Manufacturers have a financial interest in telling you everything voids your warranty. US law gives you more protection than Apple's fine print suggests. Here's the real picture.
| Action | Voids Warranty? |
|---|---|
| Third-party screen repair | No — under Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act |
| Third-party battery replacement | No — same US law protection |
| Using a non-Apple charger | No |
| Applying a screen protector | No |
| Accidental damage (cracked screen) | Yes — Apple warranty covers manufacturing defects, not drops |
| Water damage (beyond IP rating) | Yes — physical damage exclusion |
| Jailbreaking iPhone | Partially — Apple can deny coverage for software issues only |
| Rooting Android | Partially — can void software-related warranty claims |
| Tampering with internal components yourself | Yes — DIY opening and damaging components |
This US federal law from 1975 says that a manufacturer cannot make warranty coverage conditional on the consumer using the manufacturer's own parts or service. Apple cannot legally void your warranty on your iPhone display just because someone other than Apple replaced the battery. They can only deny a warranty claim if they can demonstrate that the third-party service directly caused the specific failure you're claiming.
In practice: if you get a battery replaced at Curbside Phone Tech and then the camera stops working a week later, Apple cannot attribute that camera failure to the battery replacement. They'd have to prove a causal connection that doesn't exist.
Professional mobile repair in Minnetonka, Eden Prairie, Plymouth, Wayzata and the Minneapolis west suburbs.
Book a Repair →