The new Apple 16e S iPhone (Photo from VCG/VCG through Getty Images)
Official, the iPhone 16e has no pairing of parts. In one generation Apple has passed from some of the worst and annoying practices of market repair in determining industry examples. All it took was a small push (not so much).
A Totdown from IFIX confirmed that the ingredients can be exchanged among the different iPhone 16e models without losing the software features. For without initiating, this is a practice known as the parts of Apple has used on some devices on its list for years.
For example, it is not possible to get an original iPhone 15 battery from one phone and place it in another without losing some features (such as battery health data) because the part is not proven by Apple.
Repair specialists have long been accumulated because it adds complicated and expensive steps to arrange the equipment you, the consumer, allegedly owns. Apple changed its policy of pairing the parts last April in a historic victory for consumers and the pro-ruling community they fought for it.
In that announcement, the company did not mention that its hand was forced by EU legislation and a particularly aggressive right to repair the bill in Oregon, which clearly prohibited the pairing of parts. But it’s hard to ignore time. Oregon legislation came into force on January 1, 2025, three months after the issuance of the iPhone 16.
The iPhone 16e is not just without pairing the parts, it is also more reparable throughout the table. The newly released electrical adhesive makes it easier to remove the battery because it can be done with a stroke of electricity rather than the fumbels with adhesive strips, which can catch before the battery is released.
The new Apple battery technology may be the result of EU push for more easily replaceable batteries, as reflected in the EU battery regulation in 2023, which enters full force in 2027.
However, a particular part of the legislation, the EU Ecodesign Regulation, offers two opportunities for manufacturers. Either make the batteries easily replaceable by the last user, or make sure the device battery holds at least 83% of its capacity after 500 full loading cycles. The right to repair Europe has described this as an exception and a “big” option lost to make “all smartphones and batteries of removed and replaceable tablets from the latest users”.
Issuing iPhone 16e Bodes well for iPhone 17
Apple can Argue that her phones fit the exception given that they are valued by IP68 and the company claimed that the latest iPhone batteries can hold 80% of their original capacity with 1000 fees.
Regardless, the company has made it easier to remove the iPhone 16 battery through the new adhesive technology released on the iPhone 16, iPhone 16e and iPhone 16 Plus models. At the same time, upgrading adhesive tape on the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max. Either Apple received some legal tips that he would lose an argument that his phones are exempt from EU laws on creating EU batteries, or she made the difference because it is good for the law. Either way, the result is welcome.
Ifix shows that there is still work to do, however. The USB-C charging port now comes with a first-time repair manual, unfortunately, it’s not easy to repair. “You must essentially strip the case of ingredients before reaching the charging port. Ports are important ingredients when it comes to repair, because they get a lot of clothing and tears everyday. Wild is to bury such an important part under essentially any other component, but now at least Apple predicts the process,” the page explains.
Improved repair and lack of pairing of parts on the iPhone 16e indicates that Apple is staying with its new repair friendly policy, even though its hand had to be forced. Ending a stunning twist in a single generation. This does well for the iPhone 17, which can make more friendly repair improvements and potentially use the new battery removal system across the iPhone and not just the basic models.