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iOS 17.5 will simplify submitting your iPhone for repair

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iPhone 15 Pro Max with no case, held aloft defiantly
iOS 17.5 will introduce a handy ‘Repair State’ option.
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

A new feature in iOS 17.5 will allow you to submit your iPhone for repair without turning off Find My and Activation Lock. Apple has added a new ‘Repair State’ mode in iOS 17.5 beta 4 for this.

Currently, you must turn off the security feature on your iPhone before submitting it for repair. Failure to do so could prevent Apple technicians from repairing your device.

Submit your iPhone for repair with Find My enabled

Disabling Find My becomes even more complicated if you have Stolen Device Protection enabled. Due to the additional security measures, you cannot turn off Find My for an hour if your iPhone is not in a familiar location. This can be frustrating, especially when you are traveling and need to submit your device for repair urgently.

iPhone Repair State option in iOS 17.5
You can enable Repair State from the Find My app.
Screenshots: Rajesh Pandey/Cult of Mac

Apple aims to solve this problem with Repair State, allowing you to submit your iPhone with Find My enabled. A MacRumors report details how the feature will work.

To enable Repair State, you must remove the device from the Find My app. This will automatically bring up a prompt about enabling the feature. After this, you will have to enter your Apple ID login credentials and confirm your identity using Face ID or Touch ID.

Avoid enabling Repair State on your iPhone for now

Once enabled, your iPhone will show a “Ready for Repair” label, though it will remain usable. You can then submit the device for repair without issues. This will ensure you can track your iPhone’s location if it’s lost or misplaced during transit. A stethoscope icon in the Find My app will appear beside the iPhone in Repair State.

While you can Repair State on the latest iOS 17.5 beta, you should avoid doing so, as there is no way to turn off the security feature. Once enabled, only Apple technicians might be able to turn off Repair State after completing the repair.



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iOS 17.5 Includes ‘Repair State’ Option That Doesn’t Require Turning Off Find My for Service

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With iOS 17.5, Apple is adding a “Repair State” feature that is designed to allow an iPhone to be sent in for service without deactivating Find My and Activation Lock. The fourth iOS 17.5 beta that came out today adds a “Remove This Device” option for all devices in ‌Find My‌, and using it with an ‌iPhone‌ puts that ‌iPhone‌ into the new Repair State.

ios 17 5 repair state
Right now, sending an ‌iPhone‌ to Apple to be repaired requires turning off Find My, and Apple says that it “might not” be able to repair devices that have ‌Find My‌ activated. Turning off ‌Find My‌ disables Activation Lock, an important anti-theft security feature that prevents an ‌iPhone‌ from being used with another Apple ID.

Apple currently uses ‌Find My‌ and Activation Lock as a way to ensure that a person sending a device in for repair actually owns that device, and that it’s not stolen. An ‌iPhone‌ sent in for repair with ‌Find My‌ disabled cannot be tracked, and it is not protected from theft, so if it is lost or stolen at some point in transit during the repair process, there is no recovery method available. Removing ‌Find My‌ also has a hitch with Stolen Device Protection, as there is an hour wait when turning off ‌Find My‌, which can be inconvenient for repair purposes.

The new repair state leaves ‌Find My‌ turned on, so Activation Lock remains enabled, and the ‌iPhone‌ continues to be trackable with the ‌Find My‌ app while it is being repaired. When enabled, the device in the repair state has a “Ready for Repair” label. “This device remains fully functional in the repair state,” reads the text.

ios 17 5 repair state iconios 17 5 repair state icon
In the list of devices, an ‌iPhone‌ put into a repair state has a small stethoscope icon, and it can be marked as lost. While in repair state, the ‌iPhone‌ is fully functional.

As of right now, using the “Remove This Device” option in ‌Find My‌ to enable a repair state appears to be limited to the ‌iPhone‌. Using it on other devices like an ‌iPhone‌, Mac, or Apple Watch shows a warning that the feature will remove the device from the ‌Apple ID‌ account, allowing it to be used by someone else. Note that an ‌iPhone‌ must be online and trackable through ‌Find My‌ for the repair state option to pop up. An ‌iPhone‌ that is offline will display the standard removal text. It is also worth noting that repair state cannot be disabled at the current time.

