The iOS Changes That Affect Screen Recycling and Phone Repair

Introduction

As you may know, Apple’s iOS 18 arrived on the 16th of September 2024. iOS 18 introduces changes that will have a significant effect on iPhone repair and screen replacement and- as a result- alters how we buy and sell screens for the iPhone 15, 14, 13 and 12 families. (See below for the new prices).

Previously, the proximity sensor was matched to the iPhone itself, not the screen. This meant that, when replacing the screen in an iPhone, we’d transfer that phone’s own (existing) sensor to the new screen where possible.

iOS 18 changes this- the proximity sensor is now matched to a given screen. Therefore it’s now(!) desirable to keep the proximity sensor together with its screen rather than with the old phone. When that screen- and the sensor- are used in a screen replacement, the sensor is paired to the new phone after the repair and calibration have been completed.

For those in the screen repair/refurb business, there’s an obvious problem with the change- most of us will have existing stocks of iPhone screens which don’t include the now-desirable sensor flex!

See below for how these changes affect what we pay for screens to be recycled and also for how theses changes affect your independent iPhone repair business.

Changes to Recycling Prices

As a result of the above, as of September 2024, we now offer a higher price for newer iPhone screens with the associated proximity sensor attached. In addition, we now also buy fully-broken iPhone 15, 14, 13 and 12 family screens provided they still have their associated proximity sensor and IC.

Here’s an explanation of the four rates that now apply to iPhone 15, 14, 13 and 12 family screens sold to us for recycling :-

  • “With proximity sensor” price- NEW, applies to broken screens with intact touch and display (as per standard price) plus the proximity sensor/cable
  • Standard price- Same as before, applies to broken screens with intact touch and display
  • “Bad Touch” price- Same as before, applies to broken screens with faulty touch
  • “Broken with proximity & IC” price- NEW, applies to fully broken screens which still include proximity sensor and IC

(Please see our price list for current rates paid).

We anticipate making further changes to our offerings in future, and we’ll keep you updated on that.

How Do the Changes Affect Repairers?

How does this affect you if you’re in the iPhone repair business?

If you’ve replaced any screens without having done any of the following…

  • Transferred the original IC physically to the new screen
  • Retained the sensor cable/flex which that matches the display IC to the screen
  • Copied the MtSN number to the new screen from the original, or
  • Used an original pull including the matching sensor flex. (Something which, before iOS 18 came out, would have resulted in no FaceID on the 12 family and stopped ambient light and TrueTone working on the 13 and later)

…then, once they upgrade to iOS 18, your customer will receive a notification telling them that the part isn’t functioning in the expected manner!

If you’ve done any of these then you should be fine- either it will pass fine and show as “genuine” or it won’t show up in parts history in the first place.

Otherwise the customer will get a pop-up message taking them to parts history. Once they restart configuration as requested, they’ll be told:-

Unable to configure display. This part could not be configured because it is not a genuine Apple part or may not be functioning correctly. Check that the part is properly connected and try again. For more information, refer to the iPhone service manual for this device. You can continue using your iPhone, but may experience unexpected behaviour.View all of your repair details in the Parts & Service History in Settings.

Apple can- and likely will- change the wording on this and other warnings, possibly making them worse. (While we’ve intentionally avoided the perceived rights and wrongs of this case, it’s fair to say that the existing wording has already attracted a highly negative reception among the independent repair community for its intentional slant).

Unfortunately, there’s nothing that can be done to get around this at present. Any phone with a screen replacement you’ve done which doesn’t follow one of the scenarios above will get this message. (In previous cases, solutions have come- typically- from third-party businesses in China, but this sudden change has been a genuine surprise that caught everyone off-guard).

If your customer comes back and complains, the only technical solution is an iCloud-clean pull/refurb complete with the matched, original sensor flex. At the risk of stating the obvious, all that will cost money- and possibly a loss on the job for you. You’ll have to allow for the fact this scenario is likely to happen and decide for yourself where the tradeoff between customer satisfaction and staying in business should be…!

