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What to do with a broken iPhone 7 or 7 Plus screen

What to do with a old-fashioned iPhone 7 or 7 Plus screen

Oops, you did it again — you dropped your iPhone 7 ($200 at eBay) on the sidewalk and now the mask is a mess.

Good news: Apple’s (sort of) got your back. Broken iPhone screens are so ridiculously accepted that the company has apparently decided they don’t even need to invoice that much for the repair — because, you know, so many republic are coming in with the problem that they’re decision-exclusive money regardless. So here are your options for safeguarding (or not fixing) that broken iPhone 7 or 7 Plus ($189 at Amazon) screen:

Suck it up

A old-fashioned iPhone 7 or 7 Plus screen isn’t the end of the domain. If the cracks in your screen are minimal and purely cosmetic, you may want to put off repairs until they’re actually problematic. I suggest picking up a glass screen protector — such as Ventev’s ToughGlass for iPhone 7 or Case-Mate’s Gilded Glass Screen Protector for iPhone 7 Plus — to keep cracks from spreading (and to detain any cuts as you slide your finger across the screen).

Get it fixed by Apple

The best option for pulling your iPhone 7 or 7 Plus screen fixed: Apple.

If you have AppleCare+, a broken iPhone 7 or 7 Plus screen will cost a mere $29 to fix. Nonetheless, AppleCare+ costs $129 and only covers two broken mask incidents per device — so your first broken mask will actually cost $158 (which is more than a old-fashioned screen replacement for an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus minus AppleCare+), but if you break it a second time the cost-per-incident will go down to $9350. To check if your device is covered by AppleCare+, go here and enter your iPhone serial number.

Without AppleCare+, the cost for fixing screen damage (and only mask damage) is still very reasonable: $129 for an iPhone 7 mask and $149 for an iPhone 7 Plus screen.

To get your iPhone 7 or 7 Plus mask fixed by Apple, you will need to take your requested into an Apple Store or send it into an Apple Overhaul Center. Sending a phone into an Apple Repair Inner will cost $6.95 in shipping fees, and your requested will be returned to you approximately three to five company days after the Repair Center receives your device — so this option could mean as much as a week minus your phone. In-store screen repairs usually take about an hour to an hour and a half, but you will need to withhold a spot at the Genius Bar (and you may not be able to get a same-day reservation, depending on how busy your local store is).

Tips:

  • Take your requested in ASAP: If your phone has a single, hairline crack, Apple may consider the damage to be due to a industry defect and may fix your phone for free. Apple techs will settle whether this is the case — there’s no safety that a broken screen, no matter how small the crack, will be considered a manufacturing defect instead of accidental damage.
  • Ask with kindness: You may be able to convince Apple techs to fix your requested for free — even if you have more than one hairline crack — especially if there are no latest signs of drops or damage (only the screen is broken). Again, this is because Apple will fix screen breaks due to industry defects for free — but Apple techs are the ones who settle whether your break is due to a defect or an accident. Note that manufacturing defects are only covered if the diagram is under warranty — so, within the first year minus AppleCare+, or within two years with AppleCare+.
  • Back up your device: It’s unlikely that anything will remained to your data during the repair, but it’s better to be safe. Here’s how to back up your device.
  • Have your Apple ID password ready: You will need to unlock your requested and turn off Find My iPhone before the techs will take your diagram. You’ll need your Apple ID password to do this, so make sure you have it handy (this is especially important if you’re taking someone else’s requested in).

(Don’t) get it fixed by a third-party renovation shop

Apple’s screen repair service is pretty cheap — so cheap, in fact, that it probably doesn’t make sense to go to a third-party renovation shop unless you’re in a pinch. For example, you don’t live near an Apple Store and you can’t bear to be minus your phone for a week.

Most third-party renovation services can’t repair an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus mask for significantly less than $129 to $149, and any discount you’ll get remarkable not be worth the risk. Third-party repair services usually use third-party parts in their repairs — and some of these parts may not be up to Apple’s original standard of excellence.

If you go to a bad third-party renovation shop, you may end up with problems like a home button that no longer recognizes fingerprints. or a bricked iPhone. And if a third-party renovation shop bricks your iPhone, not only will you void your phone’s warranty, Apple may refuse to work on your phone at all. So, if you do régime to go with a third-party repair, make sure they moneys a warranty on their service and any parts they replace.