The situation
A customer decided to do a little DIY iPhone battery replacement instead of taking the phone into a cell phone repair shop. The result was disastrous: When pulling on the screen to remove it, the customer accidentally detached some wires lining the top of the screen. Their iPhone was left in worse shape than it was before the “repair.”
Getting to the root of the problem
Using our free diagnostic service, the customer was able to learn that their ill-advised DIY repair had ripped a digitizer off the device, which led to the camera and digitizer cables sustaining damage. The customer would not be able to use the phone until some serious repairs were carried out.
The solution
We determined that in order to restore the phone to full functionality, we'd have to replace the digitizer and camera. This repair was carried out by one of our technicians and the phone was then returned to the customer. The moral of this story is to recognize your repair limitations. When in doubt, leave repairs to the professionals. However, there are some hassle free repairs that iPhone users employ all the time. Here are two DIY repairs that will likely not cause further damage:
- Extracting water: If you drop your iPhone in water, you have to take proactive measures to remove the water from the device. That's where a plastic bag and some uncooked rice comes in handy. Because most people have those things in their kitchen cabinet, this repair can be carried out in the comfort of your own home. According to Gazelle, the water-damaged phone should be firmly sealed in the plastic bag filled with rice. The absorptive powers of the rice will do the rest over the next day or two. If it doesn't, though, then it's time to seek out a cell phone repair shop.
- Cleaning the headphone jack: Sometimes iPhone users encounter difficulty with their headphone jack. This could be due to a faulty earpiece, or it could originate in the jack itself. In the latter case, it's possible that accumulated grime is impeding earpiece connectivity. But that's nothing a little pin and some tape can't target. Find a pin that will fit in the jack without getting stuck. Then, take some double-sided tape, wrap it firmly around the head of the pin, and gently do a sweep of the jack. This is an easy way to get a stubborn jack up and running again.
In addition to these DIY solutions, it is important to take preventive measures to protect against damages. To avoid needing an iPhone screen repair, buy a protective case. And, in order to prolong overall battery life, make sure your phone experiences a consistent cycle of battery drainage and recharge. The notion that letting your phone charge all the time will somehow improve battery performance is false. To maximize your battery life, charge sparingly. One way to prevent overcharging is to have a prescribed time you charge the battery – perhaps as you sleep.