Phone repairs are getting ridiculous - Here's why.

This was an extremely painful video to make 😅Do you guys have any repair horror stories? For my video on why the internet is starting to break: https://youtu.be/wVYG1mu8Lg8

The funny part isn’t that it’s ridiculously easy to break, but the company’s who make them do everything to make them as hard to fix as possible

A lot of the repairs I used to offer I just stopped offering altogether because I'm not able to get quality parts at reasonable prices anymore. It is unfortunate, but everything eventually comes to an end, and the era of us being able to offer certain repairs at competitive prices with good parts has come to an end. I did my best to fight back against it, and I lost. I lost bad. All I ever wanted was to share the fun that comes from following a diagram, solving a puzzle, and making the fan spin with the world. For a short period of time, I had that. Now it is gone. At least I can say that I tried.

Funny thing. My S23+ fell off my motorcycle at 110km/h on onto the highway. The case fell off and the back of my phone was shattered along with the metal body being shredded. Screen was totally fine but the screen protector was smashed. Took it to Samsung, to replace entire back glass and metal body, $95 parts and $15 labor (I'm in Thailand). They accidentally broke the screen on repair and replace it with a brand new one for free. After this, I don't think I could go back to Apple. On my iPhone 11 it was cheaper just to buy a new phone than replace the back glass.

I used to manage an authorized Apple repair shop. It goes much deeper than this. You mentioned losing the waterproofing with a glued-on back glass; Apple uses VHB strips to adhere screens and back glass, some models are one piece that covers the entire perimeter of the part, others are in multiple pieces with gaps. Glue would actually be very effective in sealing - in some cases moreso. Apple installs what's referred to as LCIs - Liquid Contact Indicators, that turn red when they detect moisture - and voids all warranty. I have had instances where customers needed a screen replacement due to a faulty Apple screen on the iPhone 12 (we had to ship those to Apple), I had to open the phone to verify there were no other causes of the display faults, saw the tripped LCI but no evidence of liquid inside the phone. I shipped them to Apple and warranty was immediately voided. The instance I remember most vividly was a customer who was a runner and kept her phone in an armband on her bicep. I live in a humid climate, and the best guess as to the source of the moisture was the bit of sweat that would be on her bicep paired with the ambient humidity. Apple never took corrective measures. As for the parts pairing, there's a lot more to it too. We had to buy parts from Apple at a markup, so to make any profit on repairs we also had to charge a markup. Every part we ordered was serialized and to complete a repair there's a macbook we had to keep online in the back with official Apple software packages to interface with the devices while in a repair mode to rewrite the config in the phone for the new serial as well as change the record in Apple's systems to reflect the new part. To even begin the repair, you have to create a repair ticket in Apple's system that walks you through the diagnostics - and even if you know what the problem is, you HAVE to follow their steps and comply when they come to a conclusion... even if it has nothing to do with the actually faulty part. At times, their script will call for replacing parts from your stock that you had to purchase and they will not replenish. Other times, you have to break their rules to go through other diagnostic scripts to get the part you need or to get access to the parts of the system that you need. I've had many instances where Apple required me to connect a phone to their computer for it to diagnose, but due to a faulty Main Logic Board or USB controller, could not communicate with the computer and Apple had no route forward for the repair - and when you do open a repair ticket, there has to be corresponding diagnostics.. In short, you have to learn their system intimately to be able to manipulate it just right so you don't lose your 'Apple Authorized' status, just to perform simple repairs. Additionally, they will periodically tour your workbench to ensure you only use the screwdrivers and pry tools they sell you at an exorbitant price. The 'security' angle with right to repair is an incredibly flimsy argument that was crafted for people who don't understand the inner workings of the devices. Face ID is all stored in the phone and encrypted - that's the only reason they were able to avoid so much scrutiny when they introduced it. Apple has a long history of crippling their devices to force expensive repairs. A prime example would be the "ISL9240", it is nothing more than a charge controller. It has no capacity to do anything but handle and direct (relatively) high electrical current. They also fail often, causing the MacBookPros that used them to stop charging. They are nearly identical to other products that are widely available, but with the pinout and some values slightly changed, but changed just enough that nothing else is compatible. Apple then had the manufacturer lock down sales to only Apple, so when that chip does fail, you can't repair it with a chip that you can order in bulk for $3-5/ea - you have to send it to Apple and they will sell you a whole new (often refurbished) logic board for over $1k. Unfortunately, that's not a novel issue. If you'd like more detailed information on the issues, look at Louis Rossmann's channel, he has a playlist titled "The truth about Apple."

"Its a real scam". If the screen of a latest Iphone breaks we have to literally pay half the price of the phone itself to repair it! 😐😐😐

This is 100% on Apple - they made it incredibly hard for repair shops to fix it - all the pairing and expensive parts, not even talking about the way phones are glued together.

Thank you for using your channel and your position to find all this out for us end users. It is a costly experiment, but it has given us a great insight into what to do and what not to do. In fact from now on I think I will be buying used phones, I don't fancy huge repair bills on top of huge expense on the original phone! Great video!

I bought an iPhone 15 in the Apple Store and bought the screen protector which Apple applied. I had to wait 25 minutes for my appointment to buy the phone. Before I left the store I noticed there were a number of dead pixels on the screen. I immediately approached the salesperson and pointed this out. She made an appointment with a "genius" and he spent 45 minutes doing tests. I told him that I hadn't actually left the store and couldn't I just get another one. He agreed that it was still under warranty and said I should come back in 90 minutes after the screen had been replaced.

It's messy no doubt, A repair shop nowadays is kind of like your barber. You want to build a relationship with one and keep going to them. It is quite annoying the amount of disclaimers I have to give before/after fixing an Apple device vs let's say a Samsung, but most people seem to understand and don't mind. The aftermarket displays are a hit or miss but once you find a good supplier they can get really good, I'd say maybe 90% as good as the originals. With a good warranty, those make for very cost-effective options. The best practice for repair shops is to be as helpful as possible because there's a lot to explain.

As a repair shop, I just stopped taking in iPhones all together. It's just not profitable since customers don't want knock off parts but aren't willing to pay for genuine parts either.

I lived in Nottingham for 12 years but had to move for work last year this video is a brilliant nostalgia hit of Nottingham i miss it great city

A sneaky thing a lot of shops do with their warranty's on receipts, is they use ink to print the receipts that fades over time, so you receipt becomes useless.

Luis Rossman has been lobbying and advocating for Right to Repair here in the US and he goes very in depth in many videos in how Apple is trying to control everything and prevent user choice in device repair, not just the phones

A counterpoint on the "you don't have the guarantee" of a bigger shop; Louis Rossman made the opposite point, that the small sketchy shop guy only really has his reputation to work off and isn't getting the big money because he doesn't have the look that makes you comfortable, he is often going to give the best service because a big part of his business is going to be word of mouth.

In Nigeria, the repairers would replace the screen and True Tone will still work. The display information won’t show. Bathe back glass is a piece of cake.

I didn't even notice the sponsorship at first. Not over the top. Love it.

“iCrack” being the name of your phone repair service is wild 😂

The ad placement was actually genius, making it so there's no need to skip it because it adds context to the video is genius

Great video Arun. Imagine what it’s like to try and get your iPhone repaired in Zimbabwe.