Face ID will be disabled if the screen is changed by a third party repairer

Apple has implemented a new constraint aimed at preventing the repair of their devices outside Apple Stores and authorized stores. Starting with the iPhone 13. Now, the device is able to detect if the screen has been changed, and, if so, deactivates the Face ID of the phone, according to information from iFixit relayed by Phonandroidthis Friday.

This software restriction is made possible by a small chip responsible for making the link between the screen and the operating system of the phone. In the event of a repair, this chip must be activated using a tool reserved for authorized repairers. They must also register the repair and associate the serial number and screen with that of the phone. So many operations that make repair almost impossible for a third-party technician.

An effective restriction

The only solution found by some minority shops: the transfer of the chip from the old screen to the new functional screen. But this manipulation requires at least thirty minutes of work for a competent expert equipped with many expensive tools. “If every screen repair involved that much work, I would give up,” said one repairman.

Note that users are also not always informed of the blocking of the Face ID of their phone. Only iPhone 13s running iOS 15.1 will display a notification: “Unable to activate Face ID on iPhone”. In addition, Apple has for a long time ordered its technicians to refuse repair, as well as any support service, to an iPhone that contains a battery that was replaced by an uncertified technician.