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Apple’s Authorized Service Provider Manual notes that GSX grants you access to “take-apart, upgrade and repair procedures, basic servicing information, troubleshooting flow charts, product specs, adjustment procedures, and exploded view diagrams with part numbers.” That all certainly sounds like useful information!ĪST 2 isn’t just helpful, it’s mandatory. If something needs fixing or replacing, Apple’s equivalent of iFixit guides are available through the GSX site (check the left-hand column in this screencast). AST 1.5, via Apple Assistenza AvaTech Store/YouTube You can see AST 1 (technically 1.5) in action in this Italian video of a MacBook Air repair. Cycle count is important information that every device owner should have! Unfortunately, Apple has banned apps from their App Store that show cycle counts for mobile devices, creating a cottage industry for apps like Coconut Battery.ĪST 2 is (perhaps obviously) not the first diagnostic app that Apple has made-AST 2’s precursor was a totally different tool, and it’s still used to fix older devices, mostly from 2013 and earlier. One thing to note is that AST 2 provides a cycle count for an iOS device battery. Pretty neat! via iOS MacOS Genius/YouTubeĪST 2 can show you what’s wrong with a device, along with a lot of details you can only see if an Apple Store employee is feeling cavalier and generous. After the access request is approved, a diagnostic tool checks everything: battery, Bluetooth, cameras, sensors, Touch ID, the works.

Presumably, there is a workaround for devices with entirely broken screens, likely involving a USB cable, but we haven’t seen it in action. The device gets a request to allow a diagnostic tool to run. Next, you enter the category of problem you’re trying to fix: “Fan,” “Charging,” or the like. The Mac Mini labeled “4” is suggested to provide local copies of boot-up and recovery tools to avoid large, repetitive downloads. A diagram from the Apple Services Toolkit 2 manual, showing the need for a technician’s computer (3) to have an active Global Services Exchange connection (2) to run diagnostics on the device being repaired (1). This remote connectivity is how Apple Store employees can check devices on the store floor, without lugging around cables or computers.

#Mac diagnostic tools download serial

You need a device’s serial number, which can be either read off the device in front of you or given to you over the phone. With an account, and certifications installed on your MacBook or iPad, you can then service Apple devices. You can only access AST 2 with an active connection to the web, and an authorized account with Apple’s private Global Services Exchange, or GSX. Once you know that, you can find it mentioned and even pictured in many places: on Apple’s own discussion forums, on PDFs inadvertently posted publicly by university IT help desks ( ahem), or even in the dark corners of YouTube.

#Mac diagnostic tools download software

Apple’s Cloud-Based Diagnostic & Calibration Toolsįirst off, Apple’s diagnostic software has a name: Apple Services Toolkit 2, often abbreviated as AST 2. And take a look at Samsung’s own secret repair app, while we’re at it. What, exactly, can Apple-approved folks do with all this secret software-that-shall-not-be-named? Let’s dive into what we know. We’ve previously written about Apple’s internal diagnostic software, which Right to Repair legislation aims to make available to the rest of us. Instead, Apple’s official repair procedure requires proprietary software tools, available only to Authorized Service Providers and members of Apple’s unlaunched Independent Repair Program. No sacrifices or incantations can overcome this.

Trying to replace core Mac parts can trigger a lock-out.

#Mac diagnostic tools download install

You can do a lot, but in the newest iPhones, you can’t restore Touch ID, install a new battery, or replace a screen without a warning. No mere mortal, lacking Apple’s stamp of approval, can completely fix the company’s products. Edit (11/2/19): This post was updated to clarify and add information on more of Apple’s repair apps.