Soon after Apple offered genuine parts to repair shops, the iPhone maker is discouraging at-home repair with yet another warning about non-genuine parts—this time, it’s screens.
Starting with iOS 13.1 and iPhone 11 models (the 11, Pro, and Pro Max), your phone will report if it has a third-party screen: “Unable to verify this iPhone has a genuine Apple display.” It starts as a persistent message on your lock screen, lasting for four days. After that, the warning lodges itself in the Settings for 15 days, and then in Settings > General > About after that. It’s also added to your “device information,” so that Apple staff can see it.
This warning, similar to the recent addition of battery warnings, happens even if you swap a genuine Apple screen from one phone to another. To avoid the warning, you have to have a genuine Apple display installed by a certified Apple technician, independent or otherwise. The warning doesn’t seem to affect operation—other than the loss of True Tone, which occurs with any display swap not performed by Apple or using specialty chip programming tools.
We’ve tested this with genuine parts on iPhone 11 models. The warnings were not present in iOS 13.0 or the beta for iOS 13.1, but they show up when you change out screens with the final version of 13.1 installed. We used screens from the same models of iPhone 11, just days old, but without the software verification tools available to Apple-certified technicians, our units had warnings about a “genuine Apple display.”
We even swapped the Face ID hardware from an iPhone’s original display to the replacement, hoping that would convince the phone that it still had its original screen, but the screen warning remained. It seems that Apple cryptographically pairs each screen to the iPhone it ships on.
On its own, though, this move does help clean up some darker corners of the iPhone secondary markets. If you weren’t sure whether the iPhone you bought at a remarkable price, or had repaired cheaply, was hacked together, now you can tell (in case the Face ID and True Tone warnings weren’t obvious). Apple has many other warnings about non-genuine screens, including touch response, brightness and color issues, and how bad repair work could “result in injury.”
There are indeed some low-quality iPhone screens out there. At iFixit, we rigorously source, test, and track the iPhone screens we sell. That gets at another problem: This warning is not about the quality of a part, it’s just a “Beware” sign hung on a non-OEM component. Verifying the quality of a component is good, and we welcome that kind of customer advocacy. But it would be much better to know why a screen, or a battery, or any other part is good or not.
More broadly, this restriction is the kind of gradual progression toward repair fear and uncertainty we were afraid we’d see after Apple’s independent repair program announcement. It allows Apple to further restrict the repair market to those who buy their parts and sign up for their certification. While the warning is something that eventually recedes into your settings, it fits with the battery warnings, the tricky transfer of Face ID or Touch ID hardware, and True Tone transfers into a general sense that third-party or DIY repair isn’t worth it. Apple could do more to make tools available to technically savvy consumers to get around these roadblocks, especially if they’re willing to buy genuine parts.
58 opmerkingen
With the battery I accept it, "it could be" dangerous. But with the screen? Any screen ... This only seeks to intimidate and scare the client, if it were informative, it would explain the reason.
Looking for a new job
Oscar - Antwoord
If I was buying a second hand phone I would want to know if parts of it weren’t genuine Apple parts.
Alex Bowden -
It will remain the same. Just know that the screen was changed, not that there is one of good or bad quality. If you don't want surprises with a second-hand cell phone, you should buy new ones. Just my point of view
Oscar -
Fortunately, there are already tools available to “trick“ the iPhone to believe the new screen is a genuine one. They give you the ability to transfer chip data from the old screen and its components to the new 3rd party one. If this works, I’m not sure. I hadn’t had the chance to try (and hope I never have to). Also do I not know if this process would be legally allowed. It is however an option to bypass these restrictions. Curious to see where this is going.
Tim van der Horst - Antwoord
this remains to be seen -I have my fingers crossed and am hopefully looking to another 3-5 years till that loophole closes ( and it will! — I have my fears that it will be sooner than later )
for example - if each componenf Screen / battery /frame/logic board/ touch button has some lighter version of “W chip” ( w-lite ;) in place to communicate state and “genuine” then it may be costy enough to make cheap knock-offs - it’s a matter of economy of scale. - such part counterfeiters are easier to close down ( dmca, the production run needs to be larger, costs involved are higher etc)
hardijs -
Legal? You own the phone. It is yours to do what you wish. It's Apple that's the problem, pay us or we'll tag your phone so it's worth less money, that's the simple truth.
