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Do-it-yourself repair company iFixit is ending its partnership with Samsung in June.
iFixit said there were numerous problems that made it “doubt Samsung’s commitment” to accessible device repair. Official parts were often so expensive that it was easier to simply replace a phone than service it, iFixit’s Scott Head noted. He added that many Galaxy devices were “frustratingly glued together” down to the parts. You had to buy batteries and screens in already-glued bundles.
It also wasn’t possible to get components to local repair outlets in reasonable prices and volumes, iFixit said.
The company will still offer existing repair manuals, but won’t work with Samsung on new examples. It will still sell parts and repair kits, including original items when possible, and won’t cap the number of parts at local repair shops each quarter.
iFixit opened its Samsung Repair Hub in 2022, giving technically experienced users a way to repair devices like Galaxy S smartphones. As Hood argued, though, Samsung and iFixit already had a problematic history. iFixit helped introduce a Galaxy Upcycling initiative in 2017 to help reuse old devices, but the program that launched in 2021 bore little resemblance to what the companies had discussed years earlier.
The hub has also so far been limited to officially sanctioned Galaxy S22 parts. The Verge pointed out that owners have to go through another provider, Encompass, to fix the Galaxy S23 and current-generation foldables.
Samsung told Techopedia it was “proud” of its collaboration with iFixit, but couldn’t comment further at the moment. It remained “committed” to strong device support, including self-repair through Encompass.
Samsung isn’t expected to run afoul of “right to repair” legislation now that iFixit is parting ways. However, the split comes as Apple is ramping up its self-repair program. You can now fix an iPhone with used parts, and more of its products are designed with repairability in mind. iFixit’s partnerships with Google, HMD, and Motorola are still intact, too, so those might prove important if you want to buy an Android phone with iFixit support in mind.