Repair state is a feature that is still in development, so it might work with other devices when iOS 17.5 and its sister updates launch in May.

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Rat neurons repair mouse brains — and restore sense of smell

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Two research teams have demonstrated that adding rat neurons to mouse brains that were missing crucial cells could help the organs to recover function1,2. The experiments could help scientists to better understand how different species’ brains develop, and even aid efforts to grow ‘chimeric’ pigs with human organs that could be used for transplantation in people.

Researchers have successfully generated hybrid, or chimeric, animals in the past. Among these have been mice with rat organs, including pancreases3, and mice with human neurons in their brains4. But no one had shown clearly whether rat neurons could be incorporated fully into a mouse’s brain circuits in such a way that they would become an essential part of controlling the host animal’s behaviour.

How neurons connect with one another, and fire, makes integrating cells from two species complicated, says Kristin Baldwin, a neuroscientist at Columbia University in New York City. “Neurons are not just Legos,” she says.

Early integration

In a paper published by one of the teams on 25 April in Cell1, Baldwin, molecular biologist Jun Wu at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas and their colleagues attempted to test this by mixing rat and mouse neuronal cells very early in the mice’s development.

First, they engineered the genes in a group of mice in a way that destroyed some neurons in the animals’ olfactory systems. This disrupted the circuits linking olfactory neurons in the nose with higher brain regions, leaving the mice unable to use their sense of smell to find mini-cookies that the researchers had buried in various places throughout the animals’ cages.

But when the researchers injected rat stem cells into blastocysts — early-stage embryos — of mice engineered in this way, the cells filled the gaps in the brain circuits. And once the mice had grown into adults, they were able to find their cookies by smell. Killing the mouse neurons created “niches” for the rat cells to take up residence in various places inside the animals’ olfactory circuits, as well as elsewhere in their bodies, Baldwin says. Her group is now working on methods for replacing specific mouse neurons with rat cells in a more targeted way.

In a Cell paper published by the second team, also on 25 April2, Wu and his colleagues developed a more aggressive strategy for getting rat cells into a mouse’s brain. Using C-CRISPR, a genetic-editing tool that cuts genes in multiple places to ensure that they are fully inactivated, the researchers wiped out every trace of a gene called Hesx1 in a group of mouse blastocysts. This gene controls the development of the forebrain: a large region in the brain that coordinates much of an animal’s behaviour.

When the researchers allowed these blastocysts to develop into mice without forebrains, the animals died shortly after birth. But when Wu and his team injected rat stem cells into the blastocysts, the forebrains that developed were made entirely of rat cells. Once the mice had grown, they were healthy and seemed to act normally, although Wu says it would be difficult to determine whether there were any subtle behavioural differences between them and normal mice.

Hiro Nakauchi, a stem cell biologist at Stanford University in California, agrees that it would be hard to establish this. Researchers in his laboratory once tried making mice ‘smarter’ by giving them rat brain cells, but they abandoned the effort when they realized that the differences between rodents with and without the cells were too minor to detect statistically without testing the behaviours of a large number of hybrid animals. Still, Nakauchi says that the new papers are meticulous analyses of chimeric animals’ brains — something he is excited about. “This is what I have been awaiting,” he says.

‘Fascinating biology’

Wu and Baldwin say that their research addresses some long-standing concerns about developing chimaeras, particularly for the purpose of transplanting tissue or organs from animals such as pigs into people. Aside from ethical considerations, there is the concern that the human body will reject a transplanted chimeric organ. But because the teams added the rat cells so early in the mice’s development — long before the embryos had formed an immune system — the animals’ bodies never learnt to recognize the cells as foreign and never attacked them.

Another concern is a mismatch in the developmental rates of species. However, the teams found that the mouse brains developed at the same rate as they would normally, rather than at the slower pace at which a rat usually develops.

