Apple‘s commitment to making its devices more repair-friendly has been a gradual one, but the iPhone 15 had some notable hiccups in this area. According to repairability experts at iFixit, the iPhone 15’s battery was a tough nut to crack, and its “parts pairing” issues meant replacing the LiDAR sensor was a no-go unless you had an exact match. This led to a disappointing 4/10 repairability score for the device.

Fast forward to the iPhone 16 series, and Apple seems to have listened to the feedback and made significant strides. The company’s latest devices strike a much better balance between durability and repairability.

One of the standout updates is the new battery removal process. Apple has introduced a fresh approach using ionic liquid battery adhesive, which, when exposed to a low voltage current (think of a 9V battery), makes the battery detach from the device. This method promises a quicker, safer removal compared to the older stretch-release adhesives.

The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro also feature revamped Face ID sensor hardware. Now, you can swap out the TrueDepth Camera without risking any security breaches or privacy issues. Previously, this kind of repair was strictly in Apple’s domain.

A major leap forward is the new Repair Assistant tool. This innovation addresses the annoying “parts pairing” issue. It allows both customers and repair pros to configure new and used Apple parts directly on the device itself—no more needing to make a call to Apple support. Before, repair shops had to order parts from Apple and get them approved before they could be used.

The iPhone 16 series also includes new repairable modules. For instance, the TrueDepth Camera on iPhone 12 and later models can now be configured without needing a tethered Mac. Plus, the LiDAR scanner on Pro models is now serviceable through the rear camera module.

On-device diagnostics are another game-changer. With iOS 18, users will soon be able to run Apple diagnostics directly on their devices to identify which parts need replacing, eliminating the need for a second device.

Apple is also expanding support for third-party and used parts. If a third-party part can’t be calibrated via Apple’s cloud-based servers, the device will attempt to activate and operate it fully, with repair history visible in settings. Used Apple parts will soon be calibratable and will be marked as “used” in the repair history. Future updates will even enable True Tone for third-party displays and battery health tracking for third-party batteries. The LiDAR Scanner and front camera will remain functional even if replaced and not configured.

The iPhone 16 series is making notable progress in repairability. With improvements across the board—from physical access to parts compatibility—the new models could see a much better score from iFixit.