This is very likely to be a case of educating the public as to your side of the story, managing expectations and making the situation as clear as possible in the face of that negatively-slanted wording and a slick PR campaign (which will paint this as an entirely-positive move to protect iPhone owners from disreputable repair businesses).

Refurbished Screens Now Available for Purchase

If you’re a trade customer looking to purchase refurbished phone screens from us- good news. We’ve now made this easier and offer a selection through the website.

You can find out more here.

Apple iPhone 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max OLED Screen Refurbishment




Those of you keeping an eye on our website may have recently noticed that we now offer refurbishment of OLED screens for the following models in the Apple iPhone 14 and Apple iPhone 14 pro family.

  • Apple iPhone 14
  • Apple iPhone 14 Plus
  • Apple iPhone 14 Pro
  • Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max

As with our existing iPhone LCD screen refurbishment and OLED screen refurbishment services, we offer regular “screen-only” iPhone 14 series screen refurbishment (where you supply us with the screen only) and “full-device” screen refurbishment (where you supply the entire device to us, and we remove, refurbish and replace the screen on your behalf!)

Remember that, unlike some newcomers to screen refurbishment, We Buy LCDs is long-established. We’ve been offering screen refurbishment services since 2015 and our parent company (Disk Depot Ltd.) has been involved in the digital repair business for most of its twenty year existence! We’ve been repairing smartphones almost since the original iPhone came out in 2007 and laptop and desktop computers before that!

That’s why you can trust the staff at We Buy LCDs for your iPhone 14 and 14 Pro screen refurbishment needs.

(As usual, take a look at our refurbishment price list and refurb submission form for the latest prices. Or get in touch via our contact form or WhatsApp if you have any questions.)

iPhone 13, 13 Pro, 13 Pro Max and 13 Mini – Screen Refurbishment Now Available

Good news! We are now offering refurbishment services for Apple iPhone 13, Apple iPhone 13 Pro, Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max and Apple iPhone 13 Mini OLED screens.

Read More

Updated Screen Refurbishment Options

(This article covers changes to our service for those who were customers before November 2021. New customers can skip it and jump directly to our ‘Refurbishment Options’ page.)

From 25 November 2021 onwards, we have updated and expanded our list of refurbishment options. This includes the replacement of the old “basic” and “premium” services with “screen-only” and “full-device” refurbishment, optional screen protectors and a few other changes.

Read More

iPhone 12 Pro Max Screen Refurbishment & Recycling


Just a quick look at one of our technicians removing the glass from an ”’iPhone 12 Pro Max screen”’ before it gets refurbished with new glass by ourselves.

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iPhone SE 2020 (2nd Gen) – Reuse of iPhone 8 Screen and Other Parts

Overview – Old Meets New


For those in the repair business, there’s a nice surprise as far as the new 2020 Apple iPhone SE is concerned- it reuses (and can therefore accept) many existing iPhone 8 parts. Most importantly, the screens are compatible. (More about this later on).

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Repeat Business Pays Off for Everyone!

This photograph shows an order we’re testing for one of our regular customers. In it we came across many screens that we’d already refurbished before.

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iPhone X Copy Screens- Safe or Not?

Overview

If you’ve read our other articles, you’ll know that we’re not fans of “copy” phone screens (i.e. unofficial replacements designed and manufactured by independent companies). The quality is almost always inferior to originals, and often downright abysmal.

A more serious problem is that badly-designed copies can- and often do- damage the phones they’re attached to.

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Competing with Cheap, Low-Quality Copy Screen Repairs

You might recognise this situation. You’re a repair business offering your customers top-notch screen repairs using refurbished originals rather than the cheap but low-quality third-party copy screens many of your competitors use. You know that once they’re in the door– or even in contact online- and you have the chance to explain the difference, the vast majority are willing to pay a little extra for higher quality originals. (Particularly once they’re aware that many of those competitors are so cheap because they only fit copy screens but avoid drawing customers’ attention to this!)

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