As the iPhone has evolved in recent years, it has become more and more difficult to repair. Screen repairs in particular are challenging thanks to the wealth of technology integrated with an iPhone’s screen.

According to a new report from Reuters, Apple is making strides toward empowering more third-parties to perform those complex repairs. The company is beginning to roll out its proprietary tool for repairing iPhone screens, the Horizon Machine, to authorized repair companies. Plans are to deliver 400 Horizon Machines by the end of the year to repair centers across 25 countries. Stephen Nellis was given access to watch these Apple creations at work:

Dozens of Horizon Machines lined the tables. The contraptions, gray metal boxes the size of a microwave with a swing-out windowed door, vary slightly in shape depending on the model of iPhone they repair. Apple would not say where the machines were made or by whom
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Once the new screen is mounted, the iPhone goes into the Horizon Machine, which allows Apple’s software to communicate with the fresh hardware. Over the course of 10 to 12 minutes, the machine talks to the phone’s operating system to pair the fingerprint sensor to the phone’s brain.

While that unfolds, a mechanical finger jabs the screen in multiple places to test the touch-sensitive surface. The machine also fine tunes the display and software to match the precise colors and calibration of the original.

The piece notes how the topic of phone repair can be a political one, as legislation has been introduced in several U.S. states that intends to promote increasing repair options for consumers. Whether that legislation comes to pass or not, sharing the Horizon Machine seems like a good move by Apple that will benefit its customers in the long run.