Smartphones are an essential part of everyday life for most people. We can’t imagine anyone in the developed world not having a telephone by their side at all times. It’s just the times we live in. So, when something happens to our beloved touchscreens, we can lose our minds. Bad sound or a broken display can cause a lot of issues, and we’re not talking only about communication. Most of the problems that happen to our phones can be fixed with ease; it’s just that most people believe they don’t have the knowledge nor the tools to do it. Even the problems that are not deemed fixable can be repaired if you know-how. This is a skill that needs to be learned as you can save not only money but also your time.
Before you become your own master, we need to warn you one thing – once you start fixing your smartphone on your own, your warranty is no more. Doing repairs to any device on your own will, in most instances, void you of insurance. So, use our recommendations only as a last resort. Once this is your only option, or you have enough confidence that you’ll fix what needs to be fixed, take the screwdriver and other tools in your hands and start working. Of course, you need to be aware that you probably won’t be able to fix some hardware and software issues, but here are four common smartphone repairs you can do yourself.
1. Broken Touchscreen
When it comes to the screens, it all depends on the manufacturers and the way they built their phones. It can be either simple, like a walk in the park, or it can be a daunting task. If it’s simple, it’s cheap; if it’s complicated, it can be expensive. Whatever the case might be, you’ll need to get your device into pieces. Some phones have the glass and digitizer blended together, and this is not a good thing. When this is the case, this repair can be rather expensive. If you’re lucky and they’re not blended, you can fix your phone at a bargain.
In cases when the glass and the digitizer are not glued together, you can get both items separately and replace them. In some instances, you’ll only need to replace one of the two, which makes the entire process easier and cheaper. Replacing these parts is easy, as we said, but only in the case, they’re separated. If they’re put together, you’ll have the small issue of a data cable. This part needs to be connected carefully, and it’s not the same on all phone models. All in all, if you remove the upper layers we mentioned and replace them with new parts, your work should be done. All you need are the spare parts, steady hands, and proper tools.
2. Headphone Jacks
Headphone jacks are a simple accessory, but they could cause issues if not treated with care. After all, they’re a foreign body to your phone, and you need to connect them with respect. People usually use headphones when they’re in motion, during a workout or work. Even if you use them in your bed while lying down, they’re still in contact with your phone, and there can be friction on the contact points. Once you have an issue with headphones jacks, it probably means that they need a replacement. This is not a complicated task, but only if you have ease of access. Some phones have a unibody design, which makes any amateur approach a challenging task, regardless of malfunction. When it comes to headphones jacks, they’re either plugged into the motherboard or to the speaker assembly. The good part is that they can be separated if you know how to approach them. Once you have your eyes on the part of the phone where they go, you only need to plug them out and put in the new feature.
3. Battery
One of the issues that most smartphone users experience if they hold onto their phone for a couple of years is battery malfunction. Every battery will degrade slowly with every passing month until reaching their end of life and become unable to keep your phone alive. This process takes time, but in the case of a drop or misuse, this process will be accelerated. Today most smartphones have an app that tracks battery health; this is how common battery issues have become.
Luckily, replacement batteries are available on every corner and are considered as one of the phone parts that are the easiest to replace. There’s nothing complicated in the way batteries are stored inside of a smartphone. In most cases, they’re connected directly to the motherboard via a ribbon cable and are held by adhesive stripes to the body of the phone. Even children these days know how to put a battery inside and how to remove it. Even in most complicated cases, it shouldn’t take more than twenty minutes to replace a battery.
4. Loose/Stuck Buttons
Like battery or headphone jacks, buttons that are no longer functioning correctly or a merely stuck can be easily replaced. Most stores that have smartphone parts will have controls in abundance. Once you have the elements, the replacement shouldn’t pose an issue. Of course, you’ll need to crack open your phone even to replace a small detail; such is one button. If you’re not cool with doing this, you can always look for a software solution for this issue. One thing you need to pay attention to is the fragility of these buttons. They’re delicate on their own, but also on the parts where they’re connected to the core of the phone. Don’t be afraid because of this, as these repairs can be done after watching a YouTube video on how to do it. If you’re more of a reading type, you can always visit fixU2 for valuable lessons on how to fix electronic devices.
