iFixit Urges FTC to Establish Stronger Right to Repair Rules
Popular repair site iFixit today sent a petition to the United States Federal Trade Commission calling for new Right to Repair rules that would protect consumer interests.

iFixit's petition calls attention to some of the "blocks" that manufacturers have put in place that prevent customers and independent repair shops from repairing their electronics, such as proprietary screws or repairs that require software authentication, which is a method that Apple employs. iFixit wants the FTC to consider the following rules:
- Consumable components should be replaceable and readily available throughout a product's usable lifespan.
- Components that commonly break should be replaceable and readily available as repair parts.
- Consumers should be able to choose to take damaged products to a repair shop of their choice, or perform a repair themselves.
- When a manufacturer discontinues support for a product, its key functions should remain intact, and an independent repair shop should be able to continue to perform repairs.
- Identical components from two identical devices should be interchangeable without manufacturer intervention. (This is not the case with Apple devices).
- Independent repair shops should not be required to report customers' personally identifiable information to the manufacturer.
In France, Right to Repair laws require manufacturers to provide a device repairability score that gives context on how difficult or easy it is to repair, and iFixit says that the FTC should adopt a similar policy in the United States.
"Consider this a request for the FTC to stretch its arm out," reads iFixit's blog post on the petition. The site acknowledges that developing and enforcing any kind of rule could take years, but it is hopeful that the FTC will consider the request.
Apple in August supported California's Right to Repair law, drawing praise from iFixit, but there is no equivalent federal right to repair mandate at this time. Apple in October endorsed a push for nationwide Right to Repair law that "balances repairability with product integrity, usability, and physical safety."
Apple was supportive of California's law in particular because it requires parts to be sourced from the manufacturer, and it does not allow for parts from third-party sources. Notably, California's law does not have some of the specific provisions that iFixit is proposing, such the option to swap components from two identical devices or the option to conduct repairs without tying components to a device's IMEI.
While iFixit has lauded Apple for backing California's Right to Repair law, the site in September lowered the iPhone 14's repairability score from a 7/10 to a 4/10 because of the way that Apple ties repair components to a specific device by requiring validation.
Popular Stories
Apple released the first beta of iOS 26.1 today, just a week after launching iOS 26. iOS 26.1 mainly adds new languages to Apple Intelligence, but there are a few other features that are worth knowing about.
New Apple Intelligence Languages
Apple Intelligence is now available in Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (Traditional), and Vietnamese.
AirPo...
The next Apple TV is expected to be released later this year, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device.
Below, we recap what to expect from the next Apple TV, according to rumors.
Likely Features
N1 Chip With Wi-Fi 7
Last year, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the next Apple TV would be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, which is...
With iOS 26.1, Apple Intelligence is gaining support for additional languages, including Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (Traditional), and Vietnamese.
Apple announced plans to expand the languages that can be used with Apple Intelligence last year, and now the added language support is here. Apple Intelligence is now available in the following...
The website ChargerLAB has tested the iPhone 17 Pro Max's USB-C charging speeds with a variety of Apple's chargers, from 18W to 140W.
The device reached a peak charging speed of around 36W with the following Apple chargers:40W Dynamic Power Adapter with 60W Max
61W USB-C Power Adapter
67W USB-C Power Adapter
70W USB-C Power Adapter
96W USB-C Power Adapter
140W USB-C Power AdapterFor...
Apple's latest iPhone models launched on Friday, and some early adopters of the devices are experiencing intermittent Wi-Fi issues.
Affected customers say Wi-Fi connectivity periodically cuts out on the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air, with hundreds of comments about the issue posted across the MacRumors Forums, Reddit, and the Apple Support Community over the...
Next year's rumored foldable iPhone will showcase an ultra-thin design resembling "two titanium iPhone Airs side-by-side," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Writing in the Q&A section of his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman says Apple's first foldable device will be "super thin and a design achievement," combining Apple's thinnest iPhone form factor with cutting-edge folding...
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are still a year away, there are already a few rumors about the devices that offer an early look ahead.
Below, we have recapped some of the early iPhone 18 Pro rumors so far. This story was published previously, and it has been updated to reflect the latest rumors.
Many early rumors prove to be true, but nothing is confirmed yet, and Apple's...
Wednesday September 24, 2025 10:22 am PDT by
Juli CloverThe marks on the iPhone 17 Pro models that people have noticed at Apple retail stores are caused by the chargers that Apple uses, Apple confirmed today.
Apple told 9to5Mac that worn MagSafe charging stands in stores are causing marks on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Apple says that the marks are not scratches, and are instead material transfer from the stand to the phone. The...
Digital ID, the iOS 26 feature that lets U.S. passport holders add their passports to the Wallet app, is coming later in 2025, Apple confirmed today.
Apple updated the release timing wording of Digital ID on its iOS 26 features page. "Digital ID will be coming later this year with US passports only," it reads.
Prior to today, the footnote for the feature said "Digital ID will be available ...
Early reports have suggested that the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air are more vulnerable to scratches and scuffs, primarily due to damage spotted at Apple Stores.
Apple customers have discovered that the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro models Apple has out for display at its retail locations have scratching in the area of the MagSafe charger. Those devices are handled by hundreds to thousands of...