Apple is notorious for making it difficult to get its devices repaired, but it looks like it’s making an effort to make the repair process a little easier. The company announced that it is partnering with Best Buy to offer authorized and certified repairs.
With the expansion, Apple is making it more convenient for people to get their devices repaired. It’s not uncommon for Apple customers to not live close to an Apple Store. It’s much more common, however, for customers to live near Best Buy. With the expansion, Apple says that eight out of 10 Apple customers live within 20 minutes of an Apple authorized service provider.
There are plenty of cities where there’s no Apple Store, and those are the cities where the expansion will be most important. Cities like Sioux City, Iowa; Twin Falls, Idaho, and so on.
“If a customer ever needs to repair their products, we want them to feel confident those repairs are done safely and correctly,” Apple said in a statement “We’re always looking at how we can reliably expand our network of trained technicians and we’re excited to partner with every Best Buy store so it’s even easier for our customers to find an authorized repair location near them.”
Best Buy’s Geek Squad now has around 7,600 Apple-certified technicians, and those technicians are capable of making same-day repairs on iPhones, plus they can service many of Apple’s other products.
There are other Apple authorized service providers around the country, too. According to Apple, there are now more than 1,800 third-party authorized service providers in the U.S., which is three times as many locations as three years ago.
This is not the first time Apple and Best Buy have buddied up. In April, Apple announced it was expanding its iPhone recycling program with Best Buy collecting used iPhones for recycling. With the program, iPhones are disassembled and materials are reused in new iPhone models.
If you are looking to get your iPhone repaired, it is beneficial to go to an authorized service provider. Unauthorized providers don’t use genuine Apple parts, which could make for a lower-quality repair.
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