I can now repair my own iPhone, but why would I?

After a successful launch in the US earlier this year, Apple has now announced that it is extending it’s Self Service Repair to customers in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and the UK. The service provides repair manuals and allows the public to purchase genuine Apple parts and tools through the Self Service Repair Store. 

Those wanting to complete their own repairs will be able to undertake many of the most common repairs for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 line-ups (as well as Mac notebooks with Apple silicon).  Indeed, the Self Service Repair Store provides access to more than 200 individual parts and tools, as well as the necessary repair manuals. 

Customers who don’t want to purchase a tool for a one-time repair are able to rent a kit for a week at a cost of £54.90, which makes the service more environmentally friendly again. Apple customers can also return their replaced parts for refurbishment and recycling and potentially receive account credits for doing so. 

“We believe the best technology for our customers and for the planet is technology that lasts, which is why we design our products to be durable and rarely require maintenance or repair,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer. “But when a repair is needed, we want customers to have many options for safe, reliable, and secure repair. That’s why we’re excited to launch Self Service Repair in Europe, giving our customers direct access to genuine Apple parts, tools, and manuals,” he continued. 

Should you repair your own iPhone? 

So, now Apple has made it possible for the masses to carry out their own iPhone repairs with genuine parts, but should you? Well, that depends in our opinion – the press release announcing the service in Europe states that it: “enables customers who are experienced with the complexities of repairing electronic devices the opportunity to complete their own repairs, using the same manuals, parts, and tools as Apple Store locations and Apple Authorized Service Providers.” If you’re super techy, then maybe, but if not, it’s probably not a good idea as you could easily end up out of pocket for the parts and tools and still have a broken device… 

It's obviously also worth tallying up how much a repair will cost you to do yourself with the parts and tool purchase or hire versus how much it would be to let a professional do it. Our thoughts are it’s most likely to appeal to technically-minded people who live a long way from an authorized Apple repair center. 

If you're not sure that you want an iPhone, take a look at the best camera phones. For a more affordable selection, there are the best budget camera phones.