Who controls your iPhone?

FOR a decade, it was easy to get help repairing an iPhone. Cracked screens could be replaced in minutes and broken cameras could be exchanged without a hitch.

But since 2017, iPhone repairs have been a minefield. New batteries can trigger warning messages, replacement screens can disable a phone’s brightness settings and substitute selfie cameras can malfunction.The breakdowns are an outgrowth of Apple’s practice of writing software that gives it control over iPhones even after someone has bought one.