Your phone may have slipped out of the pocket and landed face-first onto the concrete. A tiny drop of water fell over the headphone jack, and now only one earpiece works at a time. Perhaps your iPhone’s battery life is shorter than the amount of time it takes to charge? Ultimately – we’ve all been there. Thanks in part to planned obsolescence, our phones tend to break down at a faster pace as time progresses, and iPhones are no exception.
The main difference, however, lies in what comes next: do you call the Apple Store or take matters into your own hands?
I’m going to propose a quick thought experiment: two timelines, one where you take your phone with a cracked screen to Apple and one where you don’t.
So, let’s say you choose to repair it by way of the Apple Store. As is customary, your iPhone purchase included a one-year warranty, which covers hardware repair. However, it’s a limited warranty, meaning you have to read the fine print to see if your exact problem, as well as the cause, are covered.
Alternatively, maybe you opted for the AppleCare+ protection package, which extends the warranty to two years from the purchase date. That way, for a small fee averaging out to $149, you get two instances of coverage for accidental damage, the most common type of damage, which the warranty typically does not provide. Those instances would still cost you from $29 to $99 per fix, depending on the type of damage inflicted.
Next up is getting your phone to the store – you can take it there yourself whenever you find the time or rely on shipping. After they receive it, you’ll get an estimated cost and be free to await further notice. The total cost for repairing an iphone cracked screen would come around to $149 to $179, depending on whether you have purchased the additional protection package. And that’s for an older model, since newer models would, of course, see a hike in prices.
Now for the other possibility: looking into available alternatives. For one, you could rely on the help of a professional unaffiliated with Apple. Amazon makes it extra simple thanks to Amazon Home Services. By connecting you directly to a professional who’s willing to agree to a convenient time, place, and costs for the repairs covered by a 90-day warranty from Amazon. This process cuts down the price to about $79. Additionally, the warranty is great for your peace of mind. The ability to come to an agreement directly with the expert working on your iPhone is pretty great too.
Even better, there’s yet another option you can take try your hand at a small DYI project. There are a lot of sites that offer all the components you’ll need for the job for around half the price of the typical total cost for the job, given by professionals like iphone battery replacement. As for the tools needed for the job – a screwdriver is usually all that’s necessary. If not, you probably have the ones you’ll need around the house somewhere, or your friends and family do. With the advent of the internet age and sites like YouTube and Instructables, there is, frankly, a silly amount of help available online to anyone attempting this. When it comes to repairing a screen, you’re looking at an hour, two at most, with a self-explanatory and streamlined process, all from the comfort of your own home. The final cost amounts to $49.
Now that we’ve seen both options, let’s answer some questions that may have arisen. Repairing your mobile device in a non-affiliated place does void your warranty, and that’s a valid concern. If you have already purchased AppleCare+, that is your best option. If you’ve bought a new, top of the line iPhone, it’s typically also better and cheaper to visit an official outlet. For everyone else, typically the provided warranty isn’t as necessary as you might think, and never gets used. Could it be risky to give your phone to a professional through Amazon or try to fix it yourself? That depends on the gravity of the problem, but if it’s something as small as fixing a cracked screen or replacing a battery – you don’t need to be worried. It isn’t a science; it’s more of a Lego building process.