Once upon a time, all consumer devices were repairable by anyone with the relevant skills. In recent years, manufacturers have actively made it harder, discouraging third party repair and causing a massive increase in electronic waste.

There is a glimmer of hope on the horizon as many modern smartphone manufacturers turn to stretch-release adhesive to keep batteries in place.

A Good Thing For Repairable Tech

The shift to stretch-release adhesive is documented on the iFixit Blog, a well-known website posting teardowns and repair guides. Kevin Purdy, an iFixit employee, writes:

Gadgets that keep their batteries in place with stretch release adhesive are the next best thing to not using any adhesive at all. What makes stretch release so notable to us is what stretch release is not: sticky, hard-to-remove glue that practically forces you to bend and poke at a lithium-ion battery (which is a terrible, really bad idea).

Stretch-release adhesive isn't new, but the move to include it in modern consumer electronics has only been noted recently. Alongside the safety element of working with lithium-ion batteries, there is another feature of stretch-release adhesives that makes repair much easier.

A battery attached using stretch-adhesive has a pull tab, which when pulled parallel to the phone releases without leaving any residue behind. The post goes on to describe the importance of adhesive with modern batteries, and how adhesive manufacturers recommend its use in consumer electronics.

What's Behind the Change?

It would be nice to think that this is the first sign of companies coming round to the ideas shared by advocates of the right to repair movement. It would be timely too. In the recent US election, voters in Massachusetts helped pass a new law forcing car companies to share data required for repairs.

It seems like a strange about-face, but there might be more reasons behind the shift than a change in heart. Earlier this year, Apple published a 99-page environmental progress report [PDF] outlining future manufacturing plans for its entire range of products. While much of the report actually promises very little on close inspection, Apple seem to be aiming to create easier to recycle products to reach its environmental goals.

Part of this includes using stretch-release adhesive. While Apple claims it is a move towards easier repair, it seems far more likely that products which are easier to disassemble will be easier to recycle. If Apple is moving towards making its devices repairable by third parties, it is doing it agonizingly slowly.

Self-Repair Isn't Going Away

One thing is certain, third party repairers and those who advocate for them aren't going anywhere. These small steps taken by previously distant tech companies are a good step, but they are drops in an ocean of proprietary designs and locked down supply lines.

While stretch-release adhesive in consumer electronics is a good start, the fight to repair the things you own continues.