Even after Apple cracked down on gray market and some Apple Authorized Service Provider chains years ago, Simply Mac seems to have passed the test.
After a period of time offered essentially unauthorized iPhone repairs from Apple’s viewpoint, it’s rumored that the two companies have now reached a deal. Apple is paying to fit the new machinery and implement various security upgrades into about 30 Simply Mac stores. In exchange, Simply Mac will cease conducting all third-party repairs.
Up until now, Apple had deployed its official iPhone repair machines to only five Simply Mac locations. The stores support repairs of iPhone 6s, SE and later models.
Simply Mac currently has about 50 locations scattered around the United States. Since 2017, the company had been offering third-party iPhone screen repairs at these locations without Apple’s blessing, official equipment or procedures.
Prior to that program coming into effect, Simply Mac would send off devices to sanctioned central Apple repair centers for repair. Customers naturally prefer in-store repairs to shipping their device off for days at a time, so Simply Mac started their own 3rd-party screen repair program in light of Apple’s initial resistance.
Under current Apple Authorised Service Provider agreements, Apple does not outlaw other chains from offering third party replacement services for screens. However, it clearly doesn’t like that it is happening.
Having a screen repaired on a more recent iPhone typically means that the Face ID and Touch ID biometric sensors will stop working, as the Secure Enclave is paired to the display assembly. This, in turn, can lead to either discoloration or blotchy spots given lack of quality control. In the most infamous case, the release of iOS 11.3 inadvertently bricked some iPhones that had been unofficially repaired with aftermarket screens (Apple later released iOS 11.3.1 as a fix).
Given the large size of the chain, sources indicated that the volume of Apple device repairs Simply Mac handled was second only to Apple Store locations. This, in turn, may have been a significant bargaining factor that led to Apple’s granting Simply Mac the repair status it had been seeking.
The terms of the new agreement appear to be that official machines, like the Touch ID/Face ID calibration units, will be rolled out in 30 stores over the coming months, and Apple will foot the bill for the setup. Simply Mac has agreed to stop any third-party screen services, apart from honoring its existing customer 90-day warranties. The cost of the new repairs is reported to be the same as what the Apple Store charges.
Apple, in turn, has come under fire for its control of the repair industry surrounding its products. While this deal with Simply Mac won’t put a stop to all of these concerns, it does offer more locations in which to receive official screen repairs and not risk side-effects of third-party repairs like the Secure Enclave disabling Touch ID and Face ID.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via 9to5Mac