It’s an improvement but it’s not quite good enough IMO. Apple has a few weird and insane requirements that extend to independent repair stores.
If you want to get your battery replaced. The settings app must show that the battery health is at 80% or lower. If it doesn’t for some reason, the repair store is not allowed by apple to swap the battery regardless of what you have experienced or what you are willing to pay.
That doesn't even register in terms of the "insane" requirements of this program.
The primary benefit of going to an independent repair store is that they're local and can provide faster turnaround than mailing it off somewhere. But Apple serializes the batteries, so you can't stockpile them. The battery won't work unless it's programmed with the phone's serial, and independent repair shops can't do that.
So the customer has to go to the independent repair shop, have them open up the phone, write down the serial number, order the battery from Apple, wait for it to be shipped, and then call the customer back in a week so that the phone can be opened and actually fixed.
And if the customer at any point says "fuck it" and buys a new phone or sends it direct to Apple, then the repair shop is stuck with an worthless battery that only works for that specific phone.
And on top of that, the batteries are un-competitively priced.
It's a completely worthless program designed to provide them some political cover and nothing else.
Apple serializes the batteries, so you can't stockpile them.
My experience has been the opposite.
When I had my battery replaced at an independent Apple authorized service center (one that Apple actually referred me to), they replaced the battery the same day with one they had in stock.
I guess that's to stop repairers telling you 'probably worth changing the battery while we're at it' when that's not true - similar to many disreputable car mechanics.
That's especially weird as in the Apple Store, they will not do it under warranty but will replace your battery even if it's 80%+ for the usual rate. They heavily discourage it though (since if your battery isn't that degraded the system won't start downclocking).
There's nothing weird about it. Apple don't really want retail repair shop to be functional. The whole IRP is just a political move to avoid right to repair legal battles.
If you want to get your battery replaced. The settings app must show that the battery health is at 80% or lower. If it doesn’t for some reason, the repair store is not allowed by apple to swap the battery regardless of what you have experienced or what you are willing to pay.