Apple Disabled iPhones Due to 3rd Party Repair

[straycat19]

Apple has been fined US $6.6 million after remotely disabling iPhones that had been repaired independently. Regulators ruled it was wrong to claim the phone owners have violated their repair warranties.

 

The ruling came in a court case brought by the Australian Competitor and Consumer Commission. It's similar to the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) but with a more emphasis on protecting consumer rights.

 

The case stemmed from a 2016 software update that disabled "unidentified" touch sensors, a part of the phone screen. With the sensor disabled, it became impossible to use the phone as it effectively no longer had a touchscreen.

 

This was a major problem for anyone who had had their phone screen replaced by a third-party repairer who hadn't sourced the screen from Apple itself. At the time Apple said the move was a necessary security measure to protect customers from a "fraudulent Touch ID sensor" being used.

 

Customers Were Misled

 

Apple told at least 275 customers in Australia affected by these problems that they were no longer eligible for a remedy such as repair, replacement or refund. (Source: gov.au)

 

In it's ruling, the court pointed out that Australian law did not allow Apple to void its legal obligations regarding faulty devices simply because a third party had carried out a repair. That meant it had misled the customers by telling them they were ineligible for a remedy and it's these misleading statements that broke consumer law.

 

Apple will have to pay a fine of nine million Australian dollars. It has also agreed to put clearer information about warranty rights on its website and train its staff better to avoid making misleading statements. (Source: theregister.co.uk)

Refurbished Replacements Unacceptable

The court also ordered that if customers are entitled to a replacement because their phone develops a fault under warranty, they should get a new handset where available, rather than a refurbished unit.

 

Source

The situation on third-party repairs and warranties in the US is somewhat more complicated and varies from state to state. Several states have considered or implemented a "right to repair" law that guarantees customers can get devices repaired by a third party without voiding a warranty.