Jeffrey Schueller -
Yes, the same way you transfer True Tone over. It’s essentially a copy, paste of information. But there’s no use, fix one thing and they’ll put up another road block. It just keeps adding time to the repair. Apple has now monopolized the iPhone repair industry. They should be sued. Not only that, but they need to split the company up.
Avais Gilani -
Finally, there is a solution to the problem!!
iPhone 11/11 Pro/11 Pro Max - Waarschuwing over een niet-authentiek scherm
Phryne -
I agree, after nearly 10 years repairing the iPhone, I think this is a step too far. Why cant apple sell genuine parts to third part repairers such as the automotive industry and others. It is already getting more complicated and difficult to repair the iPhone using high quality parts and a price which is profitable enough to justify the stress etc. I am also looking for a new career.
Soc Crypto - Antwoord
Because Apple don't want you to repair your phone but to buy a New One
Fotis -
Dear Apple,
since I paid dearly and in full _my_ iPhone I’m entitled to do with it whatever I want, it’s none of your business if I decide to put an aftermarket screen, no screen at all or if I decide it’s time to give it to my dog for some fun chewing. I don’t need a nanny either, I’m grown up and responsible for my own choices, a persistent warning of this kind is more than I’m inclined to tolerate as this is clearly pointless customer harassment. Kindly tell your watchdogs to take a deep breath and start behaving like adults instead of spoiled children. Thanks in advance!
arbaman - Antwoord
they let you put the screen that you want, they just display a message in the settings app.
Does this prevent you from normally using your phone? No.
Does this inform people that the used iPhone they’re buying, or the iPhone they took in for repair, has not an original display? Yes.
So it’s good for the users.
sezar -
100% right ! This will open another unreasonable class action to Apple. They annoy user instead of promoting quality in repair.
From the strategy point of view is a very stupid issue. What happen to Apple management ? Are they loosing their attitude doing better ??
Tim check it back..!
Andrea Marco Borsetti -
To be honest, at least here in Mexico, some independent repair places claim to use original pieces and a lot of people get scammed without even knowing. An acquaintance got his iPhone 6S display replaced a couple of years ago and when he broke it again I told him I could replace it with a non-original one for cheaper if he didn’t want to spend tons of money for it. He wasn’t really eager to replace his “original” display with a non-original one, but when I opened it up I immediately noticed it didn’t have an original display and told him. Certainly tech savvy users will get annoyed with it, but other users would actually get warned when someone tries to scam them the way they did with my acquaintance
David -
I see many commenters here either have not read the article in full or they’re deliberately trying to raise a smoke curtain around the matter. The warning has nothing to with aftermarket or original parts, tests have proved it shows irrespectively even if you swap an original display with another original Apple display. That proves behind any doubts the intent is not to provide customers with a legitimate information about the display quality and reliability. It shouldn’t take much to figure out where these practices head to. But please, go back clapping your hands at an attempt to create a repair monopoly while the rest of the world is struggling for the right of repair, sorry for interrupting you.
arbaman -
I think the alert is not bad, conscious people know what are they mounting and the notification is not a problem.
Instead it is useful versus second-hand market and local store repair market. Often they lies to customers saying that they mount original screens and components and most people believe them.
of course I agree with you regarding the quality and not all screens are bad.
it should be nice if it will be like in automotive sector where oem products are endorsed by the car manufacturer.
Pierluigi - Antwoord
I agree. Someone I know got scammed when a local repair shop replaced his iPhone 6S screen with an “original” one. He broke it again and I told him I could replace it with a non-original one. Upon opening it, I immediately noticed the one installed wasn’t original
David -
It’s not component - OEM, “genuine” or otherwie. It’s about Apple certified service providers in good standing with Apple and operating at Apple costs and complying to Apple rules - be it individual or large independant bussiness.
