Samsung launches DIY self repair service for its smartphones

[editor]

Now this is a decent initiative. I can't imagine Apple joining in with equal gusto unless compelled to do so, but it would be great if other phone/laptop makers did the same - and it came to the UK pronto.

Samsung has launched the Galaxy devices self-repair program that it operates in conjunction with iFixit. Starting today, device owners can replace the screen, back glass, and charging ports for Galaxy S20 and S21 series phones as well as the Galaxy Tab S7+.

The repair program was announced in March and will supply Galaxy device owners with access to genuine parts and repair tools as well as easy to understand repair guides and included shipping labels to send Samsung old or damaged parts.

Samsung says that this program is part of its nationwide “customer-first care experience” and reinforces Samsung’s commitment to making everyday changes that leave a meaningful impact on the environment by promoting a circular economy to reduce e-waste.

The announcement of Samsung’s repair program was followed by a similar one from Google, both of which came after Apple and Microsoft announced self repair services in the past several months. Samsung, Google, and Microsoft are all working with iFixit, while Apple is managing its repair service independently. That program launched in April and after seeing how it works, some experts allege it is designed to be unapproachable.

And of course, there's always cause for cynicism:

Cynics of these repair programs will say that changes to company policies are less about environmental sustainability or customer choice and more about getting ahead of possible new laws. Apple, Samsung, and Google showed no movement toward allowing customers to repair their own devices — even going so far as to make such repairs more difficult — until the Federal Trade Commission approved a landmark Right to Repair policy in July of last year.

Samsung's Self-Repair Program is Now Available to U.S. Customers

Parts and instructions are now available to make repairs yourself.

petapixel.com

 

[skyscraper101]

It’s all a step in the right direction.

I think Apple did also do something similar.

Apple’s Self Service Repair now available

Genuine Apple parts and tools can now be purchased by US customers.

www.apple.com

 

[editor]

It’s all a step in the right direction.

I think Apple did also do something similar.

Apple’s Self Service Repair now available

Genuine Apple parts and tools can now be purchased by US customers.

www.apple.com

Except....

Luke Miani, a YouTuber and expert on personal computers and Apple products, says that after going through the experience himself, most users should avoid using the Self Repair Store. But he doesn’t stop there, and goes a step further and alleges that the whole program is designed to fail thanks to a frustrating and intimidating set of tools that are needed for the simplest of repairs, as well as what felt like incomplete and poor instructions.

Expert Says Apple's Self Repair Service is Designed to Be Unapproachable

With its new Self Repair Store, is Apple deliberately making it harder to fix it yourself?

petapixel.com

It's fucking ridiculous! Look what they send over!

 

[platinumsage]

These things are very efficiently packaged and are never going to be easily repairable by randoms with just a screwdriver.

 

[editor]

These things are very efficiently packaged and are never going to be easily repairable by randoms with just a screwdriver.

Except Samsung's is much simpler. Did you even watch the Apple video I just posted? It took a tech guy nearly four hours to change the screen!

Even in its current limited form, Samsung’s repair program is far simpler and more accessible than Apple’s self-repair program that started in May. Apple requires people to rent tools and equipment for iPhone repairs, and completing a screen or battery swap involves calling a remote technician for the iPhone to recognize it as a genuine part. Samsung and Google don’t have the same digital lockout mechanisms on their devices.

Samsung's New Self-Repair Program Is Better Than Apple's

It's now slightly easier to fix Galaxy devices.

www.howtogeek.com

 

[platinumsage]

Apple requires people to rent tools and equipment for iPhone repairs, and completing a screen or battery swap involves calling a remote technician for the iPhone to recognize it as a genuine part. Samsung and Google don’t have the same digital lockout mechanisms on their devices.

Maybe that’s because Apple phones are more secure.

 

[editor]

Maybe that’s because Apple phones are more secure.

What? That's got absolutely nothing to do with physically swapping out components.

Watch that video: the reviewer concludes that Apple's self repair is 'designed to fail' so it's just greenwash bullshit.

 

[platinumsage]

What? That's got absolutely nothing to do with physically swapping out components.
.

Sure it does.

 

[editor]

Sure it does.

Feel free to explain. You haven't watched that video, have you?

 

[skyscraper101]

Except....

Expert Says Apple's Self Repair Service is Designed to Be Unapproachable

With its new Self Repair Store, is Apple deliberately making it harder to fix it yourself?

petapixel.com

It's fucking ridiculous! Look what they send over!

View attachment 335746

I didn’t realise they send like a grands worth of kit out for $49? Surely those big study flight cases alone are worth more than that. Let alone the gear inside. How does any of that makes sense?

With the cost of the screen and equipment coming to more then a Genius bar fix then I agree it seems a lot like greenwashing.

Could be a very nifty way to score some good flight cases on the cheap though