This remote connectivity is how Apple Store employees can check devices on the store floor, without lugging around cables or computers. You need a device’s serial number, which can be either read off the device in front of you or given to you over the phone. With an account, and certifications installed on your MacBook or iPad, you can then service Apple devices. You can only access AST 2 with an active connection to the web, and an authorized account with Apple’s private Global Services Exchange, or GSX. Once you know that, you can find it mentioned and even pictured in many places: on Apple’s own discussion forums, on PDFs inadvertently posted publicly by university IT help desks ( ahem), or even in the dark corners of YouTube. Apple’s Cloud-Based Diagnostic & Calibration Toolsįirst off, Apple’s diagnostic software has a name: Apple Services Toolkit 2, often abbreviated as AST 2. And take a look at Samsung’s own secret repair app, while we’re at it.

What, exactly, can Apple-approved folks do with all this secret software-that-shall-not-be-named? Let’s dive into what we know. We’ve previously written about Apple’s internal diagnostic software, which Right to Repair legislation aims to make available to the rest of us. Instead, Apple’s official repair procedure requires proprietary software tools, available only to Authorized Service Providers and members of Apple’s unlaunched Independent Repair Program. No sacrifices or incantations can overcome this. Trying to replace core Mac parts can trigger a lock-out. You can do a lot, but in the newest iPhones, you can’t restore Touch ID, install a new battery, or replace a screen without a warning.

No mere mortal, lacking Apple’s stamp of approval, can completely fix the company’s products. Edit (11/2/19): This post was updated to clarify and add information on more of Apple’s repair apps.

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