iFixit is ending its self-repair collaboration with Samsung, just months before the second anniversary of their partnership. In a recent post, the repair company claims that the two entities were at odds, stating that “Samsung's approach to repairability does not align with [their] mission.” iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens told TheVerge that the collaboration ends June 17.
On that date, iFixit will no longer be an “official third-party parts and tools distributor” for Galaxy devices. However, components and repair kits for Samsung hardware will continue to be sold: “sourcing OEM (original equipment manufacturer) parts when available.” iFixit says it will indicate whether something is a genuine or aftermarket component in product listings.
The end of the partnership also brings additional changes. Customers will no longer be limited to purchasing seven pieces per three-month period and will now be able to purchase as many as they want at any time. Repair manuals for Galaxy devices remain on the website, but iFixit will no longer work with Samsung to write them or create internal guides.
However, community members are invited to share what they know about Galaxy hardware repair. However, as TheVerge notes, this could mean the manuals become “less detailed as a result.”
High prices
So what happened between them? Well, Kyle Wiens blames Samsung for a variety of reasons. The blog post even refers to his behavior as “stingy.” Wiens told TheVerge that people simply weren't buying Galaxy parts because A) they're expensive and B) Galaxy phones are difficult to repair.
Say, for example, you want to replace the battery in your smartphone. On the iPhone 11, this is really easy: simply purchase the battery and accompanying repair kit for $40 and then follow the steps provided.
However, Samsung does not do this. Instead, the tech giant glues a Galaxy battery to a screen and you can't separate them since it's one solid unit. As a result, it is expensive. – Replacing the battery of a Galaxy S22 requires paying almost $170. Then, to finish the repairs, users must download Self Repair Assistant, an app that is not available on the Google Play Store or Samsung's Galaxy Store despite what the manuals state. We review it.
TheVerge says you should head to the website of Encompass, another self-repair company, and download the APK (Android Package Kit) for Self-Repair Assistant there. Installing an APK is not easy, I say this from experience. It is a multi-step process that takes a while to complete.
Going forward
Wiens goes on to explain that Samsung prevented iFixit from helping local repair shops because of the seven-piece limit. In addition, they could not obtain official components for new models such as the Galaxy S23. All of that support went to Encompass.
iFixit attempted to collaborate with Samsung in good faith, but apparently the feeling was not mutual, so the partnership ended. In the future, the company says it plans to expand its Repair Hubs to introduce support for additional devices and initiate new collaborations with third-party vendors.
We've reached out to Samsung for comment and will update this story if we hear back. In the meantime, check out TechRadar's list of Pixel phones for 2024 if you're looking for an easy-to-repair mobile device.
