It’s no secret that getting your phone repaired, a far too frequent necessity for us clumsy types, can be a monumental pain. Apple products in particular require that you go to Apple sources explicitly (for specific parts and all that jazz), or to an expensive alternative. This is a major pain if neither option is near your area. Apple’s aiming to fix that problem for a fair few folk, announcing expansion plans for its Independent Repair Provider program globally.

Apple’s all over the place

As the name implies, the program kits out and supports independent repair sources, offering them direct and reliable access to genuine parts, tools, diagnostics, and even training. All of this has, till now, only been available in the United States, Canada, and Europe, but will (later this week) be made available to interested parties in a slew of other countries, including Afghanistan, India, Malaysia, and South Africa. A full list is available in the official announcement, along with an even longer list of countries the company plans to extend the reach of this offering into later this year, from Albania to Zimbabwe.

The program is available to independent repair providers totally gratis, as long as they meet the criteria for it. Providers need to “commit to have an Apple-certified technician to perform the repairs.” So you or someone on your team needs to be certified as an Apple repair provider. The process is free and simple, apparently, and those who complete it will subsequently be able to purchase official tools and parts from the tech giant, as well as take advantage of their pro bono repair training services mentioned earlier.

Parties interested in joining the program can check this out for more details.