“There’s lots of fascinating biology to be learnt from this [rat–mouse] chimaera,” says Jian Feng, a physiologist at the University of Buffalo in New York. He’s not surprised that the rat cells followed the pace of the mouse’s developmental ‘clock’. In 2020, his group published a paper about a mouse embryo that it had engineered to contain up to 4% human cells5. The embryo began developing human red blood cells 17 days into gestation — much earlier than these cells develop in human embryos — suggesting that human cells, too, could follow the molecular directions of their host.

Wu says that his laboratory now plans to use the technology developed for these studies to make chimaeras by transplanting cells from wild rodent species into lab mice. It’s difficult to study wild rodents, because they are hard to maintain and breed in captivity, he says. But making stem cells from their tissue samples and inserting them into mouse blastocysts might allow researchers to study how these other species’ brains develop and function.

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EU Right to Repair Rules Force Companies to Fix Out-of-Warranty Devices

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The European Commission has waved through new ‘right to repair’ legislation that aims to make it easier for consumers to get their broken devices fixed, even if products are out of warranty.

European Commisssion
The EU already requires companies to offer a two-year minimum warranty on common household appliances and electronics, such as smartphones, TVs, washing machines, and vacuum cleaners, but the new rules impose additional requirements.

According to the legislation, if a consumer chooses to have their device repaired under warranty, the warranty must be extended by a year. Consumers may also borrow a device while theirs is being repaired, and if it cannot be fixed, they have the right to opt for a refurbished unit as an alternative.

When a product’s warranty expires, companies are still required to repair devices at a “reasonable price,” so as not to intentionally discourage consumers from repairing them. Manufacturers will also be prohibited from using “hardware or software related barriers to repair,” including preventing the use of second-hand, compatible, and 3D-printed spare parts by independent repairers as long as they conform to EU laws.

Additionally, manufacturers will be unable to refuse to repair a product solely for economic reasons or because it was previously repaired by someone else. Companies will be required to publish information about their repair services, including indicative prices of the most common repairs.

“Consumers’ right to repair products will now become a reality,” said EC rapporteur René Repasi. “It will be easier and cheaper to repair instead of purchase new, expensive items. This is a significant achievement for Parliament and its commitment to empower consumers in the fight against climate change. The new legislation extends legal guarantees by 12 months when opting for repair, gives better access to spare parts and ensures easier, cheaper and faster repair.”

The legislation will come into effect after formal approval by the Council, with the directive set to activate 20 days after its publication.

Europe’s Right to Repair group welcomed the legislation, calling it “a step in the right direction,” but said “the scope of products covered remains very narrow,” and would introduce loopholes. The coalition noted that the rules only cover consumer products, and not anything purchased by businesses or industrial goods. It also criticized the lack of guidance on what constituted a “reasonable price” for spare parts.

Apple is likely to be impacted by the legislation, especially with regard to its controversial “parts pairing” requirement that prevents third-party replacements of certain device components. Currently, if an iPhone part is replaced with a like-for-like replacement by an unofficial third party, it may not be recognised by the iPhone’s system software. The wording of the new EU rules suggests this will no longer be allowed.

Meanwhile in the U.S., more than two-dozen states are working on individual right-to-repair legislation. California’s Right to Repair Act will become law this July, requiring manufacturers to make repair materials available for all electronics and appliances that cost $50 or more.

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Oregon’s New Right to Repair Law Bans ‘Parts Pairing’ Restrictions

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Oregon this week signed a Right to Repair bill into law, and it is notable because it is the first such law that puts a stop to the practice of parts pairing. Manufacturers like Apple are not able to require customers to use Apple-sourced parts that then have to be authenticated, with the bill giving Apple device owners the right to use new parts, used parts, or third-party parts.

Apple Self Service Repair Program iPhone
Apple has launched repair tools for both independent repair shops and consumers, but repair components must be purchased directly from Apple. Components must be paired with a device serial number after being installed, which prevents unauthorized repairs that use third-party components. The bill states that companies cannot reduce the performance of a device or display misleading warnings for parts that are not properly paired.

According to repair site iFixit, Oregon’s Right to Repair law is the strongest that has been passed to date. It does have consumer protections, such as requiring independent repair shops to have a “valid and unexpired certification” ensuring the person doing the repair has the “technical capabilities and competence necessary” to make a successful fix.

