In any case, what are your options with such damage?

Well, you can take it to the Apple store. We’ll save you a trip and tell you what Apple will say. Apple does not repair the back glass. They will simply offer to replace the entire device, even if this is the only issue. A replacement device through Apple will run you anywhere from $349 to $599. All for a piece of cracked glass?! That’s madness!

The back glass is cemented to the aluminum frame of the iPhone, and removing it is next to impossible even with pretty intense heat. This is one of the main reasons that this repair is not offered by Apple, wireless carriers, or even most repair shops.

Enter our new laser machine:

With the help of this machine, we’re able to offer this repair for a much more reasonable price:

• iPhone 8/8 Plus, XR, X/XS, XS Max – $99
• iPhone 11/11 Pro – $129

This comes particularly in handy if you are trying to trade-in your device to your wireless carrier. Repairing the back glass greatly increases the trade-in value of your iPhone. With a broken back glass, your iPhone is worth only a small fraction of its actual value.

The procedure above takes about 3-4 hours. If you are interested, feel free to drop by anytime during our business hours. If you are too far from our Cambridge repair shop, feel free to mail it to:

BiR, LLC
1208 Mass Ave, Suite 5
Cambridge, MA 02138

We will repair your device the same day and have it shipped back the following morning.  We cover the cost of USPS return shipping and tracking.

If you are a repair shop looking to outsource repairs like these, contact us today – we offer volume discounts!

If you have any questions or concerns, shoot us an email (info@bostoniphonerepair.com), and as always, thanks for reading!

The post iPhone Back Glass Repair appeared first on Boston iPhone Repair.

Don’t waste your time waiting for an appointment or in long lines at Apple. Most of our repairs are complete on a walk-in basis within 30 minutes, at a fraction of the price at the Apple store!

Current Operating Hours

Monday – Friday: 11-7pm

Saturday: 11-5pm

Sunday: Closed

Most of our customers drop-off and pick-up a device, so there aren’t many direct points of contact with our environment or staff, but here are a couple of things we’re doing to prevent the potential spread of COVID-19:

• We have installed a large plexiglass separator at check-in
• Devices will be disinfected at both check-in and check-out with alcohol solution
• Payment is typically hands-free, either via chip card or Apple Pay
• All shop touch surfaces are disinfected ever hour or so
• Our shop very rarely has more than 1 person inside, but should there be more than 1 person in the shop, they’ll be asked to stand six feet apart
• Our bathrooms have soap and water if you’d like to wash your hands
• We’re offering curbside pick-up/drop-off for those who are not comfortable coming inside

If you do not feel well, we ask that you do not come in. No repair is worth potentially infecting our staff or others.

Stay healthy, stay safe.

The post COVID-19 Update appeared first on Boston iPhone Repair.

• Callers can’t hear you, and you can’t hear them
• Voice memos are greyed out or you cannot make a recording
• Speakerphone is greyed out or does not work
• Siri can’t hear you
• No sounds on video recordings
• Your iPhone takes very long time to turn on or is boot looping on the Apple logo

Due to their internal design, the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are prone to this particular issue where all of your sound will simply cut out.  The reason this happens is that due to physical drops, bends in the frame of the phone, or just bad luck, a pad called C12 loosens up underneath the audio IC chip.  Once this pad is loose, the audio IC chip cannot do it’s job.

Apple has not done much to address the issue, nor have they acknowledged this design flaw.  They will simply offer to replace your device for $300+.  Luckily, we are able to repair this problem by adding small micro jumpers to the affected pad(s).  The repair involves getting under a microscope and using a hot air rework station to remove the audio IC chip, reball it, and add a micro jumper to the C12 pad.

Below are some microscope shots of a reballed audio chip and the small micro jumpers at the top:

We offer this repair for $125, and it can be done in a few hours.  If you’re too far from our Cambridge repair shop, feel free to mail it to:

BiR, LLC
1208 Mass Ave, Suite 5
Cambridge, MA 02138

We will repair your device the same day and have it shipped back the following morning.  We cover the cost of USPS return shipping and tracking.

