Image: iFixit
Most cell phone manufacturers have spent an inordinate amount of time trying to get their customers to upgrade their phones before it’s necessary. They do this with upgrade programs, by gluing-down batteries so that they are difficult to replace, by lobbying against fair repair legislation, and by making replacement parts difficult or impossible to come by.Much of the news in the right to repair world is bleak. Just last week, Louis Rossmann, a prominent independent repair expert and YouTuber, announced that the Department of Homeland Security seized a shipment of MacBook batteries bound for his repair shop. And so it is excellent news that Motorola has decided to make it as easy as possible for you to repair your phone.The company announced that it would begin selling replacement parts for all of its recent phones to customers, and it has partnered with iFixit to sell repair kits for phones like the Moto X, Z, G4, G5, and Droid Turbo 2. The kits come with tools, genuine Motorola-branded replacement parts, and instructions on how to fix your device. iFixit is currently selling replacement batteries, screens, and digitizer assemblies.“Motorola is setting an example for major manufacturers to embrace a more open attitude towards repair,” iFixit wrote in a blog post announcing the partnership. “For fixers like us, this partnership is representative of a broader movement in support of our Right to Repair. It’s proof that OEM manufacturers and independent repair can co-exist. Big business and social responsibility, and innovation and sustainability, don’t need to be mutually exclusive.”It’s a big step: Rather than fighting independent repair, Motorola has embraced it. Hopefully, other manufacturers will follow in its footsteps.