Repaired iPhones may stop working after update

HEADING to an unauthorised repair shop to fix a cracked iPhone screen could become a thing of the past.

Apple’s latest software upgrade could cause some recently repaired models to stop working properly.

Reports indicate the screens on a number of just-repaired iPhone 8s stopped responding to touch controls after the iOS 11.3 update.

Those affected are said to be restricted to phones whose screens were fixed by companies outside the authorised Apple channels.

These include shops on high streets that promise to fix screens for less than Apple’s published prices.

“This has caused my company over 2,000 reshipments,” Aakshay Kripalani, the chief executive of repair shop Injured Gadgets, told the online news site Motherboard.

“Customers are annoyed and it seems like Apple is doing this to prevent customers from doing third-party repair,” he added.

Because screens have become so sophisticated on recent models, the cost of repairing them has soared.

Going through Apple’s official channel, the cost of repairing an iPhone 8 screen is €181, while the cost of repairing the larger display on an iPhone 8 Plus is €201.

Repairing the screen on Apple’s flagship model, the iPhone X, costs €321.

Third-party companies frequently offer repairs at cheaper prices, but often use materials that aren’t authorised by Apple.

The company says that this is for quality control, while critics have argued it simply wants to keep prices at a premium level.

Last year, Apple ran into hot water for slowing down the performance of some iPhones as a remedy to battery problems.

The company addressed the issue by offering a discounted price of €29 for battery replacements on most recent iPhone models until the end of 2018.

The new screen problem is the latest in a series of issues that have emerged with repairs completed by non-Apple service providers.

Previously, the Touch ID button on some iPhones stopped working after being replaced by non-Apple repair services in what became known as the ‘Error 53’ problem.

Following an outcry, Apple fixed the issue.