Apple backs California right-to-repair bill in major policy shift

Apple is now backing a California right-to-repair bill, a major shift in the company’s attitude toward the movement and a potential boon for the environment, according to a letter obtained by CNBC.

California Senate Bill 244 would require manufacturers such as Apple to allow customers to fix their broken or damaged devices. It was introduced by state Sen. Susan Talamantes Eggman in March. Eggman has put forward other right-to-repair bills in the past, saying that expanded right-to-repair legislation would “give consumers the choice to save some money.”

In a Tuesday letter to Eggman’s staff, Apple’s policy team concurred but said the company would not support the bill if it allowed repair shops to turn off Apple’s anti-theft remote locks, which often make it impossible to repair or activate old computers that have been sold.

“We support SB 244 because it includes requirements that protect individual users’ safety and security, as well as product manufacturers’ intellectual property. We will continue to support the bill, so long as it continues to provide protections for customers and innovators,” the company’s lobbyists wrote in the letter seen by CNBC.

Apple also said that it would continue to support the bill as long as repair shops were required to disclose “the use of non-genuine or used parts.”

TechCrunch and do-it-yourself repair-guide company iFixit were first to report on the letter.

“Apple’s support for California’s Right to Repair Act demonstrates the power of the movement that has been building for years and the ability for industries to partner with us to make good policy to benefit the people of California. I’m grateful for their engagement on this issue and for leading among their peers when it comes to supporting access to repair,” Eggman told CNBC.

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