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Iphone Hardware Technology

The iPhone 13 Screen Is a Repair Nightmare That Could Destroy Repair Shops Forever (vice.com) 215

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Motherboard: A tweak to the iPhone's repairability that has been long prophesied and feared has finally come to pass, giving staggering new urgency for legislation that makes repair more accessible: The iPhone 13's screen cannot be replaced without special software controlled by Apple. This is a devastating blow to independent repair shops, who make the vast majority of their money doing screen replacements, and, specifically, make the vast majority of their money doing iPhone screen replacements. According to iFixit, replacing the screen on an iPhone 13 disables Face ID functionality. That's because the screen itself is paired to a small microcontroller attached to the display. Replacing a cracked screen with a new screen will disable this pairing, thus breaking a core piece of functionality in the phone. An authorized Apple repair tech can pair a new screen to an iPhone with the click of a few buttons using proprietary Apple tech. Everyone else will have a much harder time. "It is still possible to change a screen on an iPhone 13," notes Motherboard. "The difference is that in order to do so now, this microcontroller needs to be removed from the broken screen and resoldered onto the new screen (after the existing microcontroller on that screen is removed). Doing this requires microsoldering, which requires the use of a microscope and a highly skilled technician."

In an email to Motherboard, iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens said: "This is a clear case of a manufacturer using their power to prevent competition and monopolize an industry. Society loses: small repair shops will wither and fade away and consumers will be left with no choice but to pay top dollar for repairs or replace their device."
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The iPhone 13 Screen Is a Repair Nightmare That Could Destroy Repair Shops Forever

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  • For security reasons (Score:3, Interesting)

    by mveloso ( 325617 ) on Friday November 05, 2021 @10:33PM (#61962011)

    If you compromise the screen you could compromise FaceID. It's apparently something the iFixit and reporters refuse to understand.

    Apple's biometric security (FaceID) requires a guarantee that components in the path are not tampered with.

    • by newcastlejon ( 1483695 ) on Friday November 05, 2021 @10:36PM (#61962015)
      It's the TouchID story all over again.
    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by Dr_b_ ( 112464 )
      Uncouple the screen from the security path
      • This. Why is the phone's electronics tied to the piece of glass on the front in the first place?

    • by phantomfive ( 622387 ) on Friday November 05, 2021 @10:54PM (#61962043) Journal

      Clearly it doesn't work, because if you micro-solder, then you can still replace the screen.

      • Or you could try to move the chip, after buying yourself a microscope or high-resolution webcam, a hot air rework station, a fine-tip soldering iron, and the necessary BGA stencils, flux, and other supplies.

        I should point out there are a significant group savvy with electronics that do such work. They don't necessarily do it for Apple, or these shops, but they do do it. And as already pointed out...

        One experienced repair shop told me they’ve been swapping screen chips since the iPhone X to avoid touch calibration issues and “genuine” part warnings; they’ve got the process down to about 15 minutes. They’ve been slowly building an inventory of refurbished and third-party replacement screens with their chip slots empty, using CNC machines and screen-holding jigs to carve them out.

        15 Minutes is pretty good for the work done.

    • by freeze128 ( 544774 ) on Friday November 05, 2021 @11:03PM (#61962073)
      The screen doesn't read your face, the camera does. Why would replacing the screen jeopardize face-id?
      • Exactly, the chip could have been on the main board with the ribbon cable from the screen going straight into it.

        • That requires changing engineering decisions, and while yeah, it could done, there may be reasons (other than lock in) that it is done the way it is (even though they probably don't deserve it, I'm gonna give them the benefit of the doubt here).

          But to me that's beside the point. You don't actually need to change anything in the hardware design. Face ID unlock is always secondary to the PIN, correct? Meaning if you know the PIN to unlock it, then you don't need to "hack" the face ID sensor at all. You've alr

      • The screen doesn't read your face, the camera does. Why would replacing the screen jeopardize face-id?

        You just proved you don't know how it works. This site is supposed to be for nerds!

        FaceID uses its own set of sensors, not the camera. Apple's goal is to make sure that some fake FaceID sensors at your local police station/FBI/mafia/cartel can't send fake data to the secure enclave and unlock your phone.

    • by Joe_Dragon ( 2206452 ) on Friday November 05, 2021 @11:15PM (#61962105)

      force the software to offered to all repair shops

    • not many people need this. probably less than 1% have information so sensitive to warrant such a difficult repair job. this should be the exception, not the norm
    • by dgatwood ( 11270 )

      If you compromise the screen you could compromise FaceID. It's apparently something the iFixit and reporters refuse to understand.

