In recent years, the EU has been especially strict when it comes to regulations in the tech industry. One of the things the EU has demanded is an increase in mobile device repairability. iPhones have never been among the friendliest devices for third-party technicians, although that seems to be slowly changing. The iPhone 16 series includes a new battery adhesive and internal design that makes the repair process easier.
A new battery adhesive makes the iPhone 16 series easier to repair
Dealing with mobile device batteries has become an especially annoying task. Phones have gone from the classic removable batteries of yesteryear to cells fixed with glue, removal tabs, and other measures. This means that removing the battery now typically requires much more care and skill, as you can damage the device by applying heat. That said, Apple has implemented a neat battery removal method on its iPhone 16.
Basically, in its normal state, the adhesive holds the phone’s battery in place. However, for repair purposes, technicians can simply apply low voltage to the iPhone 16 battery adhesive to “soften it” and remove the cell easily. To do so, technicians can resort to something as simple as a 9-volt battery, which is available in many stores. That said, for unknown reasons, the new adhesive is only available on the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus. Things will continue to be more complicated on the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max models.
A new internal design and iOS 18’s Repair Assistant also help
Apple has taken additional steps to enhance repairability in order to win the favor of the EU. The company redesigned the insides of their latest phones so that certain key components are now more accessible. Now, both the LiDAR scanner and the TrueDepth camera on the iPhone 16 series are repairable. Plus, iOS 18’s Repair Assistant makes it easy to correctly calibrate swapped components. The latter is especially important now that iPhones will lock themselves when detecting foreign parts.
2024-09-19 15:06:36