Apple’s new iPhone 16e s (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images)
It is official, the iPhone 16e has no parts pairing. In one generation Apple has gone from some of the worst and stifling repair practices on the market, to setting industry examples. All it took was a (not so) little push.
A teardown by iFixit confirmed that components can be swapped between different iPhone 16e models without losing software features. For the uninitiated, this is a practice known as parts pairing that Apple has employed across several devices in its roster for years.
For example, it isn’t possible to take a genuine iPhone 15 battery from one phone and place it into another without losing some features (such as battery health data) because the part hasn’t been authenticated by Apple.
Repair specialists have long rallied against this because it adds complicated and expensive steps to fixing hardware that you, the consumer, supposedly owns. Apple reversed its parts pairing policy last April in a landmark win for consumers and the pro-repair community who fought for it.
In that announcement the company didn’t mention that its hand had been forced by legislation from the EU and a particularly aggressive Right to Repair bill in Oregon, which explicitly banned parts pairing. But it is hard to ignore the timing. Oregon’s legislation came into effect on January 1st 2025, three months after the iPhone 16 release.
The iPhone 16e isn’t just free of parts pairing, it’s also more repairable across the board. The new electrically released adhesive makes removing the battery easier because it can be done with a jolt of electricity rather than fumbling with sticky strips, which can snap before the battery is released.
Apple’s new battery technology could be a result of the EU’s push for more easily replaceable batteries, as reflected in the 2023 EU Batteries Regulation, which comes into full effect in 2027.
However, a separate piece of legislation, the EU Ecodesign regulation, offers two options for manufacturers. Either make batteries easily replaceable by the end-user, or ensure the device’s battery retains at least 83% of its capacity after 500 full charge cycles. Right to Repair Europe has described this as an exemption and a “huge” missed opportunity to make “all smartphone and tablet batteries removable and replaceable by end-users.”
The iPhone 16e Release Bodes Well For The iPhone 17
Apple could argue that its phones fit that exemption considering they are IP68 rated and the company has claimed recent iPhone batteries can hold 80% of their original capacity at 1000 charges.
Regardless, the company has made the iPhone 16 battery easier to remove through the new electrically released adhesive technology in the base iPhone 16, iPhone 16e and iPhone 16 Plus models. At the same time, improving the adhesive strips in the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max. Either Apple received some legal advice that it would lose an argument that its phones are exempt from the EU’s battery design laws, or it made the change because it is good PR that also complies with the law. Either way, the result is welcome.
iFixit points out there’s still work to do, though. The USB-C charging port now comes with a repair manual for the first time, unfortunately, it’s not easy to repair. “You’ve basically got to strip the case of components before you can get to the charging port. Charging ports are important components when it comes to repair, because they take a lot of daily wear and tear. It’s wild to bury such an important part under essentially every other component, but now at least Apple spells out the process,” the site explains.
Improved reparability and the absence of parts pairing in the iPhone 16e shows Apple is sticking with its new repair friendly policy, even though its hand had to be forced. Completing a stunning turnaround in a single generation. This bodes well for the iPhone 17, which could make more repair friendly improvements and potentially use the new battery removal system on all iPhones and not just the base models.