      Apple's biometric security (FaceID) requires a guarantee that components in the path are not tampered with.

      Define "could". You're talking about finding a way to build a custom camera and LIDAR system that has extra storage and some remote way to trigger that storage at just the right time while the owner is looking at the screen and doing Face ID, and later replay the data. And it would be effective only against someone both valuable enough to target with such a costly scheme *and* cheap enough to use a third-party service. This is one of those "yeah, that's theoretically possible, but nobody in their right m

      • by willy_me ( 212994 ) on Saturday November 06, 2021 @01:06AM (#61962275)

        The danger will be in the time between when a phone is stolen and when the owner disables the phone. During this time, if one can bypass the security then they can use Apple Pay to rack up dept / fraudulent purchases. So time will be of the essence. If a quick parts swap is all that is required then you can bet that groups will optimize the process of stealing an iPhone, swapping some parts, and then making purchases.

        I do not know if security is the reason for this Apple design. But for their long term business model to work out, having a secure platform for making digital purchases appears to be necessary. Users must have confidence in the security of the system if they are going to adopt it. I seriously doubt Apple cares about lost revenue due to someone else doing screen repairs. They will be looking at a bigger picture.

        I do not mind Apple making some repairs hard due to security requirements. That's fine, but as others have noted - Apple should have made the screen independent of system security. It should always be possible to repair screens and batteries at independent shops.

        • by Reeses ( 5069 )

          Don't forget that people have a lot of HIPAA-sensitive data on their phones now since many people funnel info into the Health app. Plus bypassing FaceID allows you access to all of the storage media, including the Keychain (which also authenticates through FaceID), so the information in every app on the device is compromised. Stock apps. Travel info. Photos. Crypto apps. Work-related ID authentication apps. Skipping past FaceID opens up a HUGE security nightmare for the end user.

          • by dgatwood ( 11270 )

            You're entirely missing the point, which is that using a different camera provides approximately zero benefit in bypassing Face ID, and that whatever almost nonexistent, almost purely theoretical benefit might exist would require the backing of the sort of three-letter agency that has much, much easier ways of bypassing Face ID without modifying the hardware and without the high risk of tipping off the victim by stealing the phone more than once.

        • by dgatwood ( 11270 )

          The danger will be in the time between when a phone is stolen and when the owner disables the phone. During this time, if one can bypass the security then they can use Apple Pay to rack up dept / fraudulent purchases. So time will be of the essence. If a quick parts swap is all that is required then you can bet that groups will optimize the process of stealing an iPhone, swapping some parts, and then making purchases.

          No, that simply isn't possible.

          First, Face ID and similar do not work when you first turn on the device, so if you have to do a part swap, which pretty much requires shutting the device off, you've already failed.

          Second, even if you could manage to hot-swap the camera, the camera is just a camera. It just gives you pictures, period. And the LIDAR just gives you a depth map, period. The decision about whether those pictures and depth maps corresponds with the owner's face is done in entirely separate hard

    • by pavon ( 30274 ) on Friday November 05, 2021 @11:51PM (#61962155)

      From a security perspective it makes perfect sense that the FaceID illuminator (and possibly camera) needs to be paired to the processor. However there is no reason for the display to be involved in that. The only reason this is necessary is because they chose to route the illuminator communications through the same chip as the display controller. Apple could have chosen a different design that doesn't make replacing the most fragile and frequently broken part of the phone a security sensitive operation. They did that in the past for the iPhoneX, iPhone11 and iPhone12 which all had FaceID and which could all have their screens replaced without Apples approval.

      So, no security isn't an excuse here. This is at best a poor design decision, and at worst a deliberate move to shutout third-party repair shops.

    • by inflex ( 123318 ) on Saturday November 06, 2021 @12:17AM (#61962199) Homepage Journal

      You would have had an excellent point, if only there were parts of the FaceID integral to the screen, of which there are not.

      FaceID projector and sensor are located in the main chassis; the screen merely has "windows" for the said projector and sensor.

      Reasonably skilled rework technicians won't have a problem moving the chip between screens, it's more of a time waster than anything else and lends nothing to the actual security of the phone.

    • by Z00L00K ( 682162 )

      EU Anti-competitive case will come up forcing Apple to abandon the behavior.

      • by Luckyo ( 1726890 )

        EU anti-competitive cases take years to a decade to finish. By that time, Apple will have accomplished it's goal of destroying competition in the repair market.

    • by sxpert ( 139117 )

      which makes absolutely no sense, as the screen is NOT in any way, shape or form involved in the face id recognition system.
      changing the camera / dot projector / light sensor assembly would, though.

