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Winners and Losers: Apple repairs become more sustainable as Google One VPN gets the axe
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It’s the weekend again, meaning it’s time for us to reveal our winner and loser of the week.
This week saw multiple announcements from DJI, including the beginner-friendlyAvata2FPV drone and theRS 4 and RS 4 Proprofessional gimbals. Roku unveiled itsnewest TV software, Kobo broughtcolourtoits e-readers, and Dyson debuted a new AR feature that’llgive you a nudge when you’ve missed a spot.
Keep reading to discover who we named our winner and loser this week.
Winner: Apple
Apple is our winner this week as the company announced it would be expanding its repair service tooffer genuine used parts. This includes Apple’s Self Service Repair program, which enables iPhone users to fix their own devices at home.
Used Apple parts will boast the same functionality and security found on brand-new, factory-calibrated parts, giving users a more sustainable repair option when their iPhones break down.
On top of this, customers will no longer be required to provide their device’s serial number when ordering parts from the Self Service Repair Store for any repairs that do not involve replacing the logic board.
Apple has also put measures in place to prevent an increase in theft to obtain used part. The company has announced that its Activation Lock feature – which currently prevents lost and stolen iPhones from being reactivated – will extend to cover parts. This means that parts taken from phones with Activation Lock or Lost Mode enabled will see their capabilities restricted in an effort to deter iPhone thieves.
Starting with select models this autumn, you’ll be able to order used parts to repair your iPhone on the cheap – or, at least, we hope it’ll be affordable. While we were excited to hear that Apple had launched its self-repair program in 2022, we were disappointed to discover that repair bundles wereonly slightly cheaper than asking Apple to do out-of-warranty work for you.
Hopefully, these used parts will cost less than their shiny new counterparts, making repairs a more tempting prospect and increasing the lifespan of iPhones in general.
Loser: Google
This month’s loser is Google as the company announced it would beaxing its Google One VPN service.
Google has been including a free VPN – or Virtual Private Network – with its Google One cloud storage service since 2020. This allowed users to protect their browsing and hide their IP address when surfing the web.
However, the VPN is set to disappear in the coming months, according to an email sent out to subscribers. Google confirmed to9to5Googlethat it will be “discontinuing the VPN feature as [they] found people simply weren’t using it”.
The goal behind ending the service is to allow the team behind the VPN to refocus on the Google One features that are more in demand.
This will be disappointing news for any users who considered the Google One VPN a major incentive in subscribing to Google’s cloud storage service.
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Hannah joined Trusted Reviews as a staff writer in 2019 after graduating with a degree in English from Royal Holloway, University of London. She’s also worked and studied in the US, holding positions …
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Why trust our journalism?
Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.
Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
