Apple brings its self-repair service to the UK and Europe for DIY fixes – but there's a catch

Apple repair
(Image credit: Apple)

For a long time, if an Apple product you owned broke, well, you'd have to get Apple to take a look at it or go to one of a limited selection of Apple-approved repair shops. However, earlier this year, Apple launched the Self Service Repair Store in the US, giving folks the opportunity to order parts themselves.

Now, Apple's Self Service Repair Store is rolling out to Europe. Folks in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and the UK will now be able to purchase parts directly from Apple and repair their own Apple products themselves. However, there is something of a catch.

If you bungle your repair, a warranty will not cover those damages. Essentially, this means that this service is largely for people with experience working inside tech, like businesses that make their money repairing broken tech devices. This isn't really a service the average person should make too much use of.

However, if you do have the know-how, Apple will sell you both the tools necessary to repair Apple kit as well as replacement parts for Apple devices, too. The tool kit will retail for $49, and in the store, you can find replacement parts for all kinds of Apple devices from iPhones to Macs and everything in between.

All told, Apple's offering up over 200 individual parts alongside tools and repair manuals with this Self Service Repair program, so if you've got an Apple product that needs some extra love, you'll likely be able to find what you need. Even if this service isn't necessarily intended for the average consumer, easy access to repairs is an important thing for all Apple customers.

For a company known for its proprietary technology and walled garden of an ecosystem, it's always good to see the brand opening things up.

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Ruben Circelli

Ruben is a long-time freelance consumer technology and gaming journalist, and was previously a Staff Writer at What Hi-Fi?. Since 2014, Ruben has written news, reviews, features, guides, and everything in-between at a huge variety of outlets that include Lifewire, PCGamesN, GamesRadar+, TheGamer, Twinfinite, and many more. Ruben's a dedicated gamer, tech nerd, and the kind of person who misses physical media. In his spare time, you can find Ruben cooking something delicious or, more likely, lying in bed consuming content.

  • Gray
    What the article suggests as a 'catch', isn't really.
    Most people are aware that self-repair would invalidate any warranty they had (if the company knew of the repair - attempted repairs will often be obvious).

    The price of Apple spares?....now that's where there's some potential for a catch.
    That could thwart much of the money-saving incentive for DIY repairs.
    Reply