An appeals court in California has resurrected a 2022 lawsuit over claims Apple discouraged customers from using third-party repair services for cracked iPhone screens. The three-judge Sixth Appellate District panel reversed an earlier ruling that quashed the case, brought by plaintiffs Jesse Granato and Janice Zarad.

The plaintiffs alleged that in 2021, an Apple employee told them using a third-party repair would void their warranty, pushing them to pay Apple directly. The lawsuit accused Apple of inflating independent repair costs by withholding parts, manuals, and software, and conditioning warranties on authorized service.

A Santa Clara Superior Court judge had sided with Apple, finding the plaintiffs lacked standing under California's unfair competition law. In a unanimous decision, acting presiding Associate Justice Cynthia Lie wrote that Apple's practices "substantially injure consumers by allowing Apple to extract inflated payments for repairs or to increase demand for new products by incentivizing replacement over repair."

The plaintiffs also cited the California 2024 Right to Repair Act and the 1975 Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, though the panel noted the former was enacted after the suit was filed. The case has been remanded to a lower court.