It’s about access to Apple service network - available only if you comply.
the Consumer may have bought the device hardware and do with it whatever he/she likes - the software is not your’s(!) - it will behave and do whatever Apple says.
hardijs - Antwoord
This is not correct. An individual does not own the IP, but that same user does actually own the copy of said software in their possession. If it’s on my hard-drive (whether a spinning drive or flash based storage), then it is in my physical possession. There has long been a fallacy perpetuated by software (and video game) companies that you’re only ever purchasing a license, which at most is only half true, and at worst, completely bogus. You’re not simply getting a license/permission in exchange for your money, but an actual copy of something, and yes, that copy does belong to you, the user; it is your possession. Not the IP that represents the original work, but the individual copy of that work.
szr -
@arbaman
they let you put the screen that you want, they just display a message in the settings app. Does this prevent you from normally using your phone? No. Does this inform people that the used iPhone they’re buying, or the iPhone they took in for repair, has not an original display? Yes. So it’s good for the users.
sezar - Antwoord
I don’t really see this as an issue. They’re not stopping people from repairing the screen and they’re not turning off any functionality. It’s just a statement to say it’s not the original screen. All this will do is reassure people who have their phones repaired that it’s a genuine screen from a genuine apple certified tech. What if someone got certification but then only used genuine parts on every tenth screen? (and lets not pretend that nobody would do this!) They could tell their customers all parts were genuine. This simply prevents that.
Richard Denton - Antwoord
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Snowden lister -
I have to say that after using Apple products happily for over ten years, this is starting to bother me to the point that I don’t think I can buy a new iPhone until this changes.
Richard Leknes - Antwoord
It’s way too far. Reasons I stopped buying Apple products are that it’s difficult it is to repair them + how unjustifiably expensive they are.
kex1k - Antwoord
I’m sorry to burst your bubble, I repair Samsung’s and iPhones for a living.. I can repair any iPhone model 6s and newer in 10-15 minutes with pre built parts (ones that come with earpiece etc) and 18-22 minutes without pre-built. They’re a lot easier and a less risky process. With Samsung you have to heat up the rear glass and use a suction cup and something like a playing card to get between the glass and mid frame, hopefully not cracking the $50-$100 glass back. After that you have 20+ small screws (all same bits) 3 protective plastic covers and SEVERAL components. Apple makes it easy, 2 pentalobe screws on the bottom something to wedge the screen off, 4 screws on one plate 2-3 on the other, 4 on the home button (or 5 on the plate for regular size X and newer, plus 3 on the FACE ID) and it’s done. I’ve got those down to a science. Samsung’s are riskier cuz of easy of damage and tearing the fingerprint sensor ribbon when removing the rear glass plus it’s not instant either. Samsung’s take me 30-40 minutes.
zsavinski -
If car manufactures had implemented warnings like this they would have been in court instantly. Non original parts or poor fitting should invalidate the iPhone warranty only if it can be shown that they caused the fault but that should be the extent of apples interference.
Car manufactures tried a similar thing years ago and the courts forced them to give access to their software so problems could be diagnosed by any 3rd party and none genuine parts could be coded into the vehicles systems to give full functionality
Apple should be challenged in court
Mike welsh - Antwoord
The solution is very simple: buy and recommend products other than apple.
tjm - Antwoord
That just telling us. if you repair your own don’t buy our product. well plenty other phones and better than Apple. they always fall behind anyway. what’s the point of buying their product. if can’t even repair your self.
placido - Antwoord
This is the insidious dry-rot that is eating away at the Apple Brand. Guy Kawasaki would never have let this mentality rule. Tim is the only guy who can keep this from spreading and I sometimes wonder whether he sees it as an issue at all. As one of the commenters says, when there really is a hidden safety or security issue, then the warnings are welcome but when all they are doing is enforcing unnecessary uber-sight and obsessive control they are simply annoying and eventually bullying.
