Repairing Samsung Devices Becomes More Difficult Following End of iFixit Partnership

iFixit and Samsung initially joined forces to provide a repair program directly to customers. However, after two years, the two companies have decided to end their partnership.

It has been announced by iFixit that their partnership with Samsung has been terminated. This collaboration had previously allowed iFixit to provide official spare parts and comprehensive guides for replacing various components such as displays, charging ports, and others on Samsung phones and tablets.

Despite only being in operation for two years, the program has already come to an end, with iFixit directly attributing this outcome to the South Korean company. iFixit has expressed skepticism towards Samsung’s dedication to their self-repairing program, citing consistent roadblocks that raised doubts about their commitment to improving accessibility for repairs.

This termination of the partnership also implies that iFixit will cease to be the designated third-party distributor of parts and tools for Samsung as of June 2024.

iFixit has confirmed that it will still offer Samsung device parts and repair fix kits for sale, and will not delete any current repair guides from its site. Furthermore, the company has stated that it will not enforce Samsung’s restriction of selling a maximum of seven parts per customer within a three-month period in the future.

According to iFixit CEO and co-founder Kyle Wiens, in an interview with The Verge, Samsung has been providing them with more costly spare parts. As an illustration, he mentioned that the South Korean company has been sending pre-glued batteries with the display, resulting in a cost of $160 for the customers. In contrast, iFixit offers batteries for iPhones and Google Pixel devices at a much lower price of $50.

According to a report from 404media, Samsung has imposed strict regulations on independent repair shops and service center operators, allegedly requiring them to disclose personal information of customers. This requirement is stated in Samsung’s contracts, which specify that partners must share details such as customer complaints, names, and contact information.

The contract purportedly requires partners to promptly dismantle any phones that customers have provided and to promptly inform Samsung of the use of third-party parts by the customer.

Meanwhile, Samsung has announced in a statement to Android Authority that it will still provide repair parts for its products via Samsungparts.com, which is operated by Encompass, a different repair partner.