The Partnership Between Samsung And iFixit Is Officially Coming To An End From Next Month
iFixit is one of the most notable names when it comes to making repairs accessible to customers. Over the years, I’m sure I’ve used tens of their guides to figure out how to take apart a laptop that I’m not too familiar with or to help understand how to replace the screen or battery in a smartphone.
iFixit had a collaboration with Samsung called Samsung Repair Hub. However, that partnership is now set to come to an end because iFixit says “Samsung’s approach to repairability does not align with our mission”. According to the repair-focused company, they doubt Samsung’s commitment to making its smartphones more accessible to repair.
iFixit says that parts for Samsung devices were becoming so expensive that most customers made the decision to replace the entire smartphone as opposed to repairing it. In addition to that, the internals of Samsung smartphones remained glued together in a way that forced iFixit to sell certain parts like displays and batteries in pre-glued sets.
Because of this, the partnership has been officially announced to be coming to an end, despite a lot of effort from iFixit’s end, according to them. iFixit will no longer be the official third-party parts distributor for Samsung, and they’ll be removing the quantity limit per quarter for Samsung parts as well, all starting in June. Existing repair manuals will stay online but the company won’t be making any new ones in direct collaboration with Samsung. They will continue to sell parts and repair kits though.
What Was Samsung Repair Hub Even About?
If you didn’t know what Samsung Repair Hub was before it was ceremoniously laid to rest, then you might want to know what it was all about. Lasting just two years, Samsung Repair Hub was put together to make it easier for you to get your Samsung devices repaired through iFixit.
The first way was that iFixit became an official distributor for Samsung repair tools and parts, and could distribute these to third-party repair stores. They also made very detailed repair guides for Samsung phones, many in direct collaboration with the company. Some devices were even eligible for a self-repair program, giving you all the necessary tools to repair the smartphone at home.
iFixit was many people’s destination when looking for OEM parts from the company. You will still be able to get official parts for Samsung smartphones from iFixit, but they will now also start selling generic options, though each will be clearly labeled.
