There seems to be a lot of confusion around the topic about whether or not completing your own iPhone repairs (for example, repairing your screen or replacing your battery) will void the manufacturers warranty on your Apple device. The answer is likely to surprise you.
Australia is governed by its own set of Consumer Laws, separate from other countries like the US and UK. Australian consumer watchdog, the ACCC, is renowned for taking on corporate giants like Apple and they certainly did not shy away from the topic of consumers right to repair their own electronic devices.
In 2018 the ACCC won a federal court ruling against the tech giant confirming that Australian Consumer Law allows for third party and DIY repairs to be completed on a device without voiding the warranty and guarantees that you are entitled to when purchasing a product in Australia.
“In Australia, if a product is faulty, customers are legally entitled to a repair or replacement under Australian Consumer Law, and sometimes even a refund… The mere fact that an iPhone or iPad had been repaired by someone other than Apple did not, and could not, result in the consumer guarantees ceasing to apply, or the consumer’s right to a remedy being extinguished.” ACCC Commissioner, Sarah Court.
Apple stores, genius bars and customer service phone representatives were found to be misleading Australian customers to believe they’d be denied a remedy for their faulty device because the device was not repaired by Apple themselves. In fact, Apple was fined upward of $9 million AUD for misleading consumers about their product warranty due to third party or personal repairs.
It is important to note that in the case of a screen repair, the Apple Limited Warranty on the screen is void as soon as the damage occurs. That means replacing your screen from a vendor that backs their parts with a good warranty period will leave you no worse off than having the device repaired by Apple themselves. At TechXS, we back the quality of our parts with a Lifetime Warranty so our customers have peace of mind if basing their decision on this point.
In the case of battery replacements, once again by replacing the battery only this parts Warranty will be void within the device. As long as your new battery comes with a decent Warranty period then you can save yourself the hassle of getting to an Apple store and just replace the part in the comfort of your own home.
As it stands, Apple provides a Limited Warranty on its products for 2 years after the date of purchase (unless AppleCare+ is purchased in addition to the product). That means that this warranty consideration only really applies to devices that are less than 2 years old.
It’s important you know your rights as an Australian Consumer. For any further queries on this topic, reach out to our support team or the ACCC