    • If you compromise the screen you could compromise FaceID. It's apparently something the iFixit and reporters refuse to understand.

      Apple's biometric security (FaceID) requires a guarantee that components in the path are not tampered with.

      Mods, Mods, Mods

      Troll?!?

      He stated a systems-integrity reason for this packaging decision, and all you won't even consider it to be a valid Discussion Point?!?

      Wow.

  • Fuck Apple (Score:5, Insightful)

    by bsmith0 ( 6990828 ) on Friday November 05, 2021 @10:44PM (#61962031)
    Apple really likes to brings issues on itself and then whine like a victim.
    • Kind of like a large portion of their user base. :-\

        Though the blame for this largely goes to all of the helicoptor parenting, and parents loading up on the advice from qwacks on daytime TV who were really there to sell books. They ended up raising a generation of wimps.

    • by waspleg ( 316038 )

      While selling $20 cloths to morons. If you've ever dealt with their support, enterprise and otherwise, their contempt for you is palpable. The "you need me I don't need you" attitude pervades their entire, massive, gov't level bureaucracy.

  • Protection (Score:5, Informative)

    by geekmux ( 1040042 ) on Friday November 05, 2021 @10:47PM (#61962033)

    Two words; Otterbox Defender.

    Every iPhone I've owned since my 6 has been wrapped in these cases. I still throw my phone around, letting it hit the ground. Done it at least a dozen times to prove how durable they are. I don't even know what it's like to get lint in a charging port, let alone a crack on a screen.

    Amazing how people will pay "top dollar" for a $1000+ device that they use and rely on every day, but fail to see the value of even spending $40 to properly protect it. Oh well. Live and never learn. Now it's going to cost the average tech-addicted luddite a lot more to enjoy the luxury of that ignorance.

    • by drhamad ( 868567 )
      I refuse to use a case *because* I spent $800 on a phone that's slim and easily pushed around. But I also don't bitch about the cost to replace a screen, if it should happen that it breaks.
      • I refuse to use a case *because* I spent $800 on a phone that's slim and easily pushed around. But I also don't bitch about the cost to replace a screen, if it should happen that it breaks.

        Unless you're also wealthy enough to be walking around with a hot spare phone on standby, I refuse to believe you "don't bitch" when your smartphone screen breaks.

        You're gonna bitch. It's your smartphone. Also known as that reason the majority of the human race, is technically considered cyborgs now.

        • Itâ(TM)s $29 under AppleCare. Iâ(TM)ll live.
        • by jon3k ( 691256 )
          I've been using iPhones continuously since around 2009 I've never used a case and I've never broken a screen on a phone. I really don't understand why it is so prevalent. I especially don't see how it's so prevalent when everyone has a case on their phone and still break their screens. What are you people doing, using the crime deterrent feature [youtube.com]?
          • I've seen countless people treat their phones like they were a rental car. And I have seen screens broken to the point parts of the circuitry are peeking out around the LCD part, and rows of pixels are flashing like the neon sign at a sleazy motel where you can rent by the hour.

    • Steve Jobs thought that putting your iPhone in a case is like Heidi Klum wearing a fat suit.
      • by PPH ( 736903 )

        Heidi Klum wearing a fat suit

        Hnnggg!

      • Steve Jobs thought that putting your iPhone in a case is like Heidi Klum wearing a fat suit.

        Steve Jobs had a fetish for form over function. That influence continues at Apple to this day - that's why Tim Cook exercised "courage" in removing the audio jack.

      • So that would be the reboot of Shallow Hal [youtu.be]?
      • Steve Jobs thought that putting your iPhone in a case is like Heidi Klum wearing a fat suit.

        Steve Jobs also never had license plates on his car, and avoiding having to do it legally by leasing a new car every six months.

        He didn't give a shit about cases because he could afford that luxury. The other 99% of society can't, which is why his perspective, isn't worth a shit.

    • by burtosis ( 1124179 ) on Friday November 05, 2021 @10:59PM (#61962065)

      Amazing how people will pay "top dollar" for a $1000+ device that they use and rely on every day, but fail to see the value of even spending $40 to properly protect it. Oh well. Live and never learn.

      Why you uncouth savage! You need to have a slim fragile form in polite company. Do your eyes not avert themselves from such an ungangly bulge in your pocket? How do you live with yourself?!1?!??

    • by fermion ( 181285 )
      I suppose kids break screens. In all the years I broke my Palm V screen one iPad screen, two iPhone screen, and one watch. The newer iPhones are much more durable. And a good case helps. Not an otter box, just something to buffer and protect the screen.

