Skip to Content

Apple Will Soon Offer Face ID Repairs Without Replacing the Entire iPhone

by

Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers will soon be able to repair Face ID on the iPhone XS and newer without having to replace the whole device, according to an internal memo obtained by MacRumors from a reliable source.

iphone 13 face id
Apple said authorized technicians will soon have access to a new TrueDepth Camera service part containing all Face ID and front camera modules, allowing for same-unit repairs. Apple said the move will help to reduce the number of whole-unit repairs completed, as part of the company's commitment to reduce the carbon footprint of its products.

For customers, same-unit Face ID repairs could be more affordable than a whole-unit replacement, but the memo did not include pricing details.

Apple introduced Face ID on the iPhone X in 2017, but that device appears to be excluded from the new same-unit repair process for the TrueDepth system. The new service part will be available for the iPhone XS and newer.

Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers will be able to use the Apple Service Toolkit diagnostic tool to determine when to perform a same-unit Face ID repair instead of a whole-unit replacement or an "iPhone Rear System" repair. Apple said related documentation and training will be made available at a later date.

Tags: Apple Authorized Service Providers, Face ID Guide

Popular Stories

Apple Event Logo

Apple Released Seven New Products Today

Wednesday March 11, 2026 7:05 am PDT by
Starting today, the seven new Apple products that were announced last week are available at Apple Stores and beginning to arrive to customers. The colorful MacBook Neo and all of the other new products are on display at most Apple Store locations around the world starting today. Apple Stores have inventory of the new products for both walk-in customers and Apple Store pickup, but...
Read Full Article • 22 comments
ios 26 4 yellow

Everything New in iOS 26.4 Beta 4

Monday March 9, 2026 3:50 pm PDT by
Apple is continuing to test the iOS 26.4 beta, and the latest update is now available for developers and public beta testers. As testing goes on, there are fewer new features in each beta, but today’s release adds new emoji characters and a few other changes. New Emoji Apple added new emoji characters, including trombone, treasure chest, distorted face, hairy creature, fight cloud, orca,...
Read Full Article • 71 comments
Apple MacBook Pro M4 hero

Apple Planning 'MacBook Ultra' With Touchscreen and Higher Price

Sunday March 8, 2026 8:05 am PDT by
Apple is planning to launch an all-new "MacBook Ultra" model this year, featuring an OLED display, touchscreen, and a higher price point, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Gurman revealed the information in his latest "Power On" newsletter. While Apple has been widely expected to launch new M6-series MacBook Pro models with OLED displays, touchscreen functionality, and a new, thinner design...
Read Full Article • 488 comments

Top Rated Comments

ProfessionalFan Avatar
ProfessionalFan
53 months ago

Every person charged for a full phone replacement should be credited the difference -- they were told this isn't possible.
This will likely result in a class action lawsuit where some lawyer will make millions off it and each person will get 15 cents.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
A
Adithya007
53 months ago
Wowe thank you! My personal driver has been a Xs with the FaceID disabled ever since a water damage. Where I’m from, the whole phone replacement costs ~800$ so I’ve lived with this for about a year damn. High time.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
S
Stunning_Sense4712
53 months ago

But but I’d opened it up and cleaned everything, the Face ID sensor was the only place that had taken water, there was zero water everywhere else. The phone’s been running perfectly fine too I wish I could just change the FaceID module for a fair price.
No manufacturer is going to replace components on a water damaged device since their is a high probability that other components will fail and the customer will blame the manufacturer. It would be a device replacement if you have accidental coverage.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
S
smoochy84
53 months ago

Wowe thank you! My personal driver has been a Xs with the FaceID disabled ever since a water damage. Where I’m from, the whole phone replacement costs ~800$ so I’ve lived with this for about a year damn. High time.
Internal liquid damages still require a whole unit replacement, no modular repair.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sideshowuniqueuser Avatar
sideshowuniqueuser
53 months ago

Wowe thank you! My personal driver has been a Xs with the FaceID disabled ever since a water damage. Where I’m from, the whole phone replacement costs ~800$ so I’ve lived with this for about a year damn. High time.
For a minute there, I was wondering, who has a personal driver, but still uses an XS, and can't afford to fix it?!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
X
xenitassos
53 months ago

Wowe thank you! My personal driver has been a Xs with the FaceID disabled ever since a water damage. Where I’m from, the whole phone replacement costs ~800$ so I’ve lived with this for about a year damn. High time.
I've got the exact same issue. My water resistant XS got water damaged in its first year of life. Luckily, only Face ID was affected. I was quoted a 700 euro fee to replace the device. I wonder if apple is still going to find a way out of repairing it now because Face ID failed due to water damage...
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments