Apple voices its support for California's Right to Repair Act, which passed a Senate vote 38-0 in May 2023 and now awaits approval before a full assembly vote
[1]: https://techcrunch.com/... … @Leisureguy@mstdn.ca : Jason Koebler reports in 404 Media how the Biden administration (in the NHTSA) switched from opposing the Massachusetts right-to-repair law for automobiles to supporting it: — https://www.404media.co/... That kind of switch is happening. … @CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social : “Slowly but surely, thanks to activists and consumers, as well as support from the Biden administration, manufacturers have realized that they need to take steps to make repair more accessible.” — “Microsoft, Apple, Google, Motorola, and Samsung have all introduced ways to purchase parts directly from the company or from authorized third parties.” … Dare Obasanjo / @carnage4life@mas.to : Apple has come out in support of California's Right to Repair bill. This is less of a pivot and more of just accepting reality. — Apple pushing aesthetics such as no seams in their phones over consumer benefits like being able to replace your phone's batteries has been deemed unacceptable by a number of governments including the EU. … Jason Broccardo / @zoocoup@mastodon.social : “Apple told a California legislator that it is formally supporting a right to repair bill in California...” https://www.404media.co/... X: @albertwenger : This is a surprising and positive turnaround. Amazing work by many dedicated people who have been pushing the #RightToRepair forward. Mr. Macintosh / @classicii_mrmac : “Apple's existing Self Service Repair Program should already satisfy the requirements.” I and others predicted Apple would pull this bullshit tactic almost 2 years ago. 😡 [image] @calpirg : Breaking: @Apple supports Right to Repair after years of opposition. This move by one of the biggest tech companies in the world is a sign that the #RightToRepair is an idea whose time has come. #CAleg Read more in our statement: https://pirg.org/... @repaircoalition : Apple does an about-face and now supports Right to Repair. Not from “The Onion"https://www.404media.co/ ... Jason Koebler / @jason_koebler : Experts I spoke to say that this is a REAL right to repair bill, is the strongest in the nation. This is not a watered down version of right to repair. Legislation passed Califonia Senate earlier this year 38-0 @johnxuandou : Apple lost the optics war and now wants to save face. Used to be they could get by on saying they just want to make sure that repairs are handled by professionals, but when professionals started coming out and saying Apple won't let them repair, people changed their mind. Jason Koebler / @jason_koebler : This all but means manufacturers are done fighting. Right to repair strategy worked because: - It is OVERWHELMINGLY popular with consumers - Nationwide strategy that made it impossible for even trillion-dollar companies to fight dozens of concurrent fights with their lobbyists. [image] Florence Ion Graduates / @ohthatflo : Apple is smart to tell you all this so that when you look for a repairable phone, you always think of le iPhone @ifixit : In an unprecedented move, Apple has officially endorsed California's Right to Repair Bill. This comes after years of intense lobbying battles that halted the bill behind the scenes. Find out what lies ahead for Right to Repair in our blog below. https://www.ifixit.com/... — #iFixit Brian Heater / @bheater : A positive step, and one that would have seemed impossible a few years back. @rey__bee : Omg I did not have this on my bingo card, but it's more than welcome! Let's all thank Apple for coming to their senses and supporting the right to repair movement! Can we get more companies on board por favor? Dean Takahashi / @deantak : In an unprecedented move, Apple has officially endorsed the Right to Repair Bill in California. This endorsement comes on the heels of intense lobbying battles over the past few years that halted the bill behind the scenes, primarily due to resistance from Apple and others. Nathan Proctor / @nproctor : “Apple has long been one of the main Goliaths standing in the way of Right to Repair. Our rag-tag team of Davids has not only overcome its opposition, we have flipped its position on our core request.” — big day for Right to Repair: https://pirg.org/... Joe Rossignol / @rsgnl : Apple's letter in support of California's proposed Right to Repair Act: https://www.docdroid.net/... Apple's existing Self Service Repair Program should already satisfy the requirements. [image] Hayley Tsukayama / @htsuka : In the world of RTR, this is a BFD. by @404mediaco @jason_koebler https://www.404media.co/... Nicole Nixon / @_nixo : .@Apple comes out in support of Sen. @SusanEggman's “right to repair” bill, after opposing it for years. https://techcrunch.com/... Senator Susan Eggman / @sensusaneggman : I've been working on the #RightToRepair in California for the past six years and I'm so appreciative that @Apple has stepped up to support this important consumer and environmental protection policy. This is an historic day for the movement! https://techcrunch.com/... Senator Susan Eggman / @sensusaneggman : As always, this breakthrough wouldn't be possible without the dedicated cosponsors @cawrecycles @CALPIRG @iFixit and all of the volunteers and community members that have elevated this issue. @cawrecycles : BREAKING NEWS: Apple announces support for CA's Right-to-Repair bill, #SB244 Help CA pass strong repair legislation 👉 https://sb244.org/ https://techcrunch.com/... Jason Koebler / @jason_koebler : BREAKING: Apple has formally endorsed a strong right to repair bill in California after spending years spending millions of dollars opposing it. It's difficult to express how important this is. It means right to repair—consumers— have won https://www.404media.co/... LinkedIn: Sebastian Mueller : The typical corporate lobbying / PR playbook - oppose change until it is inevitable and then endorse it as if you were supporting it all the way. … Forums: Hacker News : Apple supports right-to-repair bill r/California_Politics : Apple endorses California bill on ‘Right to Repair’ r/StallmanWasRight : We're Winning: Apple Formally Endorses Right to Repair Legislation After Spending Millions Fighting It Beehaw : In a historic about-face, Apple publicly supports right-to-repair bill MacRumors Forums : Apple Supports Right to Repair Bill in California
Context & Ripple Effects
Apple’s position places a major device maker alongside a state-level repair push that followed New York’s electronics right-to-repair bill. California is therefore a consequential next test of whether manufacturer support can help turn repair access from a state-by-state campaign into a broader industry expectation.
Later coverage shows the debate does not end with access to parts: an iPhone 15 Pro Max teardown found a more replaceable back-glass design while flagging software restrictions. Google’s subsequent endorsement of Oregon legislation, including its criticism of parts pairing, broadens the manufacturer split over how far repair rules should reach.
First-order effects
- Apple gives the California measure support from a named manufacturer as it moves through the remaining legislative process, strengthening the bill’s industry-facing case.
- There is no immediate repair-right change for consumers or independent shops: the measure still requires further approval before it can take effect.
Second-order effects
- Apple’s public stance raises pressure on other device makers to state their own positions; Google’s later endorsement of Oregon repair legislation indicates that this pressure can extend across states.
- Repairability will be judged not only by physical component access but also by device design and software controls, since improved replaceability can be limited by software lockdowns.
Third-order effects
- If more states advance comparable rules with manufacturer backing, repair policy may increasingly target the full repair workflow—parts, tools, documentation, design, and software authorization—rather than hardware access alone.
- The resulting competitive divide may be between companies that build repairability into products and those that retain control through component authentication or other software restrictions; the corpus shows this direction, not its eventual regulatory outcome.
The trend: Right-to-repair advocacy is moving from isolated state bills toward a wider contest over whether manufacturers’ hardware and software choices permit independent repair.