How to Fix Your Device During Quarantine

May 6, 2020

We are all depending on our computers, tablets, and phones more than ever right now. We need them to work from home and to keep ourselves entertained during the quarantine. So what happens if your device breaks? With many businesses shut down, even the phone’s manufacturer might be unable to repair it. Luckily, some companies have come up with innovative ways to help their customers during the lockdown. Here are the two steps you should take if your device breaks during quarantine:

##MISSING IMAGE##

1. Troubleshoot

First, you need to make sure that your device requires professional repairs. There are a few tried and true methods you can use to solve the problem yourself:

If your device is being glitchy or slow, try freeing up some memory space. You can use a cloud service or an external hard drive to save photos, videos, and documents and then delete them from your device. After you’ve done this, restart your device and see if it is functioning better. You can also try uninstalling recently installed apps and see if that helps. A corrupted app can cause all sorts of problems.

Take a look at your wifi bars and see how strong your connection is. Often a slow device is the fault of the internet connection, not the device itself. If you are having trouble getting a good signal, call your internet provider. You can also try moving closer to your modem and router.

If your iPad, phone, or computer are freezing, you can force them to restart. On a tablet or a cell phone, hold down the home button and the lock/power button at the same time until the device turns off and then restarts. For a frozen computer, hold the power button down until the screen goes black. Sometimes this forced restart will solve the problem by clearing the recent memory. If none of these things work or if your device won’t turn on, won’t charge, or refuses to force restart, move to step two.

##MISSING IMAGE##

2. Find a Professional

Once you’ve determined that you can’t fix your device yourself, you need to figure out what your options are in today’s world. If your device is relatively new and under warranty, you should try to call the manufacturer or carrier and see if repair services are available. Many major manufacturers have been forced to close plants and retail locations, so the availability of repair services may be limited, depending on where you live. If your device is not under warranty or you have determined that repairs through your manufacturer are not possible, try looking up local phone repair stores.

Many of these companies repair tablets and computers as well as phones. There are many options out there to choose from, and you should read reviews as part of your decision making process just like you would under more normal circumstances. You should also check to see what brands they repair and whether they offer a warranty on their repairs. Ask if they use new parts that are the same quality or better as the parts originally used in your device. Of course, right now, you also need to find out how COVID-19 has affected their store hours. Many stores have reduced hours or are requiring appointments during the pandemic. Fixit Mobile is offering mail-in repairs for their customer’s convenience, in addition to in-store services. All you have to do is contact them through their website to schedule a mail-in repair for your device. They will repair it as quickly as possible and then mail it back to your home. They also back their repairs with a 90-day guarantee.