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You don't have to take your phone to an Apple Store. There are plenty of mom & pop or chain repair places that can replace the camera module. I've been happy wi

You don't have to take your phone to an Apple Store. There are plenty of mom & pop or chain repair places that can replace the camera module. I've been happy with uBreakiFix.

npongratz 6y ago
FTFA, shining light on why the author decided against taking it to a non-Apple repair shop: > The problem, an Apple repair representative explained, is that an open-for-business repair partner might still have to send the device into Apple anyway, a process that could have left me without a phone for well over a week and possibly longer.
- jjoonathan 6y ago
  If you're out of warranty, avoid Apple repair and Apple Authorized service providers at all costs. Much like the apple stores, Apple forces AASPs to declare everything a mainboard repair and ship the devices in, forbidding them from doing simple port swaps and such. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_Dkzj10jeA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_Dkzj10jeA The officially refurbed mainboards have exceedingly low quality to boot. That same youtuber has run into official refurbs with rubber pads to push intermittent connections into position, boards that were clearly left in the oven over lunch break, and so on. Someone wrote in from the refurb center, which is apparently run like a sweatshop with competitive quotas that make shoddy refurbishing and "run it on the test bench again, it might work" nonsense inevitable. It's bad. Apple Authorized repair doesn't exist to repair your device, it exists to persuade you to buy a new device.
KMnO4 6y ago
I used to repair phones on the side back around the iPhone 4S. It was a great time, where anyone with patience and the ability to follow instructions could replace a screen (for <$10 depending on the device), camera, battery, etc. Most repairs were as simple as removing some screws, prying off the display with a plectrum, and replacing the part via its ribbon cable. Nowadays the barrier for entry is much higher. Most things are soldered on, there's adhesive and sealing gaskets EVERYWHERE (fancy heating machines help, but cost $$), and even if you get it back together you can no longer count on the device being waterproof -- which is surprisingly a big deal for a lot of people, even though waterproof phones are a recent thing.
- nicoburns 6y ago
  > you can no longer count on the device being waterproof -- which is surprisingly a big deal for a lot of people, even though waterproof phones are a recent thing. Waterproof phones might be a real thing, but dropping phones in water isn't. It used to be that certain clumsy friends of mine would write off a phone by dropping it in the toilet every few months. Most phones will survive this now.
  - hawski 6y ago
    My wife's phone fell into water around four times. Only first time it was with original parts. Other times was after my somewhat sloppy screen replacements. Once after being underwater for half an hour I had to replace battery and eventually screen, because sometimes touch input did not work. Now the phone seem to be at the end of its life, but will probably work for another year or two.
- jjoonathan 6y ago
  I got comfortable with gaskets and gasket-making while working on cars. If the tech repair youtube still hasn't mastered this art I'd suggest looking at automotive youtube. Prepare the substrate, use the right silicone for your materials, use gap-preventing technique, and you can make it happen with high reliability even if you don't have an ultrasound to check your work. Your grandpa didn't have an ultrasound and his automotive gaskets had to put up with a lot more abuse than your phone ever will. There was no magic then and there's no magic now. You can do it too.
- thedanbob 6y ago
  I can't count how many iPhone 5, 5S, 6, and 6S's I've fixed. The golden age of iPhone repair. I've also done a 7 or two and one 8, but I think my phone repair days are pretty much over now. Even if the new ones weren't so repair-unfriendly, aftermarket replacement parts are almost impossible to get for a reasonable price. When they get the quote, most people would rather live with a cracked screen. And don't even get me started on iPads, the screens never go back on right. I flatly refuse to work on them anymore.
at_ 6y ago
I recently replaced my Macbook screen after living with a half cracked LCD for over a year because I had assumed it was impossible to DIY and a hefty charge was inevitable. I followed the relevant guide on ifixit and found the whole process pretty straightforward. I would have grappled with it much earlier if there was more messaging out there that says "hey, if you have nothing to lose, and more spare time than cash, you actually can fix these things yourself", because you totally can! And you also get to feel smug about it afterwards because you hear so much to the contrary.
- fortran77 6y ago
  A Macbook is a very different beast from a latest-gen iPhone.
  - jjoonathan 6y ago
    It's different in that the latest-gen iPhone is a bigger challenge. It's the same in that loads of people say it's impossible when it actually just requires a new bag of tricks.
    - kipchak 6y ago
      Part of the confusion was over the T2 chips that were added back in 2018 that were reportedly[1] bricking computers if non genuine parts were used locking out independent repairers.[2] I'm not sure if that functionality is actually active though. [1]https://www.extremetech.com/computing/280501-apple-confirms-t2-chip-can-brick-macs-after-third-party-repairs https://www.extremetech.com/computing/280501-apple-confirms-... [2]https://www.ifixit.com/News/11673/t2-mac-repairs-test https://www.ifixit.com/News/11673/t2-mac-repairs-test
- bserge 6y ago
  Yeah, you totally can. Anything that's been assembled can be disassembled. But the number and complexity of tools has increased a lot. Used to take 2 screwdrivers to fix a phone or a laptop. Now you need special screwdrivers, a heat gun, pry tools, glue, small tweezers at least. And a whole BGA rework station if you want to replace components with a decent quality of work.
hawski 6y ago
I replaced screens 2x Moto G1, 4x BQ Aquaris X and 2x Pixel 1, also batteries 3x BQ Aquaris X, 1x Nexus 5x and 1x Pixel 1 and speaker on Moto G1. It all was not all that difficult, so that's why I bought my Pixel 1 used with broken screen. All parts coming from Aliexpress and last screen came surprisingly quickly (within 2 weeks). Though this new batch of tinker friendly devices like Fairphone or Pinephone is something I track with interest. Main issue with phones getting obsolete is not hardware though as it is software. That keeps me hopeful especially regarding Pinephone, but Fairphone keeps updates significantly longer than run of the mill Android phones. They are all too big for my taste, but that's a different subject altogether. I would like to see something in Unihertz Jelly 2 format. But for now I will stick to beat down phones.
- alex_duf 6y ago
  that's a lot of screens to go through!
  - hawski 6y ago
    My wife helped ;)
Taylor_OD 6y ago
More anecdata here... Mom and Pop stores are good at fixing phones they see often and basically just watching Youtube videos for phones they don't see often. I had a hell of a time trying to get someone to fix my Blackberry (long story) a few years ago (longer story) even though every store said they could handle it. They could not.
fredophile 6y ago
I don't fix phones but I've heard that Apple is taking increasing measures to stop independent repair shops. Knowing what part to replace and how to do it doesn't help you if the manufacturer won't sell the part to anyone but Apple.
sschueller 6y ago
Apple is doing everything it can to prevent that. From firmware updates that bricks your phone if you replaced the screen finger print sensor or their shady 3rd party repair program which require NDAs and inability to get replacement stock.
- Vrondi 6y ago
  I cannot understand why people pay more money for the privilege of being abused like this by Apple.

