Statement: Amid shareholder efforts and legislative push, Google announces new repair access

Decision comes following robust shareholder advocacy effort

BOSTON — In a reversal of its previous position, Google announced Friday that it will allow new user repair access for its Pixel line of smartphones. The move comes after a shareholder resolution, endorsed by U.S. PIRG, was filed with the company in January. In addition, Right to Repair legislation is moving in multiple states, and bipartisan bills have been filed in both the U.S. House and Senate to improve repair access. 

By the end of this year, genuine Pixel spare parts will be available for purchase at iFiixit for Pixel 2 through Pixel 6 Pro, as well as future Pixel models for both independent repair shops and individual consumers. 

In response, Nathan Proctor, U.S. PIRG senior director of the Right to Repair Campaign, issued the following statement: 

“Another step for people’s Right to Repair. The more stuff we fix, the more consumers save, and the less waste and new manufacturing we need to keep connected. Google’s new repair program is good news for phone users and the planet. 

“The Google announcement is also yet another example of how shareholders have used the momentum from Right to Repair to lock in commitments from major manufacturers. We expect those shareholder efforts to continue to push more companies to embrace repair and to hold manufacturers to their promises. 

“From the beginning of the Right to Repair campaign, manufacturers, including Google, have pushed lawmakers to oppose pro-repair reforms, citing the imagined dangers of people being allowed to fix products like phones. Now, Google is the third major cell phone company to admit that user-repair won’t cause the sky to fall. It’s becoming more and more clear that every company could facilitate a more open environment for repair. 

“We’ve run out of excuses. It’s time to lock in these gains for repair access and make Right to Repair the law of the land.”