Replacing your phone’s battery can create endless warning messages, replacement screens can disable your phone’s brightness settings, and replacement selfie cameras can malfunction.

These inconveniences are due to a software that allows Apple to control iPhones even after someone has purchased them. New iPhones are coded to identify the serial numbers of the original parts and may malfunction if those parts are altered.

According to iFixit, a company that analyzes iPhone components and sells self-repair components, this year there are seven iPhone components that can cause problems during repair, up from three last year. year 2017.

Since Apple introduced a facial recognition system to unlock devices for repair, the rate of parts that can cause problems has increased about 20% each year since 2016.

The original equipment identification function on machine parts, has encouraged Apple customers to turn to the company’s authorized stores or repair centers, which charge higher prices for parts and labor.

Replacing a broken screen typically costs close to $300, about $100 more than the cost at a regular store with a third-party screen.

In other words, the cost of replacing a cracked screen on an old iPhone 14 is almost equivalent to the value of an old Apple phone.

Apple’s hold on repairs creates an incentive for customers to spend up to $200 a year on device insurance, known as AppleCare, which offers free battery replacements and screen repairs. Apple earns an estimated $9 billion annually for this service.

But it also raises questions about Apple’s commitment to sustainability, with independent repair advocates saying the company could more effectively meet its carbon emissions reduction goals by ways to reduce repair costs to encourage people to maintain their devices instead of buying new ones.

An Apple spokesperson said the company supports customers’ right to repair their devices and has created a self-service repair program to help. “We have been innovating to give customers the best options when their equipment needs maintenance,” he said.

The use of software to control repairs has become common in electronic devices. Apple and other companies have defended the move, explaining that it protects the safety of customers and the company’s brand.

Apple also said that poor quality parts, like a faulty face scanner, can compromise the phone’s security, and if a repair shop botches a repair, customers often blame Apple. instead of the store. This approach also allows Apple to create a record of the parts in the device, which can be useful for people buying used phones.

Increased control of components using software has created a need to replace components at a more reasonable cost. Supporters say it would be better for the environment and customers’ wallets to extend the life of equipment.

They urged lawmakers to simplify repairs and asked: “Who owns the device once it is purchased? Customer or manufacturer?

State lawmakers from New York to California have responded with laws aimed at making repairs and parts replacement easier.

President Joe Biden’s administration has encouraged the Federal Trade Commission to introduce regulations aimed at preventing smartphone manufacturers from restricting independent repairs. But most regulations do not explicitly prohibit the use of software to control original components.

In the past year, New York, Minnesota and California passed bills requiring electronics manufacturers to provide parts, tools and manuals to third parties.

After years of lobbying against such regulations, Apple signed on to California’s law and enshrined it across the United States.

“Apple has taken important steps to expand the options for consumers to repair their devices, which we know,” said Brian Naumann, Apple’s director of repair services. is good for consumers’ budgets and good for the environment.”