You don't have to take your phone to an Apple Store. There are plenty of mom & pop or chain repair places that can replace the camera module. I've been happy with uBreakiFix.

npongratz 6y ago

FTFA, shining light on why the author decided against taking it to a non-Apple repair shop: > The problem, an Apple repair representative explained, is that an open-for-business repair partner might still have to send the device into Apple anyway, a process that could have left me without a phone for well over a week and possibly longer.

jjoonathan 6y ago
If you're out of warranty, avoid Apple repair and Apple Authorized service providers at all costs. Much like the apple stores, Apple forces AASPs to declare everything a mainboard repair and ship the devices in, forbidding them from doing simple port swaps and such. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_Dkzj10jeA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_Dkzj10jeA The officially refurbed mainboards have exceedingly low quality to boot. That same youtuber has run into official refurbs with rubber pads to push intermittent connections into position, boards that were clearly left in the oven over lunch break, and so on. Someone wrote in from the refurb center, which is apparently run like a sweatshop with competitive quotas that make shoddy refurbishing and "run it on the test bench again, it might work" nonsense inevitable. It's bad. Apple Authorized repair doesn't exist to repair your device, it exists to persuade you to buy a new device.

KMnO4 6y ago

I used to repair phones on the side back around the iPhone 4S. It was a great time, where anyone with patience and the ability to follow instructions could replace a screen (for <$10 depending on the device), camera, battery, etc. Most repairs were as simple as removing some screws, prying off the display with a plectrum, and replacing the part via its ribbon cable. Nowadays the barrier for entry is much higher. Most things are soldered on, there's adhesive and sealing gaskets EVERYWHERE (fancy heating machines help, but cost $$), and even if you get it back together you can no longer count on the device being waterproof -- which is surprisingly a big deal for a lot of people, even though waterproof phones are a recent thing.

