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

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.

Popular Stories

apple store down feature

Here's Why the Apple Store is Going Down

Thursday November 27, 2025 1:01 pm PST by
Apple's online store is going down for a few hours on a rolling country-by-country basis right now, but do not get your hopes up for new products. Apple takes its online store down for a few hours ahead of Black Friday every year to tease/prepare for its annual gift card offer with the purchase of select products. The store already went down and came back online in Australia and New Zealand, ...
iPhone Pocket Short

iPhone Pocket is Now Completely Sold Out Worldwide

Tuesday November 25, 2025 7:16 am PST by
Apple recently teamed up with Japanese fashion brand ISSEY MIYAKE to create the iPhone Pocket, a limited-edition knitted accessory designed to carry an iPhone. However, it is now completely sold out in all countries where it was released. iPhone Pocket became available to order on Apple's online store starting Friday, November 14, in the United States, France, China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, ...
New Intel Logo

Apple and Intel Rumored to Partner on Mac Chips Again in a New Way

Friday November 28, 2025 7:33 am PST by
While all Macs are now powered by Apple's custom-designed chips, a new rumor claims that Apple may rekindle its partnership with Intel, albeit in a new and limited way. Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today said Intel is expected to begin shipping Apple's lowest-end M-series chip as early as mid-2027. Kuo said Apple plans to utilize Intel's 18A process, which is the "earliest...
streaming black friday 2025

Best Black Friday Streaming Deals - Save Big on Apple TV, Disney+, Hulu, and More

Thursday November 27, 2025 1:14 pm PST by
We've been focusing on deals on physical products over the past few weeks, but Black Friday is also a great time of year to purchase a streaming membership. Some of the biggest services have great discounts for new and select returning members this week, including Apple TV, Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When...
iphone air camera

iPhone Air Flop Sparks Industry Retreat From Ultra-Thin Phones

Thursday November 27, 2025 3:14 am PST by
Apple's disappointing iPhone Air sales are causing major Chinese mobile vendors to scrap or freeze their own ultra-thin phone projects, according to reports coming out of Asia. Since the ‌iPhone Air‌ launched in September, there have been reports of poor sales and manufacturing cuts, while Apple's supply chain has scaled back shipments and production. Apple supplier Foxconn has...
iphone black friday gold

The Best Black Friday iPhone Deals Still Available

Friday November 28, 2025 6:24 am PST by
Cellular carriers have always offered big savings on the newest iPhone models during the holidays, and Black Friday 2025 sales have kicked off at AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and more. Right now we're tracking notable offers on the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air. For even more savings, keep an eye on older models during the holiday shopping season. Note: MacRumors is...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Foldable iPhone to Debut These Three Breakthrough Features

Tuesday November 25, 2025 7:09 am PST by
Apple's first foldable iPhone is expected to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models in fall 2026, and it's shaping up to include three standout features that could set it apart from the competition. The book-style foldable will reportedly feature an industry-first 24-megapixel under-display camera built into the inner display, according to a recent JP Morgan equity research report. That...

Top Rated Comments

1369281 Avatar
19 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)
Fuzzball84 Avatar
19 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)
ignatius345 Avatar
19 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)
Joelj Avatar
19 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)
MacFin Avatar
19 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)
mjs916 Avatar
19 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)