If you are a repair shop looking to outsource microsoldering repairs like these, contact us today – we offer volume discounts!

If you have any questions or concerns, shoot us an email (info@bostoniphonerepair.com), and as always, thanks for reading!

The post iPhone 7 Audio Repair appeared first on Boston iPhone Repair.

We use industry leading equipment and software to understand exactly how iPhones and MacBooks operate from the ground up – circuit by circuit, chip by chip, capacitor by capacitor.  This allows us to pinpoint even the most obscure motherboard issues and repair them for a fraction of the price that Apple or many other repair centers can offer.  Our microsoldering data recovery success rates have also skyrocketed.

Above is a recent iPhone data recovery job on an iPhone exposed to water.  Liquid damages iPhone and MacBook motherboards by bridging their live circuits.  This sort of damage is virtually spontaneous which is why the “putting your iPhone in rice” is a myth.  Once this happens, the only way to get to your data is to start from the bottom up – we get under a microscope and try to figure out which power lines are dead and restore them to working order, long enough to recover your data.  There are companies that charge thousands of dollars for this work and require months of time.  This particular case was complete in a few business days at a fraction of the industry cost.

Here are a few common issues that we see:

1. Touch Disease

• Devices affected: iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus
• Symptoms: gray flickering bars along the top of the display, touch input does not work
• Repair cost: $125
• Typical turnaround: 1 business day

2. Audio Not Working

• Devices affected: iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus
• Symptoms: no audio on phone calls, boot looping on the Apple logo
• Repair cost: $125
• Typical turnaround: 1 business day

3. Not Charging

• Devices affected: all versions
• Symptoms: iPhone will not recognize charger, typically occurs when low quality cords are used
• Repair cost: $99
• Typical turnaround: 1 business day

4. No Backlight or No Image

• Devices affected: all versions
• Symptoms: display is very dark, almost invisible
• Repair cost: $125
• Typical turnaround: 1 business day

As always, thanks for reading and don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions – we’re here to help!

The BiR Team

The post iPhone Motherboard Microsoldering appeared first on Boston iPhone Repair.

1. Keep your phone out of direct sunlight AND off the ground. The direct sunlight, and heat from the sand can cause real damage to your device. To protect your device you might want to cover it with a towel, shirt, or even stick it in a cooler provided you don’t put it at risk of getting water damaged. If your phone does happen to overheat (you’ll see a warning notification appear on your screen), move your phone to a cooler area, and try putting it on airplane mode or even shutting it off to allow it time to cool down.

1. 2. Close out of graphic heavy apps. Games, or apps that use a lot of power will add to the heat your phone is already generating. Didn’t you go to the beach to disconnect a bit, anyway?

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3. 3. Use dust plugs to keep those sneaky little grains of sand out of your phone’s ports. Not only can sand hijack the phone’s ports, but it can also scratch your screen. Keep a screen protector on, or better yet, invest in a heavy duty waterproof case. They should do the trick in terms of protecting from sand.

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5. 4. Even just a small amount of regular tap water can start the corrosion process going in your phone. But, seawater is even worse and causes corrosion to occur faster! Protect your phone from possible water damage by keeping it in a waterproof wrapping or case if you’re by the ocean. Its easy to find waterproof covers that hang around your neck that allow you to use your phone through the plastic; or even toss it in a ziplock bag.
   

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Now you (and your iPhone) are ready for the beach!

The post How to Keep Your iPhone Safe at the Beach appeared first on Boston iPhone Repair.

What

The 2018 BC Baseball ALS Game to help #StrikeOutALS, and support our dear friend Pete Frates

When & Where

More Info

Tickets are just $10 and proceeds will benefit the Pete Frates Home Health Initiative

 We’ll be holding down shop from 10-7 tomorrow, so we can’t make the game. But, if you happen to attend, pop in and let us know how it was. Thanks for helping #PackthePark4Pete!