nicoburns 6y ago
> you can no longer count on the device being waterproof -- which is surprisingly a big deal for a lot of people, even though waterproof phones are a recent thing. Waterproof phones might be a real thing, but dropping phones in water isn't. It used to be that certain clumsy friends of mine would write off a phone by dropping it in the toilet every few months. Most phones will survive this now.
- hawski 6y ago
  My wife's phone fell into water around four times. Only first time it was with original parts. Other times was after my somewhat sloppy screen replacements. Once after being underwater for half an hour I had to replace battery and eventually screen, because sometimes touch input did not work. Now the phone seem to be at the end of its life, but will probably work for another year or two.
jjoonathan 6y ago
I got comfortable with gaskets and gasket-making while working on cars. If the tech repair youtube still hasn't mastered this art I'd suggest looking at automotive youtube. Prepare the substrate, use the right silicone for your materials, use gap-preventing technique, and you can make it happen with high reliability even if you don't have an ultrasound to check your work. Your grandpa didn't have an ultrasound and his automotive gaskets had to put up with a lot more abuse than your phone ever will. There was no magic then and there's no magic now. You can do it too.
thedanbob 6y ago
I can't count how many iPhone 5, 5S, 6, and 6S's I've fixed. The golden age of iPhone repair. I've also done a 7 or two and one 8, but I think my phone repair days are pretty much over now. Even if the new ones weren't so repair-unfriendly, aftermarket replacement parts are almost impossible to get for a reasonable price. When they get the quote, most people would rather live with a cracked screen. And don't even get me started on iPads, the screens never go back on right. I flatly refuse to work on them anymore.

at_ 6y ago

I recently replaced my Macbook screen after living with a half cracked LCD for over a year because I had assumed it was impossible to DIY and a hefty charge was inevitable. I followed the relevant guide on ifixit and found the whole process pretty straightforward. I would have grappled with it much earlier if there was more messaging out there that says "hey, if you have nothing to lose, and more spare time than cash, you actually can fix these things yourself", because you totally can! And you also get to feel smug about it afterwards because you hear so much to the contrary.

fortran77 6y ago
A Macbook is a very different beast from a latest-gen iPhone.
- jjoonathan 6y ago
  It's different in that the latest-gen iPhone is a bigger challenge. It's the same in that loads of people say it's impossible when it actually just requires a new bag of tricks.
  - kipchak 6y ago
    Part of the confusion was over the T2 chips that were added back in 2018 that were reportedly[1] bricking computers if non genuine parts were used locking out independent repairers.[2] I'm not sure if that functionality is actually active though. [1]https://www.extremetech.com/computing/280501-apple-confirms-t2-chip-can-brick-macs-after-third-party-repairs https://www.extremetech.com/computing/280501-apple-confirms-... [2]https://www.ifixit.com/News/11673/t2-mac-repairs-test https://www.ifixit.com/News/11673/t2-mac-repairs-test
bserge 6y ago
Yeah, you totally can. Anything that's been assembled can be disassembled. But the number and complexity of tools has increased a lot. Used to take 2 screwdrivers to fix a phone or a laptop. Now you need special screwdrivers, a heat gun, pry tools, glue, small tweezers at least. And a whole BGA rework station if you want to replace components with a decent quality of work.

hawski 6y ago

I replaced screens 2x Moto G1, 4x BQ Aquaris X and 2x Pixel 1, also batteries 3x BQ Aquaris X, 1x Nexus 5x and 1x Pixel 1 and speaker on Moto G1. It all was not all that difficult, so that's why I bought my Pixel 1 used with broken screen. All parts coming from Aliexpress and last screen came surprisingly quickly (within 2 weeks). Though this new batch of tinker friendly devices like Fairphone or Pinephone is something I track with interest. Main issue with phones getting obsolete is not hardware though as it is software. That keeps me hopeful especially regarding Pinephone, but Fairphone keeps updates significantly longer than run of the mill Android phones. They are all too big for my taste, but that's a different subject altogether. I would like to see something in Unihertz Jelly 2 format. But for now I will stick to beat down phones.

alex_duf 6y ago
that's a lot of screens to go through!
- hawski 6y ago
  My wife helped ;)

Taylor_OD 6y ago

More anecdata here... Mom and Pop stores are good at fixing phones they see often and basically just watching Youtube videos for phones they don't see often. I had a hell of a time trying to get someone to fix my Blackberry (long story) a few years ago (longer story) even though every store said they could handle it. They could not.

fredophile 6y ago

I don't fix phones but I've heard that Apple is taking increasing measures to stop independent repair shops. Knowing what part to replace and how to do it doesn't help you if the manufacturer won't sell the part to anyone but Apple.

sschueller 6y ago

Apple is doing everything it can to prevent that. From firmware updates that bricks your phone if you replaced the screen finger print sensor or their shady 3rd party repair program which require NDAs and inability to get replacement stock.

Vrondi 6y ago
I cannot understand why people pay more money for the privilege of being abused like this by Apple.