Glossary / Parts pairing

Parts pairing

Electronically binding each replacement component to a specific device so firmware rejects unauthorized parts — a core mechanism behind repair restrictions.

Introduced in Chapter 19 — The Bill Comes Due of Tangibles.

Related terms

• EU Battery Regulation — The 2023 EU regulation requiring portable-device batteries to be removable and replaceable by users with commonly available tools.
• EU Ecodesign — EU rules whose delegated acts will, by 2030, make minimum spare-parts availability and software-support periods binding requirements for CE marking.
• Right to repair — The principle, increasingly written into law, that owners should be able to fix what they bought — a counter-pressure to closed, unrepairable hardware.
• Over-the-air updates (OTA) — Delivering new firmware and features to a device remotely after sale, turning a fixed product into one that keeps improving in the field.