iFixit is ending its DIY collaboration with Samsung, where the parts company has provided users with genuine Samsung parts and repair guides.
iFixit has been at the center of an effort by several companies, including Samsung, to offer DIY repair services to customers. The two companies worked together for two years before ending their agreement after iFixit questioned Samsung's commitment to self-repair.
“Two years ago, we launched iFixit's Samsung Repair Hub with the goal of building an incredibly repair-friendly ecosystem,” said Scott Head, operations and logistics supervisor at iFixit. Masu. “We aimed to establish the gold standard in repair documentation and provide local independent repair shops with the tools and parts they need to thrive, all while keeping Galaxy devices up and running. .
“Despite our best efforts, we have not been able to deliver on that promise.
“As we tried to build this ecosystem, we always faced obstacles that made us question Samsung's commitment to making repairs more accessible. The design of Samsung's Galaxy devices also failed to deliver at meaningful prices and quantities, and many consumers chose to replace their devices rather than repair them. It remained frustratingly glued, forcing us to sell the battery and screen in pre-glued bundles, increasing costs.”
Head went on to say that Samsung relied on flashy press releases but provided little follow-through.
“Despite skepticism from the repair industry, we worked with Samsung to create a repair manual for the first few devices,” Head added. “But flashy press releases and ambitious initiatives are nothing if you don’t follow through. We previously worked with Samsung on Galaxy Upcycling, a great device reuse idea that we helped introduce. Then they stopped communicating with us and never announced it. We clearly didn't learn the first lesson. It convinced me that they were serious about repairs.”
Head also reassured users that iFixit will continue to support Samsung devices as it did before signing a formal agreement with the company.
“That being said, Samsung phones clearly need repairs,” Head explains. “There's no need to worry about that. We'll continue to sell Samsung parts as we've always done since 2015, long before we entered into our partnership. We have no plans to create the Galaxy Guide in-house. No, but we encourage everyone to continue sharing what they know about repairing Samsung devices with our community. In fact, more than half of our 100,000+ guides are written by our in-house team. And for our repair shop customers, we no longer suffer from the crippling quantity limits you've always complained about.”
The exec went on to say that iFixit is determined not to let one bad apple ruin everything the company has worked for, which is why it is now ending its relationship with Samsung.