Right to repair

Right to repair refers to the practice of allowing consumers to maintain, repair, and upgrade devices that they have purchased. Large corporations, such as Apple, Google, and Microsoft, have been known to oppose efforts for legislation.

Public policy
On July 21, 2021, the (FTC) of the United States unanimously voted to adopt a policy against illegal repair restrictions after President Joe Biden signed an executive order for the FTC to establish such rules. Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, though no longer involved with the management of the company, spoke out in support of the right to repair, stating that Apple itself was built on open source technologies.

Support for repairs by customers
Apple normally directed its customers to AppleCare+ extended warranties or paid Apple Support services for repairs as significant revenues could be generated as part of its ecosystem. However, as Apple became one of the largest companies in the world (see AAPL), it had also become a target of investigations. On November 17, 2021, Apple announced that it would begin providing parts, tools, and repair manuals directly to consumers in 2022 for new devices, starting with the iPhone 12 and 13 series, and Apple M1-based Macs. In April 2022, the Self Service Repair Store For Apple Products became operational, offering replacement parts for the iPhone 12 and 13 series, along with rentals of Self Service Repair tool kits for customers without any tools.

On April 8, 2022, Google announced that it would partner with to provide do-it-yourself repair information for some of its Android smartphone models.