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

iOS 18

Here Are Apple's Full iOS 18.5 Release Notes

Tuesday May 6, 2025 2:17 pm PDT by
Apple today seeded the release candidate version of iOS 18.5 to developers and public beta testers, giving us a look at the final version of the update that will be provided to the public next week. With the release candidate, Apple provided release notes, so we have a more complete look at the new features that are included in the update, including those that weren't found during the beta...
iOS 18

Apple Says iOS 18.5 Coming Soon, Here is What's New

Monday May 5, 2025 8:19 am PDT by
In its press release for the new Pride Band today, Apple said that iOS 18.5 is "upcoming," following more than a month of beta testing. We expect the iOS 18.5 Release Candidate to be released this week, and this should be the final beta version, barring any last-minute bugs or changes. The software update should then be released to the general public next week. iOS 18.5 is a relatively...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17: What's New With the Cameras

Friday May 2, 2025 3:52 pm PDT by
We've still got months to go before the new iPhone 17 models come out, but a combination of dummy models and leaks have given us some insight into what we can expect in terms of camera changes. Apple is adding new camera features, and changing the design of the camera bump for some models. You might be skeptical of dummy models, but over the years, they've proven to be a highly accurate...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Foldable iPhone Said to Have Two Key Advantages

Monday May 5, 2025 6:41 am PDT by
Apple plans to release its first foldable iPhone next year, according to several reporters and analysts who cover the company. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the foldable iPhone will offer two key advantages over other foldable smartphones. First, he said the foldable iPhone will have a "nearly invisible" crease when unfolded. This means the device's...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue Face ID

20th-Anniversary iPhone Will Reportedly Feature an All-Screen Design

Saturday May 3, 2025 9:20 am PDT by
Apple's former design chief Jony Ive long dreamed of an iPhone with a truly all-screen design, and his wish might finally become reality in a few more years. The Information today cited multiple sources who said that at least one new iPhone model launching in 2027 will have a truly edge-to-edge display. The device's front camera and Face ID system would both be placed under the screen....
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Tuesday April 29, 2025 1:30 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
Apple Watch 2025 Pride Feature

Apple Announces 2025 Pride Band, Watch Face, and iPhone Wallpaper

Monday May 5, 2025 6:08 am PDT by
Apple today announced its 2025 Pride Collection, including a new Apple Watch band, watch face, and a matching wallpaper for the iPhone and iPad. Ahead of Pride Month in June, Apple says its Pride Collection celebrates the strength and beauty of LGBTQ+ communities around the world. The new Pride Edition Sport Band is now available to order on Apple.com and in the Apple Store app in 40mm,...
iPhone 17 Air Size Feature

iPhone 17 Air Expected to Have Battery Case Due to 'Worse' Battery Life

Saturday May 3, 2025 8:24 am PDT by
Apple's rumored iPhone 17 Air model will have "worse" battery life compared to previous iPhone models, according to a paywalled The Information report. In internal testing, Apple determined that the percentage of users who will be able to use the iPhone 17 Air for a full day without needing to recharge the device throughout the day will be between 60% and 70%, according to the report. For...

Top Rated Comments

ApfelKuchen Avatar
54 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
54 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
54 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
54 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
54 months ago
That's my iPhone SE1 in rose gold!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JPack Avatar
54 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)