Apple Expanding Independent Repair Provider Program Worldwide

Apple today announced that it is expanding its Independent Repair Provider Program to more than 200 countries, which is nearly every country where Apple products are sold.

apple independent repair program
First introduced in 2019, the Independent Repair Provider Program is designed to provide repair shops with access to genuine parts, tools, repair manuals, and diagnostics for performing out-of-warranty repairs for Apple devices.

Repair providers of all sizes, including those who are not Authorized Apple Service Providers, are able to obtain genuine Apple parts and repair manuals to offer "safe and reliable repairs" for Apple products. Apple provides independent repair shops with the same free training and tools provided to AASPs and Apple retail locations.

According to Apple, there are more than 1,500 Independent Repair Provider locations across the United States, Canada, and Europe. There is no cost to join the program, but repair providers must have an Apple-certified technician to perform the repairs. Apple says that the certification process is "simple" and free of charge, and when an employee has become a certified technician, qualifying repair providers are able to purchase genuine Apple parts and tools at the same price as AASPs.

Starting later this week, repair providers in Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Guam, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Macao, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Tonga, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Vanuatu, and Vietnam can learn more and apply to become Independent Repair Providers.

Later this year, the program will launch in a range of additional countries, with a full list available in Apple's announcement.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro to Reverse iPhone X Design Decision

Monday July 7, 2025 9:46 am PDT by
Since the iPhone X in 2017, all of Apple's highest-end iPhone models have featured either stainless steel or titanium frames, but it has now been rumored that this design decision will be coming to an end with the iPhone 17 Pro models later this year. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo today, the account Instant Digital said that the iPhone 17 Pro models will have an aluminum...
iOS 26 Feature

Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 3

Monday July 7, 2025 1:20 pm PDT by
Apple is continuing to refine and update iOS 26, and beta three features smaller changes than we saw in beta 2, plus further tweaks to the Liquid Glass design. Apple is gearing up for the next phase of beta testing, and the company has promised that a public beta is set to come out in July. Transparency In some apps like Apple Music, Podcasts, and the App Store, Apple has toned down the...
imac video apple feature

Apple Launching These 15+ Products Later This Year

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
The calendar has turned to July, meaning that 2025 is now more than half over. And while the summer months are often quiet for Apple, the company still has more than a dozen products coming later this year, according to rumors. Below, we have outlined at least 15 new Apple products that are expected to launch later this year, along with key rumored features for each. iPhone 17 Series iPho...
iphone 16 pro models 1

Here's How the iPhone 17 Pro Max Will Compare to the iPhone 17 Pro

Saturday July 5, 2025 1:00 pm PDT by
Apple should unveil the iPhone 17 series in September, and there might be one bigger difference between the Pro and Pro Max models this year. As always, the Pro Max model will be larger than the Pro model:iPhone 17 Pro: 6.3-inch display iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.9-inch displayGiven the Pro Max is physically larger than the Pro, it has more internal space, allowing for a larger battery and...
iPhone Car Key Kia

Here's Which Vehicles Offer iPhone Car Keys

Sunday July 6, 2025 3:03 pm PDT by
In 2020, Apple added a digital car key feature to its Wallet app, allowing users to lock, unlock, and start a compatible vehicle with an iPhone or Apple Watch. The feature is currently offered by select automakers, including Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and a handful of others, and it is set to expand further. Apple has a web page with a list of vehicle models that ...
iphone 17 pro render majin bu

New iPhone 17 Pro Renders Highlight Apple Logo and MagSafe Design Changes

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:43 pm PDT by
New renders today provide the best look yet relocated Apple logo and redesigned MagSafe magnet array of the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Image via Majin Bu. Several of the design changes coming to the iPhone 17 Pro model have been rumored for some time, such as the elongated camera bump that spans the full width of the device, with the LiDAR Scanner and flash moving to the right side. ...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...
apple account card feature

