Apple iPhone Right to Repair Lawsuit 

On August 20, 2026, a California appeals court reversed a lower court decision, allowing the class-action lawsuit to proceed against Apple for allegedly restricting independent repair options and forcing consumers to pay higher prices for repairs. The ruling rejects Apple’s defense and aims to protect consumer rights against monopolistic repair practices by allowing consumers to fight back. The case now goes back to the trial court. 

Consumers should have the right to choose where to repair their products—whether it’s a car or a smartphone—and shop around for the lowest-cost repairs.  Unfortunately, product manufacturers like Apple have made it harder and more expensive to repair consumer products by imposing restrictions like refusing to sell parts and tools to third-party repair shops and disabling a product’s features if it’s repaired by someone who is not authorized by the manufacturer.

Manufacturers can then charge higher prices for providing repairs themselves because they don’t have to compete with independent repair shops.  For example, Apple charges up to $329 to replace an iPhone screen, depending on the model.  Our investigation—and common sense—show that this is many times higher than what third-party shops would charge for the same service. Recent reports also indicate that when the iPhone 13 was first introduced, Apple disabled features like Face ID if an iPhone’s display was replaced by an independent repair shop. 

A New York Times article explains why “Right to Repair Movement” advocates believe repair restrictions like those Apple imposed, are part of a: 

“Culture of planned obsolescence – the idea that products are designed to be short-lived in order to encourage people to buy more stuff. That contributes to wasted natural resources and energy use at a time when climate change requires movement in the opposite direction to rein in planet-warming emissions.” 

These restrictions can especially harm low-income communities, because excessive prices like those Apple charges mean families cannot afford to repair the smartphones and tablets they need for remote learning or work. 

Gibbs Mura is currently investigating Apple’s repair practices described above—and others. If you paid Apple directly to fix your iPhone or other Apple products and would like to discuss your legal rights with an attorney, please fill out the form below. 

Gibbs Mura is a California-based law firm committed to protecting the rights of clients nationwide who have been harmed by corporate misconduct. We represent individuals, whistleblowers, employees, and small businesses across the U.S. against the world’s largest corporations. Our award-winning lawyers have achieved landmark recoveries and billions of dollars for our clients in high-stakes class action and individual cases involving consumer protection, data breach, digital privacy, and federal and California employment lawsuits. Our attorneys have received numerous honors for their work, including “Top Plaintiff Lawyers in California,” “Top Class Action Attorneys Under 40,” “Consumer Protection MVP,” “Best Lawyers in America,” and “Top Cybersecurity/ Privacy Attorneys Under 40.”