Apple’s latest iPhone 12 smartphone appears to be more difficult for outside companies to fix. According to a report from iFixit. Specifically, the new phone appears to have problems if the user replaces the camera unit, rendering the cameras almost completely unusable.

Problem – First time YouTuber spotted it Hugh Jefferies – It doesn’t appear to be a strictly hardware related problem. As the iFixit disassemble notes, the iPhone 12 is Actually a relatively good device When it comes to disassembling and replacing various key parts.

But if you have already switched the camera unit from one iPhone 12 to another, it looks like the phone will reject the replacement part, using IFixit described the problems With the ultra-high resolution camera and general issues not responding.

The iPhone 12 is the first iPhone to have these issues – earlier models allowed replacing cameras without problems, and even the iPhone 12 Pro appears to perform perfectly fine. It is not clear if this was a one-time malfunction or some specific aberration of the iPhone 12 cameras. Previous iPhone models had related issues, such as the iPhone 7 and 8 Plus, where Apple used three different manufacturers of screens that were not completely interchangeable.

But even if the camera issue is only a temporary problem, iFixit notes that it seems clear that Apple is looking to maintain tighter control over iPhone repairs. The self-repair site also claims to have obtained new internal training manuals from Apple in support of the iPhone 12, which indicate that repairing the camera or screen will now require Apple’s internal system configuration application, something that was previously required only in order to swap the battery.

Long ago, Apple restricted some aspects of iPhone fixes, such as Touch ID sensors and Face ID, which blocked third-party fixes in the name of security. But even if these components – which are important parts of unlocking an iPhone – already contain additional security requirements that only require Apple repairs, it’s hard to see how the camera or battery would require similar restrictions.

It’s possible that this is all just a system glitch, especially given Apple’s past history with a slightly wonky parts swap and the fact that the problem appears to only affect the iPhone 12 and not the 12 Pro. But given Apple’s past history With things like trying to lock down an “unauthorized” third-party battery or View reforms With the ominous warnings, it’s possible that the camera issue here is just the beginning of another limitation of the parts.

In a statement, Apple did not address the compatibility issue for the iPhone 12 camera parts. Instead, the company commented, “We are committed to giving our customers more options and locations for safe and reliable repairs. New independent repair provider software It’s designed to give repair companies of all sizes access to original parts, training, and tools to perform the most common iPhone repairs. These service providers have access to the same tools and repair guides that Apple and Authorized Service Providers (AASPs) use. “