Apple to start 'verifying' third-party repair stores, could make iPhone repairs easier

Apple has reportedly started the process of verifying several third-party repair stores to widen the number of places where you can have your iPhone repaired. [caption id=“attachment_4953661” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”] Representational image. Flickr Creative Commons[/caption] The company has announced, as per BusinessWire, that it will be providing third-parties the same “genuine parts, tools, training, repair manuals and diagnostics” as Apple authorised service providers. Apple COO Jeff Williams said that this move will inspire confidence in the consumer that they are getting genuine Apple parts even when they are visiting third-party repair outlets. As of right now, this repair program has only been made available for ‘out of warranty iPhones’ so your other Apple products may still need tending to by Apple itself. For businesses to join, they need to have an ‘Apple Certified’ technician present for which the certification is free as well. A pilot program has already been in progress for some time with a handful of indie stores across the world receiving genuine Apple parts. In more recent news about Apple, thanks to the central government further liberalising Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) rules, Apple is poised to **start its first online sales in India.**  This will allow Apple to start selling a range of products in India through its own online store. As of now, Apple products are sold in India through partnered third-party offline retailers and e-commerce platforms such as Amazon India, Flipkart, and Paytm Mall.