Jan Card - Antwoord
I’m a former apple employee I still have friends there this is absurd by the hardware team at apple . I spoke with them at they told me over and over again as a friend but they trust me even tho I quit because of this actions they don’t want anymore independent repair shops fixing there products is losing them money every quarter (greedy) they also said due to uncertified schools for cellphone repair causing more cellphone shops to opened they have to deal with many 3rd party repairs problems causing them headaches for their employees . They’re shutting down the iphone repair business by scaring the consumers and giving the 3rd party shops the headache here is the wrench of it we are having some repair shops join the apple independent program so we can shut their business by suspending their account and suing them. That’s the whole plan guys is just gonna keep getting worst! Unless our China friends figure something out to beat apple at his own game! To me apple plan is outraging! The greedy gets greedy
XTerminal - Antwoord
I live in a city where people will never take the phone to Apple so I’m not worried about this they don’t care about some stupid warning on the screen they just want their $@$* fixed it’s that simple and when I’m able to do it for half the cost they don’t care
icarephoneservice -
@XTerminal
First of all you don’t know how to express yourself syntactically nor grammatically. I’m surprised that apple has hired people who can’t even write correctly.
Second, who told you that China is our friend? Intellectual property theft, tariff inequality, and don’t get me started on what hoops aspiring companies need to go through to open a business there. Friends? How?
Xavier -
This is hilarious there’s already a machine that transfers the chip data to from one screen to the other this problem will be simply solved! And if you haven’t been using it on your iPhone eights n up to the iPhone X Series screens obviously you’re not as good technician as you think you are!!!
icarephoneservice - Antwoord
True but some tech’s dont know about it and Ifixit don’t mentioned
XTerminal -
Man I hear nothing but a bunch of &&^&^$^ quitters on here sad
icarephoneservice - Antwoord
Then they shouldn’t be repairing
icarephoneservice - Antwoord
I hate to say this, as I am usually a fan of smaller government, but we need some legislation against this. We all need to fight for right to repair.
Apple really needs to knock this crap off!
Allen Boyd - Antwoord
This right to repair is an interesting debate. My question is how easy is it for a technically minded electrical engineer with the aptitude and help of you tube, like myself, to be considered an “Apple certified technician” after taking the free courses. Will ifixit decide to offer genuine Apple parts? Do they have to offer the “certified service” to resell Apple parts?
This latest sham doesn’t help individual repairers at all that I can see.
drmdolfan - Antwoord
What would Woz think of this? He ought to speak out!
Sanjay Aiyagari - Antwoord
The alert isn’t discouraging. I’d want to know if the display is OEM or not… particularly if a 3rd party is doing the repair, is claiming that it is and then I find out from my iPhone I’m being lied to and getting ripped off. On top of that it’s certainly going to nullify the limited warranty.
John - Antwoord
Yet another bs move by bs Apple. Bunch of crybabies who don't like the fact that independent shops do a faster and less expensive job than they do.
Puffs - Antwoord
Yet another reason to buy your mobile device from another manufacturer. I’ve had both Apple and Android devices. My Family uses mostly Apple devices. The Android devices have been much more dependable and have been well ahead of Apple Technology.
Donald - Antwoord
Good or bad, right or wrong, ethical or not, I’m not buying anything else from Apple, ever, even if they get rid of this issue. All features on all devices should be controllable by the user i.e. the user should be allowed to completely turn off or physically remove any part, feature or software if he/she doesn’t want it and he/she can’t buy the device without it in the first place. My next phone will be a LightPhone (https://www.thelightphone.com). I already own a camera that’s better than anything in a smartphone and if I want computing power, I’ll get a proper, (non-Apple) computer or laptop. It would have been nice to carry just one device for everything, but they now come with too many caveats that we have to put up with. I really can’t figure out why we fell into the smartphone trap.
ThosD - Antwoord
Consumers must stop buying Apple products.
Muneesh Kumar - Antwoord
If anyone can bypass this, it’s the good people of Shenzhen, China…..
Alex Scott - Antwoord
Is any company more opposed to consumer freedom than Apple?
Kyle Stanfield - Antwoord
I think an app that can disable the warning messages might be the only option.