The elimination of the parts pairing restriction will allow independent repair shops to make more repairs without having to rely solely on components from Apple.

In addition to preventing manufacturers from requiring components to be free from pairing restrictions, the law requires companies to make parts, tools, documentation, and software available for smartphones produced in 2021 or later. For other electronics like computers, it is applicable to devices produced in 2015 and later.

Apple did not support Oregon’s Right to Repair bill, and the company has said that it will result in safety and security issues for consumers. Apple will need to comply with the parts pairing portion of the bill for products made after January 1, 2025.

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Apple’s Butterfly Keyboard Repair Program for MacBooks is Nearly Over

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Apple’s long-running butterfly keyboard service program for MacBooks is ending soon, with only a few models still eligible for a free repair.

MacBook Keyboard Close
Below, we take a look back at Apple’s butterfly keyboard problems that led to the program.

The Butterfly Keyboard

For much of the 2000s, MacBook keyboards had a traditional scissor switch mechanism. That changed in March 2015, when Apple released an ultra-thin 12-inch MacBook with a low-profile keyboard that used a new butterfly switch mechanism. While the keyboard fit in the 12-inch MacBook’s thin enclosure, it is prone to issues, such as letters repeating unexpectedly or failing to appear when keys are pressed.

It was not until Apple updated the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro models with its second-generation butterfly keyboard in October 2016 that customers began to complain about sticky and unresponsive keys in earnest. Apple expanded the butterfly keyboard to the MacBook Air a few years later, leading to even more complaints.

The situation came to a head in May 2018, when Apple was hit with a class action lawsuit in the U.S. alleging that the company knew the butterfly keyboard was defective. An online petition about the issues that year gained nearly 43,000 signatures.

The Program

In June 2018, Apple launched a “Keyboard Service Program” worldwide after it determined that a “small percentage” of keyboards in certain MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro models may exhibit one or more of the following behaviors:

  • Letters or characters repeat unexpectedly
  • Letters or characters do not appear
  • Key(s) feel “sticky” or do not respond in a consistent manner

Apple and Apple Authorized Service Providers have been repairing eligible MacBook keyboards, free of charge, for up to four years after the first retail sale of the affected laptop. That window is nearly over, as all eligible models except the two 2019 versions of the 13-inch MacBook Pro were discontinued more than four years ago.

ifixit butterfly keyboard macifixit butterfly keyboard macThe butterfly switch mechanism for a 2018 MacBook Pro keyboard

The list of all models that were eligible:

  • MacBook (Retina, 12-­inch, Early 2015)
  • MacBook (Retina, 12­-inch, Early 2016)
  • MacBook (Retina, 12-­inch, 2017)
  • MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)
  • MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2019)
  • MacBook Pro (13­-inch, 2016, Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
  • MacBook Pro (13-­inch, 2017, Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
  • MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)
  • MacBook Pro (13-­inch, 2016, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
  • MacBook Pro (13-­inch, 2017, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
  • MacBook Pro (15-­inch, 2016)
  • MacBook Pro (15-­inch, 2017)
  • MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
  • MacBook Pro (15-­inch, 2018)
  • MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
  • MacBook Pro (15-­inch, 2019)

Apple discontinued the 2019 model of the 13-inch MacBook Pro in November 2020, so some customers who own that laptop may still be eligible for a free keyboard repair until as late as November 2024, depending on when they purchased it. After that, the service program will be completely over, unless it is extended by Apple.

The Apology

In March 2019, Apple finally apologized about the keyboards.

“We are aware that a small number of users are having issues with their third-generation butterfly keyboard and for that we are sorry,” an Apple spokesperson said, in a statement shared with The Wall Street Journal‘s Joanna Stern. “The vast majority of Mac notebook customers are having a positive experience with the new keyboard.”

The Fix

Starting with the 16-inch MacBook Pro in November 2019, Apple ditched the butterfly keyboard and returned to using a scissor switch mechanism. The change was extended to the MacBook Air in March 2020, and to the 13-inch MacBook Pro in May 2020, marking the end of the problematic butterfly keyboard era for the Mac.

