Repair Assistant - Mac OS Tahoe

 

With the release of Mac OS Tahoe, Apple implemented the ability for their software to detect when certain parts have been replaced, and also giving the ability for an independent repair shop, or even the user, to ‘pair’ certain parts using the Repair Assistant feature.

Some parts can be paired with Tahoe, when purchased new outside of Apple; however some parts can only be paired if purchased directly from Apple, since it carries out a more complex check with Apple’s servers via the serial number of the part and MacBook it is being fitted to. We can purchase parts directly from Apple, however this means a slower repair since Apple quote up to 7 days for dispatch of the part, which needs to be ordered individually for each repair and cannot be kept in stock. This also means Apple controls the pricing, and for more expensive parts like the screen assembly, these are often priced in a way to make it uneconomic to repair the MacBook, usually with the part cost alone being more than the device is worth in the case of MacBooks over 2-3 years old.

To ensure the quickest possible repair, at the best price, we do not purchase parts from Apple direct unless absolutely necessary (for example, a newly released MacBook which has no part availability outside of Apple direct). This allows us to keep parts in stock, so we are not waiting for parts to be delivered to us, and also allows us to purchase in bulk, reducing the part cost and therefore repair cost. Parts are still genuine and new, but are purchased from Apple’s manufacturers. For example, with screen panels, Apple ask companies like LG, Sharp or BOE to manufacture the panels, and these are then assembled into lid assemblies by Foxconn, etc, before being serialised and supplied to Apple. We purchase the screen panel instead of the whole lid assembly, prior to serialisation, meaning a cheaper part and repair cost.

With Tahoe, if a part isn’t paired, a pop up will appear in the settings when updated to Tahoe, updating when Tahoe is installed or when a fresh erase and reinstall of Tahoe is carried out. This pop up will state that a new part is detected, and will ask to connect to WiFi to run Repair Assistant. If the part has been purchased from Apple direct, or doesn’t require a serial number check when pairing, it can then be paired successfully via Repair Assistant. If the part has been purchased outside of Apple and requires a serial number check to pair, attempting to run Repair Assistant will give an error, and the pop up in the settings will then disappear. When running the built in Diagnostic tool, if a part is not paired it will give a warning advising that the part ‘may not be genuine or functioning correctly’ since the part hasn’t been purchased from them via a serial number check. If the part is functioning as intended, this error can be ignored after a repair, and is just a flag due to the part not being paired to the logic board. This is a trade-off for a reasonably priced repair; the only way to clear this error with some parts is to purchase it from Apple direct, which isn’t feasible to do in a lot of cases.

Below is a list of known parts which are detected as being replaced in Mac OS Tahoe, and whether the part needs to be purchased from Apple direct to clear the error. As mentioned, not clearing the error will not cause an issue, and functionality of the part after the repair will be no different to the factory installed part.

Repair Type	Pop Up Message In Settings Permanently Clearable?	Why (If Not)?	Notes
Screen Panel Only (Reusing Aluminium Lid)	No	Repair Assistant checks to see if both the screen panel and camera have been changed (whole lid). Since just the screen panel is different, it detects this, but gives an error during pairing since the camera is the same as the original.	M1 models do not always prompt a pop up message in settings. Pop up message can be closed, and will only reappear when updating or erasing the OS (Tahoe). Can be closed if it reappears with no functionality issues.
Full Aluminium Lid (With Screen)	Yes, only if purchased from Apple direct	-	Outside of Apple are 3rd party new, not genuine new. Bad quality and cannot be paired
Touch Bar (Reusing Aluminium Top Case)	No	Repair Assistant checks to see if the whole top case assembly has been replaced (Touch Bar, Touch ID, Trackpad and Keyboard). Since only the Touch Bar has been replaced, serial number is different but it cannot pair just the Touch Bar, only the whole top case, if purchased from Apple direct	Pop up message can be closed, and will only reappear when updating or erasing the OS (Tahoe). Can be closed if it reappears with no functionality issues.
Lid Sensor	Yes	-	Will program successfully if purchased outside of Apple, as long as it is new and genuine, not used
Touch ID	Yes, only if purchased from Apple direct	-	Checks serial number of part to confirm it has been purchased from Apple direct. If not, will not prompt to pair part