Apple Account Card Expanding to More Countries

Tuesday July 8, 2025 7:34 pm PDT by
Apple is expanding the ability to add an Apple Account Card to the Wallet app to more countries, according to backend Apple Pay changes. With iOS 15.5, Apple updated the Wallet app to allow users to add an Apple Account Card, which displays the Apple credit balance associated with an Apple ID. If you receive an Apple gift card, for example, it is added to an Apple Account that is also...
iPhone 14 Pro Dynamic Island

iPhone 17 Models Rumored to Feature Redesigned Dynamic Island

Monday July 7, 2025 7:38 am PDT by
iPhone 17 models will feature a redesigned Dynamic Island user interface, according to a post today from Digital Chat Station, an account with more than three million followers on Chinese social media platform Weibo. The account has accurately leaked some information regarding future Apple products in the past. The account did not share any specific details about the alleged changes that are ...

Top Rated Comments

ApfelKuchen Avatar
56 months ago

"Apple says that the certification process is "simple" and free of charge"

So now any nobody with little to no experience or training can become a "certified Apple repair technician"
The techs need to take and pass the same training that Apple-certified shops and Apple Store staff take. The certification process involves a test. If the test is passed there are no extra hoops to jump through in order to obtain the certification.

There is no prior experience required in any of these cases. Experience is gained hands-on, and inevitably results in a certain number of botched repairs that the shop or technician must make good on.

Employers hope to hire staffs that cost them a minimum in either wasted time or damaged products/parts, so they have an incentive to hire people with previous experience doing similar repairs. That's the way life works. Nobody is born with these skills. If there's a surplus of workers with a particular skill set then experienced workers can be hired on the cheap. If the skills are harder to acquire, then experienced workers have an improved bargaining position and employers have some incentive to hire the less-skilled and train them up.

All Apple is really saying here is, "There's all sorts of pressure on us to open the repair process to more participants. To shut down those efforts, we'll make it easier for more repair shops to do that." In the end, "Right to Repair" is only successful politically because small businesses have banded together to lobby for easier entry into Apple's repair business. The vast majority of smartphone owners will never want to do their own repairs, but they do want to find a shop in their hometown that is able to competently perform those repairs instead of driving long distances or mailing the phone off to a repair facility. If Apple gives those small repair shops what they want, then most of the political pressure that's been brought to bear on Apple will disappear. The "handymen" with the desire and competence to fix their own phones is far too small a group to mount any kind of political pressure.

As to warranty? That's basic common sense. A warranty is a company's promise to stand by its product - to correct "defects in workmanship and materials." How can Apple guarantee workmanship when it's in no position to supervise that workmanship? The difference between an independent shop that becomes Apple-certified and one that is not is the degree of control and supervision Apple can provide. "Hire a tech who has passed our test and we'll sell you parts" isn't enough supervision to justify Apple standing financially behind that repair.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
reyesmac Avatar
56 months ago
I hope they make all their products more repairable instead of doings something like gluing their MacBooks closed since they aren't too dissimilar from iPads anymore. It was lame when they did that to iMacs.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
baryon Avatar
56 months ago
While it seems like this is the right thing to do, I'm afraid they're just doing this to shut people up about "actively doing everything they possibly can to make their extremely expensive and irreparable devices even less repairable".

For example, do they still require you to have their certified, needlessly expensive iPhone opener machine? Do they still require you to replace half of the computer for a simple battery replacement? Because I highly doubt they're going to sell batteries separately. They're going to sell top cases with the battery glued in, and you bet they're going to charge for the top case even though you don't need it.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
madrigal77 Avatar
56 months ago

I'm would be interested in signing up for this. I run a small computer repair company in the UK as the sole trader. I work from home so I'm not sure if they would be happy with that!
Look at the fine print. They basically own your company if you do this.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ghanwani Avatar
56 months ago
That's my iPhone SE1 in rose gold!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JPack Avatar
56 months ago
This is limited to out of warranty repairs. And repairs completed by IRPs will not have Apple’s 90 day repeat repair warranty coverage. This is great for people who want to pay $300 for a genuine display, but maybe not the expensive labor at an AASP. To be honest, I'm not sure how many customers are like that.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)