California Governor Gavin Newsom this week signed new right-to-repair legislation (SB 244) into law. The new law requires companies to provide customers with the tools to diagnose and repair consumer electronics and appliances.
Apple in August sent a letter supporting the bill, even though the Cupertino firm has fought against previous Right to Repair legislation in the state.
Apple in April 2022 launched a Self Service Repair program for iPhones and Macs, providing repair kits, repair manuals, and components to customers. Apple also offers repair programs for independent repair shops, including the Apple Authorized Service Provider option and the Independent Repair Provider program.
California’s law requires service and repair facilities that are not authorized repair providers to disclose whether they’re using replacement parts that are not from the device manufacturer, which would prevent Apple repair stores from using non-Apple parts without making that explicitly clear. As legitimate repair parts must come from Apple, the repair law in California is to Apple’s benefit.
The law doesn’t require manufacturers to make available tools, parts, and documentation for any component that would disable or override antitheft security measures, which includes Apple features like Touch ID and Face ID.
SB 244 includes a requirement that companies provide components, repair manuals, and other repair information for seven years after the sale of any product that costs more than $99.99 that was sold after July 1, 2021.