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iPhone 12 camera replacement issues could hint at further restrictions on third-party Apple repairs
Oct 30, 2020
Apple’s latest iPhone 12 smartphone appears to be even more difficult for third-party companies to repair, according to a report from iFixit . Specifically, the new phone appears to run into issues if a user replaces the camera module, which renders the cameras almost totally unusable.
The issue — first spotted by YouTuber Hugh Jeffreys — doesn’t appear to be a strictly hardware-related problem. As iFixit’s teardown notes, the iPhone 12 is actually a relatively good device when it comes to disassembly and replacement of various key parts.
But should you actually swap a camera module from one iPhone 12 to another, it appears that the phone will reject the replacement part, with iFixit describing issues with the ultrawide camera and general issues of unresponsiveness.
The iPhone 12 marks the first iPhone to have these problems — previous models allowed for replacement cameras with no issues, and even the iPhone 12 Pro appears to work completely fine. It’s not clear whether this is a one-off glitch or some specific quirk of the iPhone 12’s cameras. Previous iPhone models have had related issues, like the iPhone 7 and 8 Plus, where Apple used three different display manufacturers that weren’t fully interchangeable.
But even if the camera issue is just a temporary one, iFixit notes that it seems clear that Apple is looking to maintain a stricter control over iPhone repairs. The DIY repair site also claims to have gotten ahold of Apple’s new internal training guides for iPhone 12 support, which note that repairing a camera or display will now require Apple’s own, in-house System Configuration app, something that had previously only been required for a battery swap.
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