      Also, I see many auto shops that are successful even though they have to buy specialized software to fix my car. I have even had family members who had to give up their classic cars because the technician had to actually know something to repair the car and

      • Micro soldering is not hugely difficult.

        There's an obvious reason micro soldering is still considered a skilled profession.

        Tell your (sober) friends to hold their hands out steady. You'll quickly see the difference between micro soldering, and someone capable of slapping wet metal on a board like fucking play dough.

        • If I thought a non-skilled technician was reliably able to replace my screen, I'd do it myself or pay bottom dollar at some random cornor shop. 3rd party repair shops shouldn't have any problems doing the replacements if they employ skilled technicians.
          • If I thought a non-skilled technician was reliably able to replace my screen, I'd do it myself or pay bottom dollar at some random cornor shop. 3rd party repair shops shouldn't have any problems doing the replacements if they employ skilled technicians.

            And to employ skilled technicians, you pay skilled rates.

            It's rather obvious the overwhelming majority of society either can't, or doesn't want to do micro soldering. Ever. The question becomes, is Apple's rate reasonable or not. The question is NOT even remotely related to the perceived complexity of micro soldering, which is what the parent was suggesting.

    • The whole point of the pretty slim device is that it is pretty and slim. If it can't also be durable then it's shit. (Most all phones are shit.)

    • But it doesn't support MagSafe. :(

    • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      Those cases still leave the screen exposed. They have to, it's the only way you can interact with the phone.

      I use a smaller case than that, still offers good protection, and a glass screen protector. I also use a very small "lanyard" type thing that I put my fingers through when I'm extracting it from a pocket or using it, because I'm a klutz.

      • Those cases still leave the screen exposed. They have to, it's the only way you can interact with the phone.

        An Otterbox case, creates a significant bumper raised well above the surface of the screen, and since phones are practically infamous for taking a face plant when they hit the ground and cracking/shattering, this is the main and obvious reason your statement is wrong, and why I've never even cracked one of my screens, even when throwing my phone to demonstrate the strength of the case.

    • I use a smaller case. Otterbox cases are expensive, ugly, and add an unreasonable thickness to the phone I'd rather not have. I don't get the brand new phones so I am never spending the 1000+ you're quoting, and the cheaper, thinner cases with or without screen protectors do just fine.

      Being able to throw a phone onto the ground is not a normal scenario, so doing it to show people you can matters little and just comes off weird.
    • People that spend $1000 on a phone either want other people to know they spent $1000 on a phone or else don't think the phone is at all expensive and don't care about protection. For me, big rugged case is the only way!
    • Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • by jenningsthecat ( 1525947 ) on Friday November 05, 2021 @11:17PM (#61962113)

    If I was ever forced to use a fruitphone I'd consider it a blessing that FaceID didn't function and couldn't be made to function without going to extraordinary lengths.

    • by ad454 ( 325846 )

      Definitely a feature. I would pay extra for a phone or tablet without any biometrics, or at least with the biometrics disabled at a hardware level.

      A good alphanumeric password in your head that you type in beats any biometric authentication which you may be compelled to provide.

  • This 'racket' ended for care and automobiles decades ago, including forced genuine parts. Germany and the EU should blow a gasket with this one. It is a service monopoly.
  • Fuck Face ID
  • Don't buy any iPhone after the 12. Crater their sales.

    To insure this, though, more people at the Apple end of the cell phone market need to be made aware that they're really, really screwing up if they buy one of these things. Don't focus on the screen. Focus on how they're being played for suckers, and how even if this slap in the face doesn't bother them, the next step might be one they don't want to live with...and they'll still have to live with their overpriced pocket toy.

    By the way, I actually own

  • by inflex ( 123318 ) on Saturday November 06, 2021 @12:30AM (#61962219) Homepage Journal

    Almost every time a new product comes out, there's the headlines of "[Near] Impossible to repair, likely to kill repair shop industry", and it does not.

    It does usually mean new tooling, new skills, and some waiting, but so far it's not a death of the industry. When we started seeing surface mount parts many were "Oh no! we can't solder those!" ( Fine tip irons and more flux ), when we moved to ever smaller parts (01005) "Oh no, we can't see those properly" (Microscopes), when we moved to BGA "Oh no, impossible to solder those" (Stencils and solder paste), and so on.

    Yes, Apple makes it troublesome in many ways but for all the areas/options they close off, there's still a lot of repairable devices and areas on their devices.

