Photos show machine in Apple Stores calibrating repaired iPhones

Photos of the machine have surfaced at Apple Store branches where employees place repaired iPhones for calibration. In addition to calibration of the screen, the machine could also be the only one that can link a new fingerprint scanner to an existing iPhone.

Because the machine is the only machine that can connect a new fingerprint scanner to the iPhone, Apple has a monopoly on installing new scanners on existing iPhones, Motherboard claims. The machine interfaces with an iMac and does things like calibration of the camera and screen, but employees who spoke to Motherboard don’t seem to know how it works.

Repaired iPhones lie in the machine for about half an hour, they claim. In addition, there is its own mold for each type of iPhone, so that it fits exactly. The machine looks like a hobby project, not an Apple-made device, according to an Apple Store employee Motherboard spoke to.

The device is said to have been in use since the 2013 iPhone 5s, the first Apple phone with a built-in fingerprint scanner. The scanner uses the Secure Enclave on the processor to prevent hacks and abuse. Apple declined to comment on information about the machine and publication of the photos.