Now You Can Fix Your Galaxy S21, Other Samsung Devices Yourself
Samsung's program ships you parts, tools and step-by-step guides to fix your own Samsung phones and tablets.
Samsung S20 and S21 owners can repair their own phones with Samsung's new program.
If your Samsung Galaxy S21 is malfunctioning or the screen has cracked, Samsung says it wants to help you avoid spending lots of money getting it fixed at a repair shop. The company has officially launched a new program to sell you the parts, tools and repair guides required to fix your own device -- a win for right-to-repair and sustainability advocates.
The program is starting small: Only owners of the Samsung Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S20 range of devices, and the Galaxy Tab S7 Plus tablet, will be eligible at first. Samsung plans to expand the program to include more devices, but it declined to say when or which gadgets, like its latest Samsung Galaxy S22 family, would be added first.
Consumers who want to fix their Samsung device can purchase parts and repair tools through Samsung retail locations, the Samsung 837 store in Manhattan and through iFixit. The self-repair website has partnered with Samsung for this program to improve its own repair guides and offer support through its community forum.
"Making replacement parts available is a key sustainability strategy. We're excited to be working
directly with Samsung and their customers to extend the lifetime of their phones,"
co-founder and CEO of iFixit Kyle Wiens said in a press release.
Eligible device owners initially will be able to replace their front screens, glass backs and charging ports, with more repair options added at some point in the future. Once new parts are installed, customers are encouraged to return the used parts to Samsung for recycling.
Read more: Samsung's Eco-Friendly CES 2022 Pledge: TVs, Appliances Will Pack Recycled Materials by 2025
Though Samsung is pitching the self-repair program as a more sustainable solution than buying a new phone, it's also convenient for people who want to tinker with their devices. For anyone who doesn't want to go through the trouble themselves, the company still offers a network of authorized repair shops across the US and a same-day repair service including vans that'll visit consumers to fix devices.
Samsung's program comes amid increasing pressure from advocates and governments pushing tech companies to let consumers fix their phones. More than a dozen US states have passed laws supporting right to repair, and US President Joe Biden issued an executive order in July for the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the issue. And with the European Union passing a measure a year ago that requires manufacturers of some appliances to provide guides and parts for third-party repair shops, the tide is turning on right to repair.
Big tech companies are responding to that pressure, and some beat Samsung to the punch. After years of allowing Apple product owners to fix their devices only at Apple Stores and authorized repair shops or have their warranties invalidated, Apple announced its own self-repair program back in November. Sometime this year (Apple hasn't confirmed a launch date), consumers can request their own set of Apple parts to fix their iPhones.
Read more: Apple's new self-service repair program: What it means for you and your Apple devices