Chris Stables - Antwoord
As an independent Phone and computer service center owner this is a real pain in the ass. This display message/battery message is vague and confusing for Apple’s/our customers.
This message is about the greed of Apple. They want a cut of all iPhone repairs. Which for them would be a great way to increase their revenue and satisfy share holders.
If Apple would sell their parts to third party repair centers, there would not be a big market with “non-genuine" parts. They would also be able to get a cut of almost all iPhone repair. If I could buy parts directly from apple without any strings attached, I would.
Samsung sells their own genuine parts. I havent seen any samsung “non genuine” parts since early 2010s. LG, Sony, HTC, Huawei, Motorolla, all sell their parts.
Making it easy for individuals and third party repair to buy genuine parts gives the Manufacturer a way to make money on their devices being repaired. It keeps more devices from ending up in the trash. It’s better for the enviroment.
Tony Johansson - Antwoord
I’m really disappointed in Apple now. Remember if you don’t use a genuine screen on iPhones running iOS 5, the phone will refuse to power on? But that’s just a bug. This time, Apple is locking batteries, screens and maybe even more parts in the future intentionally. They bug you by disabling features and permanent notifications unless it get replaced by Apple. Apple, you are already a trillion dollar company, OK? Why you still want to make profits on repairs? No other companies have done that. I dropped a grand on your newest release, I legally own it. So I have the right to do what ever I want to it.
TechGeos1019 - Antwoord
Hi,
I tried to replace the screen on iPhone 11 with aftermarket and even though I returned the original screen back (it wasn’t cracked just for testing purposes) the message remains. That is not fear what do you guys think?
dudu01183 - Antwoord
Hello everyone! Hoping I can get some feedbacks on a problem I’m having. I’m doing a screen replacement on an XR but the bottom half of the screen is unresponsive to touch. The replacement screen is from another XR with original Apple screen. When I put the replacement screen back, it works fine so it can’t be anything that’s damaged on the replacement screen. Also this replacement screen does the same thing to any iphone XR I put in so I know it means there’s no problems with the logic board. The replacement screen only works with its original but not on any other XR.
abooismail1234 - Antwoord
my iphone 11 has an original screen and nothing changed in it but i receive this notification Unable to verify this iPhone has a genuine Apple display . how can i fix it please . thanks
hind-sekour - Antwoord
I bought my XR screen off repair universe. Only message I got was the battery and the front camera assembly not working but I got True Tone with the new screen like I have no issues with it other then the battery notification and I changed the logic board and put one I. My phone from another xr
kyleseikel - Antwoord
This isn’t a matter of a fake or genuine screen.Each component is coded to mother the board of each devices.I just swapped a genuine screen from another iPhone 11 and the message still pop up saying it cant verify if it is a genuine screen.
OREOLUWA HABEEB - Antwoord
In so many ways this actually protects Apple from lawsuits. If you purchased a used iPhone and it explodes from an aftermarket battery, they can point to the battery and say, it was not their Battery. Not sure how the screen would be dangerous, unless it broke into shards and cut someone, they could claim it was not an OE Apple screen, therefore it was no longer their responsibility.
John Z - Antwoord
So, where does this leave the THOUSANDS of caring Independent repairers?Ther is not as much money around with other makers too.THEY … the top cream, wants us to be slaves. Wake up people, can’t you see it what is going on?
JoeBlog - Antwoord
I had my screen replaced at a repair shop. And I’m getting this message. What’s my options now?
Jay Jones - Antwoord
Perhaps the aftermarket will eventually step up and make a demonstrably better quality display for an iPhone. That way they'll be proud to display the brand of display somewhere on the screen. If Apple keeps making phones with displays that present a small chance of decent longevity, as well as expanding lithium batteries that risk breaking screens during replacement. competition might hit them where it hurts. I know, hope springs eternal. But it's nice to dream. I've never particularly been an "Apple guy". My iPhone X hasn't changed my mind about that. If my aftermarket battery and screen replacement didn't fix the phone, it's likely I'd own an Android by now. But, due to a great extent to the tutorials and parts from ifixit.com, I fixed it. Cheers.
MrRoundel - Antwoord