1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:10,320
iPhones are kind of fragile, soft aluminium, brittle glass, expendable batteries, not to

2
00:00:10,320 --> 00:00:15,840
mention all the chips inside, and so when it breaks, it can feel a little bleak, like

3
00:00:15,840 --> 00:00:20,120
it did for our graphic designer here, Sarah Butt.

4
00:00:20,120 --> 00:00:25,280
Last year, Sarah's iPhone 11 Pro started boot-looping uncontrollably, so she took it

5
00:00:25,280 --> 00:00:31,040
to the Apple Store, and it offered her a choice, pay the $550 iPhone repair fee, or

6
00:00:31,040 --> 00:00:34,880
pay a thousand plus dollars to buy a brand new iPhone 12.

7
00:00:34,880 --> 00:00:40,520
Well, she bought the new iPhone, which, understandably, made her sad.

8
00:00:40,520 --> 00:00:44,240
And it cost me my dignity. Perfect. Okay.

9
00:00:44,240 --> 00:00:51,120
Just get a sequence of like, I don't know, but thank you for letting me see your phone.

10
00:00:51,120 --> 00:00:53,720
RIP, little guy. Yeah.

11
00:00:54,360 --> 00:00:58,360
Jesus Christ. Oh, sorry.

12
00:01:02,360 --> 00:01:04,360
Do we have another broken phone?

13
00:01:06,360 --> 00:01:09,360
Oh my God, I'm so sorry, Sarah. It's okay.

14
00:01:09,360 --> 00:01:12,520
I mean, I actually did get AppleCare with this one. Oh, did you?

15
00:01:12,520 --> 00:01:15,520
Yeah, but...

16
00:01:15,520 --> 00:01:20,800
So, like, I had a different plan for like the repair video, but like, we could repair

17
00:01:20,800 --> 00:01:26,760
that. I mean, do you want to come and repair it?

18
00:01:26,760 --> 00:01:30,520
Do you have the repair kit here? It's like all set up. Really?

19
00:01:30,520 --> 00:01:34,160
I mean, we can. Is there a way to fix this? Yeah, yeah.

20
00:01:34,160 --> 00:01:41,600
I mean, we could. It's a good thing that Apple released their self-service repair program earlier this year.

21
00:01:41,600 --> 00:01:47,640
In response to years of dogged complaining from my colleagues, actually, about how opaque

22
00:01:47,640 --> 00:01:51,160
and difficult it is to do simple repairs on Apple devices.

23
00:01:51,160 --> 00:01:55,080
The company relented and gave us this.

24
00:01:55,080 --> 00:01:59,800
This may not look like the official website of an Apple-sanctioned repair program, but

25
00:01:59,800 --> 00:02:06,000
it is. And here, Apple lets you buy official parts and tools to fix any iPhone 12 or newer.

26
00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:10,560
And if you're not a repair shop, you can rent all the tools for your device for $50

27
00:02:10,560 --> 00:02:16,760
for seven days. It'll come all packaged up nicely and you'll need to make sure you return it in those seven

28
00:02:16,760 --> 00:02:20,200
days or else you'll get charged. It's okay.

29
00:02:20,200 --> 00:02:24,200
It's the end of the day. It's just a phone. You're just the nicest person in the world.

30
00:02:24,200 --> 00:02:27,560
I don't know how to read it this far.

31
00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:32,760
Well, you learn from the best like Linus, right?

32
00:02:32,760 --> 00:02:38,160
All this crazy, technical-looking equipment is necessary to repair your phone to Apple's

33
00:02:38,160 --> 00:02:44,840
exacting standards. From what I've heard, the iPhone 12 and 13 are now much more difficult to pull apart,

34
00:02:44,840 --> 00:02:49,480
requiring this heated display removal tool and corresponding cassettes.

35
00:02:49,480 --> 00:02:54,320
And then for reapplying, there's the whole press and plate system for the battery, adhesive,

36
00:02:54,320 --> 00:02:58,320
and final display. So you'll have to buy or rent this equipment.

37
00:02:58,320 --> 00:03:02,560
And if you want to buy it, say, to set up a repair shop like what we have here, it'll

38
00:03:02,560 --> 00:03:08,760
set you back around $1,700. And you'll have to spend time organizing everything.

39
00:03:08,760 --> 00:03:11,760
Let me show you an example of how confusing things can get.

40
00:03:11,760 --> 00:03:18,040
This is listed on the website and in my invoice as a 6.1-inch iPhone repair tray.

41
00:03:18,040 --> 00:03:23,920
This is also listed as a 6.1-inch iPhone repair tray, but this one is designed to work with

42
00:03:23,920 --> 00:03:28,560
the iPhone 13 and this one works with the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro, which means you have

43
00:03:28,560 --> 00:03:32,960
to literally put a label on everything just to figure out what's for what.

