Weekend poll: Would you repair or fix your own broken smartphone?
This week,Google announced its new DIY repair programfor Pixel phones. With the exception of first-gen models, every single one of its smartphones will have in-stock replacement parts ready for purchase from iFixit when the partnership goes into effect later this year. It’d be a landmark announcement, if not for the fact that Google isbehindon this matter. DIY self-repair kits are becoming the norm.
Late last year,Apple struck the first blow, delivering a massive win for right-to-repair advocates by announcing Self Service Repair. Whenever it launches — the company has only said it’ll be sometime in 2022 — anyone will be able to order parts for iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 models, skipping the need to pay for service if they can manage the repairs themselves. The move was undoubtedly in response to political pressure in the EU, andwe’re still waiting on a few details, but at the very least, it was Apple that got the ball rolling.
Since then, we’ve seenSamsung announce its own competing program— on track to launch this summer — along with this week’s reveal from Google. Both companies partnered with iFixit, making it easy for anyone with the skill and knowledge to repair their broken phones to pick up whatever necessary tools they may need alongside raw components. And while all three of these programs have yet to launch, both Samsung and Google sound pretty serious about making their devices more environmentally friendly through user-accessible repairs.
Of course, the real question is whether most people will spring to do it. Take it from me, the guy who almost crushed a ribbon cable on his laptop two weeks ago trying to swap out a swollen laptop battery: tech repairs can be hard. It’s one thing to work on a desktop PC you built yourself, but phones are made up of compact, tightly integrated components. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea.
If anyone’s up to it, though, it’s the Android Police reader base. Once these programs become available — or, if you’re using a phonenotmade by Samsung or Google, if a similar plan was offered — will you start repairing your own devices? Or will you leave it all to the professionals, no matter how much time and money it adds to the process?
Will you repair or fix your own broken smartphone?
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