The repairs siteiFixithas done its usual ‘ teardown ’ on theiPhone 13 Pro , totally take down Apple ’s raw premium smartphone and documenting the various computer hardware changes . Among the young features is something that is potential to examine controversial .
It seems that the screen and the rest of the telephone are linked by matching serial numbers , with the issue that Face ID facial acknowledgment stops working altogether if you replace the screenland without having approach to Apple ’s special software for activation and standardisation .
“ … Any show replacing pick apart out Face ID , ” iFixit writes . “ We tried transferring the sensor from the old display and porting over the Face ID ironware , but no dice . It looks like the display is serial - locked to the phone . ”
Get the show replaced by Apple itself , or an authorised stamping ground business firm , and you ’ll be all right . Go to a meretricious non - authorised firm , or buy a novel display online and repair it yourself , and you ’ll lose a key feature of the gadget .
Image courtesy of iFixit .
iFixit has so far only done a teardown on the 13 Pro , but it would be logical to take on that the serial - lock in display is also a feature of the 13 Pro Max – which in most respects is identical to the 13 Pro – and very in all likelihood the iPhone 13 and13 minias well . If this is a strategic program to push users away from third - company screen door replacements , it would make little sentiency for the company to implement the plan on only some of its Modern handset .
Apple has long tried to make it more hard for anyone but its authorized service centres to carry out repairs on the iPhone . Until quite recently , indeed , the company was extremely slap-up to do repair itself ; it was only in 2019 , in response to develop literary criticism , that the company launched a computer program to clear small independent service workshops .
Among other affair , the programme provide access to the aforesaid computer software and the ability to order official free share from Apple . But many users with a slimly one-time earpiece might prefer a cheaper , lower - quality spare part just to keep the phone alive . The iPhone 13 is new and expensive right now , but customers should be aware that such cheap repairs to the covert will give Face ID unuseable in the time to come .
This late revelation comes at a sly time for Apple , which has been in the spotlight of late for its resistor to the growing ‘ rightfield to mend ’ motion . Last week we account on a series ofleaked videoswhich give away that the caller was coaching employees at authorise fixing shop to cast doubt over the reliability of ‘ non - genuine ’ component used by other house .
This clause to begin with appeared onMacworld Sweden . Translation ( usingDeepL ) and extra reporting by David Price .