44
00:03:32,960 --> 00:03:37,120
But when you do have it all sorted, what you're left with is a pretty authentic-looking repair

45
00:03:37,120 --> 00:03:41,760
space. You get to play Apple Genius for a day, like Sarah.

46
00:03:41,760 --> 00:03:46,440
Ta-da! Whoa! So this is all the repair stuff.

47
00:03:46,440 --> 00:03:49,560
This is the evil scientist lab, it seems.

48
00:03:49,560 --> 00:04:00,800
It does look like it, doesn't it? This is everything you need to repair an iPhone properly, including a manual.

49
00:04:00,800 --> 00:04:05,800
Apple's repair manual is a pretty comprehensive document showcasing all the steps and tools

50
00:04:05,800 --> 00:04:10,120
involved with repairing the iPhone. And they're pretty adamant that you read it.

51
00:04:10,120 --> 00:04:14,120
For instance, if you want to buy a replacement part for your iPhone, you have to input a

52
00:04:14,120 --> 00:04:17,480
code only found in the repair manual.

53
00:04:17,480 --> 00:04:21,920
Flip the switch on the back of the heated display, the back, I don't really want to

54
00:04:21,920 --> 00:04:24,920
get up. There's a switch. Okay, I'll do it, I'll do it.

55
00:04:24,920 --> 00:04:29,200
Gently insert the iPhone into the heated display pocket with the display face up.

56
00:04:29,200 --> 00:04:33,040
My phone worked. Okay, there. She's in there.

57
00:04:33,040 --> 00:04:39,680
And now, we put on the heat-resistant gloves, align the cutout to the bottom pocket, which

58
00:04:39,680 --> 00:04:44,160
is this. And then, slide her on in there.

59
00:04:44,160 --> 00:04:47,520
Oh, it clicks in. It smells like something's happening.

60
00:04:47,520 --> 00:04:52,120
So apparently, it is much harder to open up an iPhone 12 and above than it is to open

61
00:04:52,120 --> 00:04:55,680
an older. The older ones can use this thing. Wow.

62
00:04:55,680 --> 00:04:58,680
Oh. Oh. Oh, you have 15 minutes.

63
00:04:58,680 --> 00:05:01,680
Oh, oh, to do what? Wait, turn the knob on the fixture.

64
00:05:01,680 --> 00:05:08,800
Do it quick. I think it's $50 to rent for a week that all the kids.

65
00:05:08,800 --> 00:05:12,720
That's actually not bad at all. So let's say you're out of Apple care. Okay.

66
00:05:12,720 --> 00:05:17,680
Your battery wears out and your screen breaks because your clumsy coworker drops your phone.

67
00:05:17,680 --> 00:05:22,640
Would you go to the Apple store and pay, I guess it comes out to probably $450 to get

68
00:05:22,640 --> 00:05:31,280
the screen and battery replaced, and let an Apple genius do it? Or would you pay around the same amount of money to rent the equipment and buy the parts

69
00:05:31,280 --> 00:05:37,880
and do it yourself? Well, we haven't quite gone to the point to see whether or not this works.

70
00:05:37,880 --> 00:05:45,960
Okay, okay. I've got too early asking that question. If it does, you know, it's kind of a fun experience to get down to the nitty gritty and do it

71
00:05:45,960 --> 00:05:49,800
yourself. Yeah. So I think it's worth a shot.

72
00:05:49,800 --> 00:05:53,800
Okay. Oh, there. There she is.

73
00:05:53,800 --> 00:05:58,720
Whoa. That's so cool.

74
00:05:58,720 --> 00:06:02,840
There's still some annoying limitations to Apple's self-service program.

75
00:06:02,840 --> 00:06:08,760
First off, it only supports anything from the iPhone 12 and made after.

76
00:06:09,120 --> 00:06:13,560
It only supports repairing the bottom speaker, the battery, the camera, the display, the

77
00:06:13,560 --> 00:06:21,520
SIM tray, and the Taptic Engine. Everything else, like the back glass, the logic board, you know, things that actually

78
00:06:21,520 --> 00:06:25,880
do break and are really annoying when they do, you can't fix.

79
00:06:25,880 --> 00:06:30,320
Which means for Sarah and her iPhone 11 Pro, which probably has a logic board issue, she

80
00:06:30,320 --> 00:06:35,480
wouldn't have been able to repair it herself anyway. How's it going over there?

81
00:06:35,480 --> 00:06:42,800
It's a work in progress. I have seen crazy looking laser machines that can remove the back glass from an iPhone shell,

82
00:06:42,800 --> 00:06:47,160
but it's not a straightforward repair. And there's no repair manual for it.

83
00:06:47,160 --> 00:06:53,320
Likewise, Sarah's iPhone 11 Pro most likely has an issue with the Face ID ribbon cable.

84
00:06:53,320 --> 00:06:59,160
That'd be nice to fix too. It says don't damage the flex cables, but I think they're good.

