Apple's iPhone 14 is easily repairable since iPhone 7 in 2016 as 'right to repair' increases speed

September 21, 2022: -In the previous week, the iPhone 14, which went on sale, is the most fixable iPhone since the iPhone 7 in 2016, repair advocate and tools vendor iFixit said.

Apple has redesigned the internal structure of the iPhone 14 to allow users to remove and replace both the device’s back glass and screen by dragging only two screws, according to the teardown conducted by iFixit.

The differences are making it easier for Apple store employees, independent repair shops, and end users, which replace the phone’s screen, back glass, and battery, the most common fixes for most smartphones.

“Apple has completely redesigned the internals of the iPhone 14 to make it easier to repair,” composed Kyle Wiens, founder of iFixit. “It is not visible outside, but this is a big deal.”

The high-end iPhone 14 Pro models don’t use the new, more repairable design, according to iFixit.

This year’s repair-friendly design on the iPhone 14 contrasts with other iPhones and many Android devices that use glue and tight tolerances, making it more challenging to fix older phones.

Apple’s iPhone redesign comes as advocates push for laws that give consumers access to manuals, tools, and parts needed to repair increasingly, complicating electronic devices and industrial machines, which they say will make them previous longer, reducing e-waste and environmental impact while saving money for users.

Advocates call the cause the “right to repair,” Many states across the U.S. have considered legislation that would force consumer electronics companies to publish manuals and sell genuine replacement parts. Lawmakers in New York is passing a right-to-repair measure earlier this year. It has not been signed into law yet.

The issue is gaining attention at the federal level. President Joe Biden supported the right-to-repair and asked the Federal Trade Commission to draft right-to-repair rules in an executive order in 2021. The FTC produced a report delivered to Congress in 2021 about the legal landscape around the right to repair, which recognizes mobile phones and car manufacturers as two industries with restrictions around the repair.