    I do, like most people, wish that Apple would cease with these excessive moves masked as security improvements but it is what we have and you can either choose to cry and close up, or you can be realistic and see that there's still a lot of work available and simply redirect today's clients back to Apple until a work-around/solution becomes available. Still repairing iPhone 4 and 2010 Macbooks here, so there's a long life in these products and a lot of work.

  • But I don't see anybody asking the question how does the screen work with face ID?

    I think there is the perception that it just lights up (with infrared light) for the camera to sense the face but I suspect that it's a lot more more sophisticated than that. I'm guessing that different sections/rows/columns of the display lights up at different times to create a 3D rendering of the person's face with the light source moving and the camera acting as a fixed point.

    If that's the case, then it seems wholly a

  • replacing the screen on an iPhone 13 disables Face ID functionality

    Sounds like a feature.

  • by iamacat ( 583406 ) on Saturday November 06, 2021 @01:33AM (#61962337)

    OnePlus Nord with 5g is under $300, camera seems great. If it breaks, I'll just order a new one and still be ahead vs iPhone. What are you getting that is so special for 3-4 times the money? If you are not price conscious, why the surprise at repair bills?

    • by indytx ( 825419 )

      OnePlus Nord with 5g is under $300, camera seems great. If it breaks, I'll just order a new one and still be ahead vs iPhone. What are you getting that is so special for 3-4 times the money? If you are not price conscious, why the surprise at repair bills?

      This! I do the same thing, except with Motorola phones. You can spend around $200 for an unlocked phone with a battery that lasts two days or more, and if it dies, it dies. It's an appliance, not a lifestyle.

    • At least partly, the assurance that I'm getting a phone that will last 4 years, which has been my replacement cycle. If you start with a $1000 iPhone and you keep it 4 years, that's $250/year. So, not so expensive. Also, I'll maybe get a couple hundred bucks for it when I'm done with it. We'll say that I get $100 for it, so that's $225/year.

      During those 4 years, I get OS updates. When I sell the phone (or give it away to my Mom), it still gets updates. The iPhone 6s still got an update this year, I think. S

  • by WierdUncle ( 6807634 ) on Saturday November 06, 2021 @06:33AM (#61962647)

    When I started designing electronic circuits, most ICs were socketed, for easy replacement. This would apply particularly to microcontrollers, which had to be erased and programmed using specialist kit. Later, microcontrollers provided in-circuit programming, so you could solder chips directly to the PCB, and still update firmware, without needing to remove the chip for reprogramming. The microcontrollers I use nowadays are replaceable with minimal surface mount rework kit, but they would now be considered fairly low end in performance by modern standards, e.g. 16 bit, with 32 MHz max clock speed.

    The chips that give real trouble for rework are ball grid arrays (BGAs). I once designed a board with an ARM chip in a BGA package, but it never got to prototype stage, because our own manufacturing can't cope, or at least, not to an acceptable quality level. In the early days of my present job, I worked on a custom board that had a big BGA chip on it. Apparently, the wrong type of RAM had been fitted, so they had a sub-contract manufacturer replace it. Reheating the board knackered the BGA connections, and the board never worked again. In order to do a good manufacturing job with BGAs, you need X-ray inspection kit, and that is expensive. A local sub-contract assembler I have known for years can't justify the expense.

  • FaceID uses a depth detection system to essentially roughly get a 3d shape of your face along with the picture. A vast vast majority of consumers mostly use it because they can't be inconvenienced to use a 6 digit passcode to access their phone. While the right to repair is an issue, at the end of the day that's like complaining about the loss of a cup holder in your car. Overall it doesn't stop the use of the phone considering most older phones don't have FaceID.

  • It will get to the point that iOS users will get sick and tired of Apple and their crap and switch over to Android, or somebody new who will offer the quality and benefits iDevices used to offer without the iBullshit.

      Apple is no longer innovative. Apple is no longer quality. And more and more Apple users are waking up to this.

  • It's a well known fact that if you purchase an Apple product you are going to get milked for every penny available. Capt C(r)ook needs his doubloons damnit!
  • Sounds like I want to crack that screen so I can permanently disable that FaceID system. Win win!

  • Repair shops unable to repair Apple products just *might* have some non Apple business here and there. "Wither away" is Appleslaveboi bullshit.

  • A free market, like the one in economic theory, is a competitive one. That's one of the features that makes it desirable as a policy goal.

    Adam Smith, who had the "invisible hand" insight, also observed "People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the publick, or in some contrivance to raise prices".

    If you want a free market, you want vigorous anti-trust enforcement and also policy to keep competition happening.

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