Apple announces huge change that will save iPhone owners money

Good news for anyone who wants to repair their iPhone without losing a whole chunk of change.

In a major update to its repair scheme, Apple has announced that owners of some iPhone models will be able to repair their devices with used parts for the first time.

Of course, you won't be able to use any old parts - they have to be genuine. And it won't apply to everyone, with Apple saying it would apply to 'select' models, beginning in the autumn.

Future Publishing / Contributor / Getty

It's a big shift, as up until now you needed to match the serial number of your device with that of a new part sold by Apple. If you tried to replace the part with something else, your iPhone would start issuing warnings that Apple couldn't verify it - and in some cases, it might not work at all.

Now, the tech giant says it has enhanced the system so that “calibration for genuine Apple parts, new or used, will happen on device after the part is installed”.

It might help save customers a bit of cash - as you'll hopefully have a wider range of parts to choose from, if your device does go on the blink - and it's also an eco-friendly move.

The company's senior vice president of hardware engineering, John Ternus, said: “At Apple, we’re always looking for new ways to deliver the best possible experience for our customers while reducing the impact we have on the planet, and a key part of that means designing products that last.

“For the last two years, teams across Apple have been innovating on product design and manufacturing to support repairs with used Apple parts that won’t compromise users’ safety, security, or privacy.

Scott Olson / Staff / Getty

“With this latest expansion to our repair programme, we’re excited to be adding even more choice and convenience for our customers, while helping to extend the life of our products and their parts.”

This isn't the only change Apple has made to repairs. As part of the recent update, it announced it was extending its Activation Lock feature - normally used to block a lost or stolen iPhone from being reactivated - to iPhone parts.

Essentially, this means that if a device under repair detects that a part was obtained from a device with Activation Lock or Lost Mode enabled, its calibration with the device will be “restricted”.