Apple will soon allow Face ID with third-party replacement screens on iPhone 13
- As of now, users cannot use Face ID with a non-genuine screen on the iPhone 13.
- This will change with a future software update, Apple today told The Verge.
Since the launch of the iPhone 13 in September, it has been noted that when the screen is replaced with a third-party alternative, Face ID stops working. This limits most iPhone 13 screen repairs to Apple, its Authorized Service Providers, and Apple-associated repair shops.
This revelation immediately sparked a backlash as users want more freedom in deciding where to get their phones repaired, and this can be considered anti-competitive behavior as Apple would theoretically force users to use its repair shops if they want to continue to use Face ID. This change also makes it much harder for smaller independent repair shops to repair iPhones.
Apple today told The Verge that it will issue a software update that will enable Face ID with third-party screens, therefore making it possible to repair your iPhone 13 at a non-Apple certified repair shop.
From The Verge:
Soon after the iPhone 13 launched, repair experts found that swapping out iPhone 13 screens would break Face ID unless you also moved over a tiny control chip from the original screen. It’s a complex process that makes one of the most common types of repairs prohibitively difficult for independent repair shops. (Apple-authorized repair shops, on the other hand, have access to a software tool that can make a phone accept a new screen.) For indie repair shops, things may get easier soon, however, as Apple tells The Verge it will release a software update that doesn’t require you to transfer the microcontroller to keep Face ID working after a screen swap.
As of now, it is unclear when this software update will roll out, but it may come in iOS 15.2, which is currently in beta testing and will likely be released in a few weeks.
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