According to MacRumors, Apple is adding a new feature that lets iPhones detect when their internal camera has been swapped out.
Specifically, in the code of iOS 14.4 Beta 2, this feature was discovered. When iOS 14.4 detects a “non-genuine” camera, a message saying “Unable to verify this iPhone has a genuine camera” will show up on the lock screen and in Settings. This is similar to how iOS currently alerts users when their iPhone has a non-genuine screen or battery.
However, Apple’s definition of “non-genuine” can cause confusion for users and especially third-party repair shops. For iPhone Xs/Xr and newer models, if the battery is replaced, or for iPhone 11 and newer if the screen is swapped, even if those parts come from another genuine iPhone, the warning still appears.
This happens because Apple assigns a unique serial number to each screen and battery starting with these iPhone models. If the system detects a different serial number installed, the warning pops up. To be clear, this applies even if the screen or battery is an official Apple part taken from another iPhone.
Of course, the market is flooded with low-quality “clone” screens and batteries. But many repair shops focus on quality by using parts taken from “donor” iPhones that are severely damaged or iCloud-locked and can’t be fixed. When the non-genuine part alert shows, users might mistakenly think these shops are trying to scam them with cheap parts.
This is seen as Apple’s way to encourage users to get repairs done at official Apple service centers instead of third-party shops. But in Vietnam, this isn’t a popular choice because (1) official repairs are expensive, (2) repair times are much longer, and (3) Apple’s authorized service centers are limited compared to the many third-party repair shops.
Previously, it was found that the iPhone 12’s camera would stop working if swapped, even if the replacement camera came from another iPhone 12. The camera app would crash constantly, and features like switching to ultrawide, panorama shots, or portrait mode wouldn’t work.
