DIY Smartphone Repair: Good Idea or Really Bad Idea?

Feb 1, 2019

Are you considering DIY smartphone repair?

If you’re the handy type and you really like saving money whenever and wherever you can, you might consider trying to fix your phone yourself. But, before you launch a do-it-yourself device attempt, consider these simple questions.

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Do You Know How to Troubleshoot a Broken Phone?

If you have a cracked or broken smartphone screen, that one is pretty obvious. But can you determine if any other components got damaged in the process?

If your headphone jack (or charging port, volume buttons, camera, etc.) stops working, you might assume you just need a new one. But most components attach to the device’s motherboard via cables or connectors, which could be the true problem. In some devices, components such as the headphone jack plug directly into the motherboard.

Do You Have a Source for High-Quality, Cost-Effective Replacement Parts?

Assuming you can figure out exactly what’s wrong with your device, do you know where to obtain the replacement parts you need? If you do, are you prepared to wait for them?

For example, the DIY community’s go-to source for replacement iPhone 5S batteries is in Huizhou, China. That’s going to take a few weeks to get here. Oh, sure, you can purchase one from a reseller online. But it’s still going to take a while to arrive and the markup (they had to order them from Huizhou, after all) will wipe out any potential savings.

Do You Know How to Physically Open Your Broken Phone?

Although some devices are inherently easier to work on, others pose a significant challenge. For example, some smartphones use a unibody style of construction, which means you can’t just pry it open and go to work.

Sure, you could watch a YouTube video or two and try to figure it out but is that really the best approach?

Do You Have the Tools & Equipment to Work on Your Smartphone?

To fix a phone, you need highly specialized tools. Depending on the type of device and whatever may be wrong with it, you need specialty screwdrivers and probably some additional specialty bits. You’ll need a set of specialty tweezers, a couple of spudgers, a jimmy, several types of tweezers and a full contingent of anti-static protection devices.

Sure, you can go out and buy all these tools but you’ll spend way more than you probably want to. And, once you make that investment, you won’t save any money at all on a DIY smartphone repair.

If you’ve got a broken phone, you don’t need DIY – you need DIFM from FixIT Mobile | Bad Apple.

With convenient locations in Utah, FixIT Mobile | Bad Apple will quickly troubleshoot and repair your device, and have it back in your hands before you can even say “Huizhou, China.” And you will probably save money – and time and hassle – as compared to attempting the fix yourself. Before you try a DIY smartphone repair, call on FixIT Mobile | Bad Apple to see how we can help.