DIY Phone Repair: How to Repair Your Own Smartphone

Today, smartphones have become indispensable tools that we use and carry around with us every day. Unfortunately, the sheer amount we use them makes them vulnerable to accidents and damage. From dropping a phone into the toilet to flinging it across the room while trying to open the curtains, everyone has experienced at least one heart-stopping moment of wondering whether they’ve just ruined an expensive and vitally important device.

While smartphones are made to be quite durable, they are far from unbreakable. Accidents happen, and over time, the cost of having the damage professionally repaired can really add up.

Have you ever wondered whether it might be worth trying to repair your smartphone yourself? Well, the answer is yes, but with a few caveats!

In this article, the repair experts at Recycell present DIY fixes for common types of smartphone damage!

How to replace a broken phone screen

If you’re a real tech enthusiast and you have the right tools for the job, fixing a broken screen on your phone is easy enough. There are plenty of online tutorials that explain in detail how to repair your screen.

However, the procedure is quite risky, because you have to completely disassemble the unit to change the screen. The level of difficulty of the repair also depends on what type of smartphone you have. For example, Samsung Galaxy phones are more complicated to repair because you have to remove the back glass as well as the front.

In short, it can be done, but given the complexity of the task, it’s best to prevent the damage from happening in the first place by getting a screen protector.

DIY repair for a faulty headphone jack

Is the sound coming out of your headphones when you plug them into your mobile device worse than it used to be? If so, you may have a problem with your headphone jack.

Don’t panic! Repairing a headphone jack is quite simple.

The main reason why headphone jacks malfunction is because dust and particles accumulate inside them. You can simply send a few bursts of compressed air into the jack to dislodge the debris. Special cleaning tools are also available!

However, if the problem persists after cleaning, the phone will need to be disassembled to completely change the jack. Again, you can do this repair yourself if you have the right tools.

How to replace your camera lens

If you drop your cell phone, it’s quite possible that the camera lens on your cell phone will break.

While this type of damage may seem severe and difficult to repair yourself, it can be done! In fact, for some smartphone models, you don’t even have to remove the camera from the motherboard to change the external lens. Just look for an online tutorial and follow the instructions carefully to carry out this DIY repair successfully!

DIY fixes for a phone with a short battery life

If you find that your phone battery is dying too quickly, there are several quick fixes you can try yourself before resorting to replacing the battery entirely. First, restart your phone or manually close the apps you aren’t using to ensure that they aren’t draining your battery.

It’s also a good idea to try updating your OS—if you’re using an older version, it may not be performing optimally. To save battery, you can lower your screen brightness and disable push notifications on as many apps as possible to prevent them from running constantly in the background.

How to cool an overheating phone

A lot of the issues that cause battery drain can also make your phone overheat, so many of the DIY fixes mentioned in the previous section may also work for an overheated phone. Apps, particularly mobile games and video players, require a lot of power and can make your phone heat up fast. It’s best to use them sparingly, close them when you’re done and give your phone a rest in between.

You can also try removing your case, which may be trapping the heat emitted by the device and worsening the problem. Note that if your phone gets too hot to touch or heats up when it’s not in use, it’s time to replace it!

How to fix a wet phone

If your phone gets wet, the first step is to get it out of the water as quickly as possible. The longer it’s wet, the greater the risk of damage. As soon as it’s out of direct contact with water, turn it off. If your phone’s battery is removable, take it out immediately. The goal of these measures is to prevent a short circuit.

Wipe your phone down with a dry towel to remove as much moisture as possible. Then, you can use compressed air, a fan or silica gel to finish drying the device. It’s best not to use heat, which can cause further damage. Make sure not to charge your phone or turn it back on until it’s completely dry!

Is your phone irreparably damaged? Get a replacement at Recycell!

In the end, you don’t necessarily have to spend an astronomical amount of money to repair your smartphone. With the right tools and the many resources available online, some DIY phone repairs are well within reach!

Is your phone too damaged to be repaired? Maybe it’s time to replace it!

At Recycell, we buy and restore used phones so that we can offer them to consumers at a fraction of the original price. Take a look at our wide selection of devices and check out our blog section for more tips on how to maintain your phone!