The post You’re Invited! appeared first on Boston iPhone Repair.

E-waste is a bummer.

Did you know discarded electronics, otherwise known as “e-waste“, is the fastest growing waste stream on the planet? Now, take a guess at which country produces the largest amount of e-waste in the world. If you guessed the U.S., ding-ding-ding, you’re right. Our piles of tossed gadgets are the largest source of toxic metals in landfills, which needless to say harms our environment. To get a better idea of what we mean, in 2014 the U.S. churned out 11 million tons of e-waste! So what happens to our discarded tech? Just 12.5% of e-waste gets recycled, while the rest ends up incinerated or in landfills. Kind of a bummer, right?

Are you surprised?

It’s no surprise we produce so much e-waste. Think about the constant stream of new tech that keeps coming out. There have been fourteen – yes thats right – fourteen iPhone models released since 2007, which might explain why Americans generally hang onto their iPhones for a mere 18 months before upgrading to a newer model; thats 150 million abandoned iPhones every year. And thats just in the U.S.!

Reduce the impact!

1.  At BiR, we’re pretty fond of mother nature, so in honor of Earth Day, we’d like to share 3 ways you can help reduce the impact of e-waste on our environment.

1. Recycle old or unused tech

Even though it’s first on our list, recycling should be a last resort option, believe it or not. This is because electronics recycling is quite costly, and often times creates even more pollution (ie: methane emissions from recycling factories – oh the irony!). But if you’re choosing between the trash bin or recycling center, opt for recycling.

Where to recycle:
– Beyond the Bin Recycling Directory – check out the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection direct. Type in your electronic device and it’ll show you local recycling sites.
– Earth 911 – here you can locate nationwide recycling centers

If you’re looking to recycle for a cause:
– BARCC (Boston Area Rape and Crisis Center) – this organization accepts phone donations, sends them to a company to be refurbished, and uses reimbursement towards their mission to assist survivors, and their families.
– Dell & GoodWill’s Reconnect Program – for donating computers (they accept all brands)
– Secure the Call – this program gets cell phones to people in need so they can call for help in the event of an emergency

2. Resell or trade in old devices

Gazelle is a popular platform for selling, and buying used smartphones and other electronics. You can also try your luck on Craigslist or Ebay.

3. Opt for Repair

The greenest thing you can do is keep the device you have! With proper maintenance, your device can last years. If your computer seems a bit slow, you can always opt for an upgrade. Does your abandoned phone run out of juice too fast? A battery replacement might be all that’s needed. Opting to repair or replace faulty parts saves you money, and is a great way to keep our planet happy.

The post Earth Day 2018: learn about e-waste and how to help reduce its impact on our environment appeared first on Boston iPhone Repair.

“How do I choose an independent repair shop?” You’re in a rush to get to work and you quickly hop out of the driver’s seat. Before you know it, your phone has fallen from your lap onto the ground. Next, you take a breath and pray your phone is still intact. But, this time you’re out of luck. You decide to take your phone to an independent repair shop because you want to save yourself some time and money. Since there are tons of repair shops around these days, you find yourself wondering “how do I choose an independent repair shop?”.

This is a great question to ask considering the number of devices we re-fix every week due to shoddy repair work. When deciding on a shop, you will want to consider: the quality of a shop’s replacement parts, the cost of repairs, warranty (do they offer one?), and their reputation.  

1. Quality Replacement Parts

   

It would be nice if every shop used high quality parts, but the truth is most repair shops do not.  Knockoff replacement parts cost much less than their high-quality counterparts. Many shops choose to use these cheaper parts to boost their profits.  If you are shopping around for screen replacement, here are some signs that a part is low quality:

Blueish hue / Dimmed brightness / Unresponsiveness to touch

You can tell the replacement screen on the iPhone to the left is low quality due to the blueish tint. (image from St Andrew’s Disc Depot)

If the replacement screen’s brightness seems to have dimmed, and has a blueish tint to it, the part likely uses an aftermarket/Chinese LCD – this is considered poor quality. A screen with an aftermarket LCD may also respond poorly to your touch.

