Santa leave any electronics underneath your Christmas tree? Any of those gifts already making their way to the naughty list? Nick Mitsingas and Angela Marie Tayco, owners of Phone Guy Repairs in Raritan, discuss common issues they see with phones, tablets and gaming devices and the best way to fix them—fast.
Broken Glass Blues
Mitsingas: Although you can buy online kits with screws, screwdrivers and tutorials on fixing screens yourself, it is best to seek professional help immediately. There may be shards that can get on your ear or fingers. A professional can open up the device and see if the glass penetrated the battery or cut a wire. Depending on how the phone or tablet was dropped you may need to replace the frame as well.
If the frame is damaged and you only replace the screen, the new screen will break easier as the damaged frame puts tension on the glass.
A good case like from OtterBox or Speck—which have excellent scores on drop tests—will help prevent damage.
Charging Port Troubles
Mitsingas: Every time you plug your device into a charging port you introduce dirt and lint. This can cause the wire to wiggle and prevent the device from getting a full charge. You can try to remove the compacted dust by gently using a paperclip. If that doesn’t work, take the device to a professional.
Water Woes
Mitsingas: If your phone comes into contact with water, immediately turn it off and completely submerge it in rice in an airtight container or Ziplock bag. Leave it there for a day or two. It’s not a complete solution, but as long as the container is airtight—and this is the key detail—the rice will absorb some of the moisture.
However, if you have time to be without your phone for that long, you would be better off bringing it to a professional to open it up, assess the damage and start cleaning it right away. Let them know what liquid it came into contact with as substances—drinking water, toilet water, puddles, alcohol—can affect the devices differently. Even water you think is “pure” is usually not; there are often minerals that can cause damage over time. So, your device might be fine initially but then start acting up six months later if it was not properly cleaned.
Keep on Gaming
Tayco: To prevent overheating, house your gaming consoles in an open area where they have their own space and keep the vents and fans clean of dust.
The Nintendo Switch is one of the most frequent broken devices we see since they are handheld and thrown when kids get infuriated kids. Handheld controllers also eventually lose their quality. See a professional when you start seeing the joystick dragging to the left when you’re going right, for example. However, the cost to fix a control is about the same as it would be to replace it with a new one.
Offbeat Issues
Mitsingas: Some customers have noticed that the camera on their iPhones vibrate when they take a photo or video. We realized they all have one thing in common: They ride a motorcycle and store the phone in the center of the bike. The vibrations from the motorcycle had affected the springs inside the camera.
Prolong Your Tech’s Life
Mitsingas: It’s important to use your devices’ original chargers and cables. Third-party chargers are fine to use if you are in a pinch, but many do not have the right chipset to properly regulate the power. So, you’ll charge your phone for a few weeks, then notice that your battery is dying within two hours. Using the brand charger and cable will fix the issue and prolong your tech’s longevity. Also, do not use your portable charger on a daily basis. These are made for a variety of devices—not specific to your device—and over time they can do damage.
Use the sleep mode only when you are away temporarily. Otherwise, shut the device down to allow it to rest without having operations working in the background.
Treat your devices with care. Put charging cords in with finesse—don’t jam them in. And if you do need to seek professional help, don’t be embarrassed to tell the technician exactly how the device got broken or what type of liquid it came into contact with. We can help you best when we understand the circumstances.
Learn more about how to protect your tech at phoneguyrepairs.com.