A new Apple support document outlines that the iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max displays a warning if the smartphones are unable to verify a replacement screen is a genuine Apple part.
“If you need to replace your iPhone display, it’s important for certified technicians who use genuine Apple display parts to repair it,” the page reads. “Replacements not performed by Apple, authorized service providers or certified technicians might not follow proper safety and repair procedures and could result in improper function or issues with display quality or safety,” reads the document.
Apple says that if displays are not official or installed properly, issues with muli-touch, colour accuracy, brightness and ‘True Tone,’ can occur.
A notification appears on affected iPhone 11 screens for four days after the problem is detected. An additional message is visible in the main settings menu for 15 days following this. After that, the notification is pushed to ‘Settings,’ ‘General,’ and ‘About,’ according to Apple’s support document.
This notification only appears on the iPhone 11 series and not previous versions of the smartphone. The move is reminiscent of Apple displaying notifications when the iPhone detects an unauthorized battery replacement. The notification was criticized by right to repair advocates because it disables the iPhone’s battery health information.
In some ways, Apple notifying users that their replacement battery isn’t legitimate makes sense. Batteries are dangerous and can explode — remember the Note 7?
This same argument doesn’t apply to the smartphone’s display, though there is a possibility that an iPhone repair shop could be claiming that its replacement displays are authentic when they really aren’t. In that particular instance, the new display-related notification makes a lot of sense.
Apple recently announced that it is now supplying official parts to independent U.S. smartphone repair shops. While the program is making its way to the U.S. first, Apple did test it with 20 independent repair businesses around the world, including one located in Canada.
