Apple Cooking Up Diagnostic Tool to Repair Your iPhone Remotely [Updated]

With iOS 5, Apple has made some significant changes to help us “cut the wire.” Instead of needing to plug your iDevice into your computer to sync with iTunes, the new firmware will allow you to do this Over-the-Air via iCloud.

But it doesn’t look like the Cupertino company is stopping there. HardMac is reporting that the iPhone-makers have passed an internal message on to employees that it is planning to roll out a wireless iDevice diagnostic tool this Fall as well…

“Currently, when there is a device running iOS that has a problem, one takes it to a service center for a primarily visual inspection with possibly the advice on how to fix the device. These service centres do not have the necessary tools to diagnose with precision a software or a hardware problem on the device.”

Essentially, users experiencing issues with their iOS devices would simply call in or log on to inform Apple of the problem. They are then pushed out a URL to their phone or tablet via email.

The web based tool then performs several internal tests checking health, battery level, charging habits, and what version of iOS is installed. So far, there has been no indication if the system will be able to detect a jailbreak.

Although they don’t name a source for the information, HardMac seems pretty confident that Apple will begin rolling out the diagnostic tool in the next few months.

This would be an interesting move by Apple, and would certainly streamline its device repair process. However, I don’t see this being an option for jailbreakers. Typically when a gadget is having an issue, the first step in troubleshooting is to update to the latest software.

UPDATE: Infamous iDevice hacker iH8sn0w gave us the heads up that Apple has actually been working on this service for over a year now, and sent us this screenshot of what the UI looks like on the iPhone.

What are your thoughts on remote troubleshooting?