iFixit Ends Samsung Repair Partnership, Cites Repairability Concerns

Highlights

• iFixit ends partnership with Samsung citing repairability concerns.
• High parts prices and bonded designs were major roadblocks.
• Existing repair guides remain; no new Samsung guides post-June 2024.
• iFixit continues to support repair-friendly practices and regulations.

iFixit, one of the most prominent right-to-repair campaigners, has cut a two-year agreement with Samsung to increase the Galaxy smartphone range’s repairability.

Despite pushing the repair-friendly process of paperwork and supplying the right stuff to small, local repair shops, there was a host of problems iFixit faced, which indicated that Samsung might not be that committed to accessible repairs.

Roadblocks Faced

The major roadblocks for iFixit included parts being exorbitantly priced, making it cheaper for users to replace gadgets than to repair them, and Samsung’s designs where the gadgets come bonded and require expensive pre-glued bundles to fix.

These considerations, together with a perceived lack of follow-through by Samsung on public repair programs, prompted iFixit to reconsider the partnership’s feasibility.

Changes in Effect

Come June 2024, iFixit will no longer officially act as a Samsung third-party parts and tools distributor.

Come next month, a single repair shop will be able to acquire an unlimited amount of Samsung parts per quarter.

Existing guides will remain on iFixit, but no new guides will be published in partnership with Samsung.

Community Empowerment

iFixit will continue to offer repair kits with Samsung components, sourcing OEM parts if it can and stating clearly if parts are actual or generic.

More than half of iFixit’s 100,000+ instructions are authored by the community of repair people, and it asks them to share their expertise.

The elimination of limits on part quantity will help repair companies that, until now, were hobbled by those rules.

Broader Repair Advocacy

iFixit remains committed to supporting repair-friendly practices and regulations, having just introduced repair parts for Kobo devices and added more than 10,000 new components this year alone, including laptop batteries and refrigerator ice makers.

Independent repair businesses are under threat from monopolistic actions that limit access to critical components and tools.

Future Initiatives

In the future, iFixit will continue to do more to help the world repair, such as starting Repair Hubs with existing partners, providing more parts in more countries for a wider range of devices.

It will be releasing new repairability scorecards for other classes of devices, and partnering with third-party point-of-sale providers to make repair content more easily available.

The decision to end the Samsung partnership highlights iFixit’s ongoing mission to prioritize repairability and consumer choice, even when faced with challenges from major manufacturers.

FAQs

Why did iFixit end its partnership with Samsung?

iFixit ended its partnership with Samsung due to concerns over repairability, including high parts prices and designs requiring expensive pre-glued bundles, which made repairs less accessible and affordable.

What were the main issues iFixit faced with Samsung?

The main issues included exorbitantly priced parts, designs where gadgets were bonded, requiring costly pre-glued bundles, and a lack of follow-through on public repair programs by Samsung.

What changes will take effect after iFixit ends the partnership?

Starting June 2024, iFixit will no longer be an official distributor of Samsung parts and tools. Existing guides will remain, but no new guides will be published in partnership with Samsung.

Will iFixit still offer Samsung repair kits?

Yes, iFixit will continue to offer repair kits with Samsung components, sourcing OEM parts when possible and clearly stating if parts are genuine or generic.

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