LONDON: Apple is to let customers in eight European countries to purchase genuine Apple parts and tools to carry out self-repairs for the first time.

The tech giant’s Self Service Repair scheme, which first launched in the US earlier this year, offers repair manuals, tools, and replacement parts for the iPhone 12 and 13 range, as well as more recent Mac laptops which contain Apple’s own chips.

The new service marks a significant shift in Apple policy, and the tech giant has long been criticized for making it difficult for owners to repair their devices.

Previously, any iPhone, iPad or MacBook owner hoping to fix a cracked screen, old battery or another piece of broken hardware would have to pay steep fees to have their device repaired by an approved specialist who had access to the necessary tools and parts.

In addition to the US, owners in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the UK will now be able to access more than 200 individual parts via a special online store, with the option to buy or rent some tools.

Apple says the parts are the same ones - and at the same price - as those already available to Apple’s network of authorised repair providers, and customers can also send replaced parts back to the firm for refurbishment and recycling, with credit off their parts purchase provided in many cases.

Among other things, wrenches, repair brackets, display and battery presses and over 200 spare parts are available. However, the offer is only valid for the most common iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 repairs and for Mac notebooks with Apple chips.

“We believe the best technology for our customers and for the planet is technology that lasts, which is why we design our products to be durable and rarely require maintenance or repair,” Apple chief operating officer, Jeff Williams, said.

“But when a repair is needed, we want customers to have many options for safe, reliable and secure repair.

“That’s why we’re excited to launch Self Service Repair in Europe, giving our customers direct access to genuine Apple parts, tools and manuals.”

Apple is among the tech companies facing calls to give consumers more options to repair their devices and enable a longer lifespan, while lawmakers in the US and some other countries are working to introduce "right to repair" legislation to punish manufacturers who make repairs difficult.

 - dpa