Apple will not repair iPhones that are marked as stolen or lost

According to Macrumors, Apple's official technical service and authorized centers will no longer repair damaged iPhones that have been reported lost or stolen.

The portal had access to an internal note that the Cupertino company sent to Apple Stores and authorized sellers. In the note, the company warns technical support specialists that if the internal repair system indicates that the device has been marked as lost, they will not be able to accept the repair.

This is how Apple will detect when an iPhone is marked as stolen or lost

Until now, Apple refused to repair disabled iPhone devices through the 'Search' application. This app, it should be remembered, allows you to limit access to the device in case of loss or theft. It also displays an on-screen message confirming that the terminal is no longer in the hands of the owner.

However, many users do not take this security measure. Therefore, it is difficult for support and repair centers to know if an iPhone really belongs to the person who brought it in for repair or if it is a lost or stolen phone.

Now, and by the aforementioned means, Apple will use the GSMA device registration. This is a global database that allows customers to mark their devices as lost or stolen.

The company seems to have implemented an API that allows to verify smartphone information via IMEI in its two internal repair tools: MobileGenius or GSX.

In this way, the employee will be able to see an alert (in case the iPhone is marked as lost or stolen) when he has entered the terminal data into any of the systems, and he can refuse to repair it.

No news yet on self-service repairs for iPhones

Meanwhile, Apple continues to not offer self-service repair updates. This program, announced in November 2021, will allow more premium individual customers to repair an iPhone 12 or iPhone 13 at home.

Specifically, the Cupertino company will provide technical information and more than 200 original spare parts and tools that users can purchase through a dedicated website.

Apple confirmed that self-repair self-service will be available in early 2022 in the United States. He also explained that they will go to other markets later. Provide, first, fix these commonly damaged components; including batteries, cameras or screens, and then, other iPhone modules. However, the company has not confirmed the release date.

Apple also plans to launch a subscription service to buy an iPhone

Apple is working on a subscription service to make it easier to purchase iPhones and other products. This is what Bloomberg anticipated. This is an option that would involve the payment of a monthly fee to buy the company's mobile phone as well as other devices.

The project is currently under development, but that is a very promising idea that could soon be realized. Adopting hardware subscriptions would be a major change in strategy for the company, which aims to continue growing in the market.

The idea is to offer the purchase of an iPhone or iPad along with access to services such as iCloud storage or an Apple Music subscription . The company plans to allow customers to subscribe to hardware with the same Apple ID and App Store account that they already use to purchase apps and subscribe to services.

It differs from an installment purchase program, since the monthly fee would not be the price of the device divided into 12 or 24 months. Rather, it would be a monthly sum, still to be determined, that will depend on the equipment that the user chooses.

Subscriptions are likely to be managed through the Apple account, on devices, through the App Store, and on the company's website. It could also be an option that the user could access at the time of paying for their purchases, whether in the online store or physical.

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