Apple will offer free repairs for iPhone X and MacBook Pros

iPhone X with notch

Apple is no stranger to the headlines highlighting its products' flaws, from deliberate performance throttling of phones to exploding batteries, as such Cupertino will be offering free repairs to select devices.

The iPhone X and the MacBook Pro 13in (non Touch bar) are the chosen devices as a result of flaws Apple has detected relating to the display and SSD storage of the products respectively.

"Apple has determined that some iPhone X displays may experience touch issues due to a component that might fail on the display module", Apple commented on its website. iPhone X users may experience complete loss of or intermittent interruptions to their device's touch screen functionality, as well as spontaneous device actions performed without even being touched.

The iPhone X is Apple's former flagship phone, being the first smartphone to debut the now fashionable notch that's featured on a range of smartphones on the market today like Motorolla's One and One Power and a range of Huawei's phones. Now discontinued in favour of newer models, the iPhone X is still a widely-used model of Apple's.

The MacBook's issue pertains to the solid-state drives used in the device.

"Apple has determined that a limited number of 128GB and 256GB solid-state drives (SSD) used in 13-inch MacBook Pro (non Touch Bar) units have an issue that may result in data loss and failure of the drive. 13-inch MacBook Pro units with affected drives were sold between June 2017 and June 2018," said Apple.

The offer of free repairs is surely a welcome one to those affected but, just like with a regular Apple repair, it will be somewhat time consuming to kickstart the process.

Firstly, the user is recommended to make a full backup of their devices before finding and delivering their device to an Apple Authorised Service Provider which is able to carry out the repair for free. Another option would be to register for an appointment at your local Apple store which can take days depending on availability.

Time needn't be too much of a worry as Apple said that the free repair program will run for three years after the first retail sale of the unit, so no rush. One caveat to the deal is that if a pre-existing fault to the device prevents the repair from taking place, such as a cracked iPhone screen, the user must pay for that repair before the free one can be carried out.

Connor Jones
News and Analysis Editor

Connor Jones has been at the forefront of global cyber security news coverage for the past few years, breaking developments on major stories such as LockBit’s ransomware attack on Royal Mail International, and many others. He has also made sporadic appearances on the ITPro Podcast discussing topics from home desk setups all the way to hacking systems using prosthetic limbs. He has a master’s degree in Magazine Journalism from the University of Sheffield, and has previously written for the likes of Red Bull Esports and UNILAD tech during his career that started in 2015.