You just put down your iPhone and the screen is broken. When your iPhone screen is shattered, it can be difficult to determine what you need to do, which repair option is best, or even if you need to fix it. In this article, we will explain what to do when your iPhone screen is cracked and walk you through the various repair options.
First of all, keep yourself safe
When an iPhone screen cracks or shatters, it usually has a lot of sharp shards of glass poking out. The last thing you want to happen after your iPhone drops is cut your hand on broken glass and go to the emergency room.
If your iPhone screen is completely shattered, take a piece of clear tape and place it on the screen.
If the screen isn’t too cracked, you may be able to skip this step until you know if the screen is usable or if you want to replace it.
Review the damage: how broken is it?
The next question you want to ask yourself is, how broken is the screen? Is it a simple crack? Are there some cracks? Is the screen completely shattered?
If the damage is minor, it may be worth visiting the Apple Store to see if an exception can be made – but these cases are extremely rare.
Apple does not cover physical damage to iPhones – there is always a service charge, even if you have AppleCare +. Most of the time, the points of impact are obvious and an Apple Genius can detect them immediately. If your iPhone screen is cracked then you will not be able to get out of it.
Find the best repair option for you
As an iPhone owner, you have a lot of different repair options – so many in fact that sometimes it can get overwhelming. In all, you have six main iphone screen repair options, and we’ll quickly walk you through each of the topics below.
Apple
If you have AppleCare +, a screen repair usually costs $ 29. However, if you don’t have AppleCare +, you’re probably going to pay at least $ 129 – and maybe up to $ 279. It’s just if the screen is broken.
If your iPhone sustains other damage, such as a bump or a crease in its frame, the cost of repair will be even higher. If you have AppleCare +, you’ll probably have to pay $ 99. If you don’t have AppleCare +, your bill could reach $ 549.
Apple also offers a repair service by mail, but the return time can take a week or more.
If you have AppleCare +, Apple may be your best and cheapest option. If you don’t have AppleCare +, or need to fix your iPhone screen right away, you may want to consider other options.
Local & Other “Come-To-You” Repair Services
A lot of people don’t know about this relatively new iPhone repair options which work very well for a lot of iPhone users. If you live in Waltham or cities near it like Boston, Companies like HFix Phones are some well-known local brands that from which you can repair your iPhone on the spot.
On-site repairs are generally as inexpensive (if not less expensive) than Apple repairs and are much more convenient. Instead of standing in the mall, someone is talking to you – your daily routine is not interrupted at all.
Also, some of these repairs come to you from companies that offer a better warranty than the one you will get from Apple, which is 90 days.
Local iPhone repair shops
Another option that is likely nearby is your local iPhone repair shop. As Apple products grew in popularity, more and more phone repair stores were opened.
Generally, I don’t encourage people to choose this option. You don’t know who is doing the repair, what kind of experience they’ve repaired iPhones from, or where the replacement screen came from.
More importantly, if an Apple Genius realizes your iPhone was repaired with a third-party display, Apple may refuse to repair it when you bring it in. In this case, you will have to buy a new iPhone or accept your broken one.
Fix it yourself
If you or your tech-savvy friend offers to fix it, or if you think you could replace the cracked iPhone screen, it might be a good option, but it usually isn’t.
Repairing an iPhone is a delicate process. Your iPhone contains dozens of tiny components. So it’s easy to make a mistake or leave something right. If a tiny cable tears, you might end up without your iPhone until you find a replacement screen or buy a new iPhone.
Plus, you have to use a specialized toolkit just to get started inside your iPhone.
If your DIY replacement iPhone screen goes wrong, don’t expect Apple to let you go. If Apple finds out that you’ve opened your iPhone and tried to replace a cracked screen, they most likely won’t fix your iPhone.
Even Apple geniuses make mistakes when fixing cracked iPhone screens – that’s the reason Apple stores are full of replacement parts. There are more issues in the Genius room than you probably imagine.
One more thing to consider: replacement screens don’t come cheap and it’s hard to know which ones are high quality. Professional repair companies like HFix Phones thoroughly test iPhone screens and offers pretty-sold time warranties on their repairs.
Final Verdict
Hope this article helped you understand which repair option is best for your broken iPhone screen. It can be extremely frustrating to find that your iPhone screen is cracked. So I wish you good luck getting it fixed whether you choose Apple, HFix Phones, or some other option. Leave a comment below and let me know how your experience with cracked iPhone screens and their repair went!
