3 Signs Your iPhone Might Have Fake Parts

Prior to iOS 15.2, iPhones would only show pop-up warnings if they featured fake Apple parts. On iOS 13.1 and 14.1, you only see messages like “Unable to verify this iPhone has a genuine Apple display” or a “genuine Apple camera.” But with the newer updates, iPhones keep a detailed log of parts and service history. The repair history is only shown if the iPhone has been repaired or serviced. To check this, you’ll need to:

1. Open Settings. 
2. Navigate to General.
3. Tap on About.
4. Locate the Parts and Service History section.

When an iPhone has genuine replaced parts, each component will be listed as Apple genuine, alongside details like the date it was installed. In case of repairs made with fake Apple parts, poor service, or hardware behaving unexpectedly, the component will be tagged as “Unknown Part” with a warning symbol. This is a sign that the part is fake (via Apple).

Oddly enough, iOS will detect parts as “Unknown” even if they’ve been swapped with genuine components from another iPhone. Face ID, cellular, and Apple Pay issues will also show up in the Parts and Service History section. For the iPhone X series and the iPhone SE, iOS will only detect if the battery is genuine. The battery and the display can be checked on the iPhone 11. All iPhone models since the iPhone 12 record and verify the rear cameras, TrueDepth camera, battery, and screen.