At Boston iPhone, we don’t take any shortcuts when it comes to parts. We source only the highest quality parts available on the market, and charge a fair rate for our work.

Repair Cost

 If the price of a repair seems too good to be true, then it probably is.  High-quality parts generally cost the same no matter who the supplier is. Shops that charge $20-$40 less than what most shops charge are able to do this because they buy inexpensive knockoff parts.  Keep this in mind when you think you’ve found a bargain.

Warranty

Another tell-tale sign of a shop that uses cheap parts are short warranty periods, or even worse, no warranty at all.  Reputable shops that use high-quality parts will offer a warranty of some kind.

A 90-day warranty is pretty standard in this industry. We offer a six month warranty on our repairs.

Shop reputation, and transparency

Can you find this shop on Yelp or Google? A trustworthy shop is open to making their presence known to the public, and allows others to provide public feedback. Check out our Yelp page for some of our reviews

On a separate note, you can tell you are being lied to if a shop tells you they use Apple parts! Unless they are an Apple service center, they will not have access to the same exact parts used by Apple. That said, a reputable shop will know how and where to source high quality parts, built to fit the specifications of Apple products.

By now, we hope you have a better sense of what to look for in choosing an independent repair shop, and as always, don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions.

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The post What to Look for in an Independent Repair Shop appeared first on Boston iPhone Repair.

How to Perform a Backup on iCloud

1. 1. 1. First, you need to connect to WiFi

2. Next, grab your iPhone and go to settings>iCloud>Backup and turn ON iCloud Back up

14. 3. Then tap Back up Now
15. 4. Afterwards you’ll want to go to iCloud>storage>manage storage
16. 5. Once you’re there, choose your device to see your most recent back up as a way to verify that the backup process occurred.
    

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Thats it! Keep in mind, that if you’re looking to protect music, or videos, not downloaded on iTunes or stored on your camera roll, you’ll need to run a more complete back up on iTunes as well.

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The post How to Back Up Your iPhone to iCloud appeared first on Boston iPhone Repair.

One of the worst moments is seeing the “cable is not certified and may not work with iPhone” message. Unless there is a minor glitch, this message usually means you are using a fake lightning cable. These knock off cables aren’t just a waste of money. They can overheat your iPhone and harm the power circuit on your motherboard.

Simply put, fake cables damage your phone. For this reason it is a good idea to spend a little bit extra to buy an Apple certified/MFi (made for iPhone/iPad) cable, especially since you spent so much purchasing your device to begin with.

Don’t be duped!

Since identifying a counterfeit cable isn’t always easy, its helpful to know how to spot them when you’re shopping.

3 Signs of a Fake Lightning Cable

(based on Apple’s support page)

1. 1. The faceplate appears white or black (it should have a metallic gray appearance)
2. 2. The USB surface looks rough (the authentic versions are nice and smooth looking)3. The plastic “boot” has an uneven width, length, and thickness
   

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To ensure you are getting a cable that 1. works the way it should and 2. won’t damage your phone, get your cable directly from Apple or purchase from a reputable brand like Belkin, Griffin, Anker.

You also want to verify that it is MFi certified.

One final precaution

To make matters trickier, sometimes sellers claim you are getting a brand name product, when in fact they are sneakily trying to sell you a brand name knock off. For example, you might order a cable on Amazon that has Belkin packaging, but once you open the box the cable looks like the fakes pictured above. To avoid falling for this sneaky scam, make sure your purchase is backed by a warranty. If you want more information on this topic, Belkin has a complete page dedicated to helping consumers avoid being scammed, and even have a form you can fill out in the event of a fraudulent purchase.  In short, when buying a lightning cable you want to make sure its the real deal.

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The post How to Spot a Fake Lightning Cable (and why you shouldn’t use it) appeared first on Boston iPhone Repair.