Apple Says iPhones Will Better Support Third-Party Displays and Batteries Later This Year - MacRumors
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Apple Says iPhones Will Better Support Third-Party Displays and Batteries Later This Year

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Apple today published a lengthy whitepaper that highlights the company's approach to device repairability and longevity. In the document, Apple revealed that iPhones will better support third-party displays and batteries later in 2024.

iPhone 15 General Feature Black
First, Apple said True Tone will work with third-party iPhone displays later this year:

True Tone requires precise calibration to function properly, and it is not possible to engage a default calibration for third-party displays, which can result in unexpected behavior. For this reason, Apple disables the True Tone feature when third-party displays are used, but enables all other aspects of the display. In an effort to offer more complete support for third-party parts, starting later in 2024, Apple will allow consumers to activate True Tone with third-party parts to the best performance that can be provided.

They will be able to deactivate True Tone in Settings if the display does not perform to their satisfaction.

True Tone automatically adapts the color of the display to match the light in your environment.

Second, Apple said battery health metrics such as maximum capacity and cycle count will work with third-party iPhone batteries later this year:

Currently, battery health metrics such as maximum capacity and cycle count are not presented to consumers whose devices have third-party batteries. This is because the accuracy of these metrics cannot be verified by Apple. In fact, an Apple internal analysis has found that some third-party batteries sold as new are actually secondhand, with battery health metrics manipulated to appear as new. In an effort to improve support for third-party batteries, starting later in 2024, Apple will display battery health metrics with a notification stating that Apple cannot verify the information presented.

Apple said the third-party battery metrics are not guaranteed to be accurate.

These changes will presumably be rolled out with iOS 18 updates later this year, but Apple did not provide more specific timing in its document.

Top Rated Comments

1
1369281
23 months ago
This is pretty cool. I just replaced a display in an iPhone 15 to an LCD display that does not use PWM (because Apple's OLED displays flicker and cause massive eye-strain), and not having True Tone was one of the only drawbacks.

This will no longer be an issue because of this! Good job, Apple!
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
F
Fuzzball84
23 months ago
Precisely why I’d only go to Apple for parts. Other places may be cheaper… but so many places perform dodgy repairs using unknown components from no one knows where.

At least if you get a battery from Apple, for example. If there is an issue they can reach out and recall it if there is found to be defect in a batch. You know you’re getting a new battery and it is designed for your iPhone, made by Apple approved supplier. With third parties, who knows… they are unlikely to track or care.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
I
ignatius345
23 months ago

I would always prefer original parts if available but the thing is after some time perhaps those aren't available or the phone is old enough it isn't worth the costs asked by Apple and the owner would prefer whatever quickly and cheaply gets it to working condition. Some countries don't have the USA's Apple store at every corner possibility.

In short there are lots of reasonable reasons for wanting to use 3rd party parts and you shouldn't have to jump through hoops to do it or even be blocked.
Exactly. Most people running relatively recent iPhones, I would imagine, will likely just opt for OEM replacement parts like this -- but a move like this is bound to extend the servicable life of older iPhones everywhere, keeping them out of landfills. I know Apple is probably doing this to head off anti-trust enforcement, but it's still a good move.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacFin Avatar
MacFin
23 months ago
I recently got my iPhone 11 Pro battery replaced in the UK with iSmash, and it only cost me £39. The whole process took about 10 minutes, and I watched the technician do the job right there in front of me with simple tools, no fancy Apple equipment. Everything worked fine, but my iPhone showed a red notification warning about the battery not being Apple-approved for almost two weeks. This meant I couldn’t see the battery health in the iPhone settings, although apps like iMazing still showed the data.

The new battery has been great, and since I’m planning to upgrade to the iPhone 16 Pro this year, I didn’t want to spend £89 for an Apple replacement. So I’m really happy with the third-party battery, and I saw the technician open a brand new battery pack for my iPhone, so it felt legitimate despite some horror stories I’ve heard.

My only complaint is that iSmash’s website said the warning notification should go away in a few days, but it took weeks for mine to disappear. Since then, my iPhone 11 Pro works perfectly fine except for one issue: FaceTime video calls have become very choppy and laggy. Video calls on other apps like WhatsApp and Signal are fine, so I suspect Apple might be “punishing” me for using a third-party battery on the software side. It’s just a hunch, as there’s nothing else wrong with my iPhone and its other video capabilities.

But all that being said this is great news that Apple no longer will limit battery information to only their own approved batteries.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
J
Joelj
23 months ago
Nice to know there might be a viable option for those stuck on LCD iPhone 11 due to OLED PWM flickering! I just hope a company springs up who does it, I don't fancy breaking a new iPhone myself.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mjs916 Avatar
mjs916
23 months ago
This is good for consumers. Now, to get repair centers to be honest about what they are putting in your device…

I suspect I received a non-genuine or used battery when I had one replaced years ago by an AASP. Battery health dropped like a rock within a month and battery life was so poor I assume there was no way it was the same as the original. Could have been supplied by Apple though… maybe they had cheaper stock as the replacements or it was just defective.

No manner of troubleshooting ever resolved it.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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