the legal owner of the device.

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Post by @betaprofiles View on Threads

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