The state of iPhone repairability has changed (again), and today we’re updating repairability scores on iFixit accordingly. While the launch of Apple’s Repair Assistant software tool represents a hugely positive development for repair shops and enthusiasts alike, its benefits don’t accrue to all iPhones equally. Our team has put a lot of effort into testing Repair Assistant on several different swaths of iPhone models and digesting the results. Here’s what you need to know:
Repairability scores for iPhone 12-series, 13-series, and 14-series models remain unaffected
Thanks to Repair Assistant, the repair process on these slightly older iPhones has been streamlined a bit, and you no longer have to phone up an Apple representative to complete a repair using “authorized” components purchased directly from Apple. And while it doesn’t directly affect the scoring calculation, we think the itemized service history built into iOS 18 is a compelling feature. Unfortunately, the benefits largely stop there—repairs using aftermarket parts or genuine Apple parts harvested from other iPhones remain hobbled by the same frustrating lack of full functionality as before.
Repairability scores for iPhone 15 models have been uprated to 7/10 (previously 4/10)
While our initial experience with Repair Assistant on the iPhone 15 series was a little buggy, it’s undeniably a game changer. You can now install parts harvested from other identical iPhones—the litmus test we use at iFixit for repairability scoring—and calibrate them on-device using free and publicly available software, restoring your iPhone to full functionality after (almost) any repair. We remain cautiously optimistic that the wrinkles we encountered will get ironed out in the near future.
iPhone 16 models have been provisionally awarded 7/10 scores
The 16 series is shaping up to be among the most repairable iPhones ever; we’ll verify and finalize the score after replacement parts become available from Apple. Our experience with Repair Assistant on iPhone 16 models was seamless. And while repairing iPhone hardware remains somewhat complex, on the software side Apple has arguably raised the bar for the entire industry.
Overall this is good news, and we’re happy to see Apple devoting resources to making iPhone repair more viable, accessible, and dare we say it, fun.
As a final note: Repairability scores are meant to inform you, the repair-minded end user, as you make your purchasing decisions. Changing them can create confusion, so we try to do it as infrequently as possible. But when the situation shifts this dramatically, we’re happy to update scores to reflect the latest developments and to keep you informed. If you’ve encountered anything in your repair exploits that’s not reflected here, give us a shout in the comments any time.
Want to see how these scores stack up to other phones? Check out all of our smartphone repairability scores.
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