No more dingy iPhone service, as Apple’s independent repair certification goes global
That has been the case in the US since 2019 when Apple’s Independent Repair Provider program was introduced to soothe the Right to Repair passions, and then expanded to Canada and Europe. Now, however, Apple announced that its Independent Repair Provider undertaking is expanding with a true global rollout, basically everywhere Apple products can be found.
First in line are Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Guam, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Macao, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Tonga, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Vanuatu, and Vietnam, while later in the year the Independent Repair Provider program will reach places as diverse as Albania, Algeria, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Costa Rica, Curaçao, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Gibraltar, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Iraq, Israel, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Oman, Palestine, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Rwanda, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Sint Maarten, Somalia, South Sudan, Spanish Virgin Islands, St. Barthelemy, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Martin, St. Pierre and Miquelon, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Turks and Caicos Islands, Uganda, Ukraine, Uruguay, US Virgin Islands, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Wallis and Futuna, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Apple’s Independent Repair Provider program certifies repair shops free of charge, they just need to vouch that iPhones, iPads, and other Apple gadgets will be fixed by technicians that have undergone the basic certification training course that Apple offers online.
"Qualifying repair providers can purchase genuine Apple parts and tools at the same price as AASPs and receive free access to training, repair manuals, and diagnostics," says Apple, as the last two used to be an especially contentious point in the argument between Apple, independent repair shops, and Right to Repair Act proponents who wanted equal access to repair manuals, parts, and tools.
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