The move represents a major reversal for the company which has long opposed access to repairs for customers wishing to fix damaged devices.
CEO of the online self-repair website iFixit Kyle Wiens called Apple's endorsement "a watershed moment for consumer rights."
“It feels like the Berlin Wall of tech repair monopolies is starting to crumble, brick by brick,” said Wiens.
According to Reuters, the iPhone maker signaled its support for the legislation, known as "Senate Bill 244", in a letter last week. If the bill becomes law, tech makers will be required to make the parts, tools and documentations needed to repair their products available in California.
In the case of products costing more than $100 these materials will need to be made available for seven years after the last date they were manufactured. For products worth between $50 and $100 the figure is three years. Companies violating the law face fines of between $1000 and $5000 per day.
The California bill goes further than recent right to repair legislation passed in Minnesota and New York, while Apple’s support for the new law comes after many years of opposition. As iFixit noted, Apple previously claimed that Nebraska would become a "mecca for hackers" when a right to repair bill was introduced in the state.
Apple’s about-turn reflects a growing trend towards making electronics products more repairable as governments throughout the world try to deal with climate change and the problem of e-waste.