The Settlement

In July 2022, Apple agreed to pay $50 million to settle the U.S. class action lawsuit related to the butterfly keyboard issues. Affected customers who submitted a valid claim by the March 2023 deadline will receive a payment of between $50 and $395.

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Apple expands its Self Service Repair program for the Mac

Apple Self-Service Repair

Apple has announced that it is expanding its Self-Service Repair program for the Mac, the program now covers models of the MacBook Pro and iMac that are powered by the Apple M3 processors.

Apple has said that from March the new Self Service Repair program will be available in the US for the M3 powered versions of the Apple iMac and the Apple MacBook Prop laptops, you can see more details below.

Apple is also making Apple Diagnostics for Self Service Repair available for MacBook Pro and iMac models powered by M3 in the US early next month. Launched late last year for iPhone and Mac, Apple Diagnostics troubleshooting sessions give customers the same ability as Apple Authorised Service Providers and Independent Repair Providers to test devices for optimal part functionality and performance, as well as identify which parts may need repair.

In addition, Apple is updating the System Configuration process for all Mac models to streamline the repair process and make it more efficient. Mac users will no longer need to contact the Self Service Repair support team to run the final step of a repair, but the team will still be available to assist as needed. The updated process will become available early next month in all countries where Self Service Repair is supported.

You can find out more information about the new Macs that have been added to the Apple Self-Service Repair Program over at Apple’s website at the link below.

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Image Credit: N.Tho.Duc

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Apple Self Service Repair expands and receives new diagnostics process

Apple Self Service Repair expands and receives new diagnostics process 2024

Apple has announced the expansion of its Self Service Repair program, which provides repair manuals and genuine Apple parts to consumers and independent repair shops. The program now covers iPhone 15 models and recent Macs powered by Apple’s new M2 chips. Apple also introduced a new diagnostic tool called Apple Diagnostics for Apple Self Service Repair.

Self Service Repair originally launched in April 2022 for the iPhone 12, 13, and third-generation SE. With the latest expansion, it now covers all iPhone 15 models, including the iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro, and 15 Pro Max.

On the Mac side, Self Service Repair has added support for models powered by Apple’s new M2 Pro and M2 Max chips. This includes the high-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops, as well as the Mac mini, Mac Pro tower, and Mac Studio desktops. The less expensive MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro with M2 chips are not currently supported.

Apple has also expanded the do-it-yourself repair service to 24 additional European countries, including Croatia, Denmark, Greece, Netherlands, Portugal, and Switzerland. It’s now available in a total of 33 countries.

New Diagnostics Tool

Alongside the Self Service Repair expansion, Apple introduced Apple Diagnostics for the repair service. This is a new troubleshooting tool that provides the same diagnostic functionality used by Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers.

Apple Diagnostics allows users to run tests on device components like the battery, camera, and logic board. The tool provides detailed information to pinpoint exactly which parts need to be replaced to get a device functioning properly again. Apple says this will allow Self Service Repair customers to “quickly and reliably” determine issues.

Apple Diagnostics is currently only available in the U.S., with a planned expansion to Europe in 2024.

Apple Self Service Repair

Apple considers the repair service as part of its broader commitment to provide more repair options to device owners. The program lets experienced technicians access official Apple repair manuals and certified parts and tools. Previously, that level of access was restricted to authorized Apple repair centers.

Customers who use Self Service Repair can complete repairs with confidence that they are using quality replacement parts designed specifically for their devices. The program also allows more flexibility to businesses and schools that previously had to rely on outside repair shops.

For those without repair expertise, visiting an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider is still encouraged as the “safest and most reliable way” to get service. But Self Service Repair grants more autonomy to those with the skills and desire to handle device repairs independently.

Over the past three years, Apple says it has nearly doubled its third-party repair network to include over 4,500 Independent Repair Providers. When combined with over 5,000 official Apple Authorized Service Providers, the tech giant now has a global repair network with over 100,000 active technicians. This remains the preferred repair channel for most consumers. However, skilled technicians now have more options to obtain official Apple parts and information via Self Service Repair.

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