85
00:06:59,160 --> 00:07:03,360
I feel like a secret spy, like hacking the main frame here.

86
00:07:03,360 --> 00:07:09,960
Oh yeah, you've got the black shirt on. Hacking the battery is arguably the most dangerous part of the process, and Apple does everything

87
00:07:09,960 --> 00:07:13,840
to scare you into caution in the repair manual. This is the scary part.

88
00:07:13,840 --> 00:07:21,000
This is the part. It's kind of funny that this is the scary part, yeah. This is the part where we could die.

89
00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:28,200
We could have an emergency. That box of sand underneath the desk is there because it's the only way to deal with a fire

90
00:07:28,200 --> 00:07:39,560
were to happen. If Apple were so concerned about the danger of battery removal, why then have they made

91
00:07:39,560 --> 00:07:43,440
it so hard to pull the adhesive with the tweezers they recommend?

92
00:07:43,440 --> 00:07:46,440
Oh, oh, you did it!

93
00:07:46,440 --> 00:07:49,440
Wow. That's tough. Yeah, right?

94
00:07:49,440 --> 00:07:59,120
No! Success! They're just so small.

95
00:07:59,120 --> 00:08:06,080
I know, okay.

96
00:08:06,080 --> 00:08:09,080
No!

97
00:08:09,080 --> 00:08:13,680
I have like hawk eyes, so I might be able to climb it.

98
00:08:13,680 --> 00:08:16,680
Oh really? Yeah. I have 2020 vision.

99
00:08:16,680 --> 00:08:21,000
so I might be able to find it. Yeah, yeah, I have 20, 20 vision.

100
00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:25,320
So we should probably talk about costs again, because it's not exactly economical

101
00:08:25,320 --> 00:08:29,080
for individual users like Sarah. Sarah has AppleCare Plus,

102
00:08:29,080 --> 00:08:33,980
so this fix would only set her back $30. Going to the Apple Store without AppleCare Plus

103
00:08:33,980 --> 00:08:40,920
would set us back $280 for the screen and another 70 for a battery, so around about 350.

104
00:08:40,920 --> 00:08:44,760
To do it yourself with the equipment rental and necessary parts, the total comes out

105
00:08:44,760 --> 00:08:49,800
to $20 of savings. If you return the broken parts for credit.

106
00:08:49,800 --> 00:08:52,360
Oh, here it is. Oh, where? Right here.

107
00:08:55,240 --> 00:08:58,440
But let's just talk about the repair process. Okay.

108
00:08:58,440 --> 00:09:04,320
How was it putting, doing this? I enjoyed it. I felt like a scientist. And now it's so rewarding afterwards

109
00:09:04,320 --> 00:09:08,360
because I did it properly. Yeah. Now, would it be worth, is it worth

110
00:09:08,360 --> 00:09:11,440
as we determine it costs around the same amount of money? No, the answer is no.

111
00:09:11,440 --> 00:09:15,320
It wouldn't be worth it. Important display message. Unable to determine if your iPhone displays

112
00:09:15,320 --> 00:09:19,360
a genuine Apple part, it is. Go to the settings for more information.

113
00:09:19,360 --> 00:09:24,420
Settings. So yeah, hit settings. So what you have to do if you replace your phone screen

114
00:09:24,420 --> 00:09:30,040
or battery or camera is you need to go through a system configuration process, which means

115
00:09:30,040 --> 00:09:35,640
you have to go onto the website and deal with someone in the Apple Chat, which is kind of annoying.

116
00:09:35,640 --> 00:09:40,280
So now I have to go through that. Yeah, no, I did it.

117
00:09:40,280 --> 00:09:44,520
And it sure is an experience. Am I chatting with a bot?

118
00:09:44,560 --> 00:09:49,880
This, by the way, is taking multiple days and sessions of chats because when something doesn't work,

119
00:09:49,880 --> 00:09:54,440
they kind of give up on you and you have to wait a bit before you can try again.

120
00:09:54,440 --> 00:09:58,440
I was having troubles putting my phone into diagnostics mode, but it turns out

121
00:09:58,440 --> 00:10:03,000
that the up volume button on this phone is broken, which may be our fault.

122
00:10:03,000 --> 00:10:07,480
Nonetheless, the screen and battery are approved and Face ID works.

123
00:10:09,920 --> 00:10:14,720
Now, about getting that credit back, it's another bunch of chats.

124
00:10:14,720 --> 00:10:20,320
If you just replaced a normal part, you should be able to print a shipping label no problem.

125
00:10:20,320 --> 00:10:24,280
But because we replaced the battery as well, my only option is to arrange a pickup

126
00:10:24,280 --> 00:10:29,360
to get the full refund. If I just replaced the battery, I could bring it to a local recycling depot

127
00:10:29,360 --> 00:10:34,560
and I guess tell them that I did it. It's not entirely clear how all this works.

128
00:10:35,400 --> 00:10:41,000
Am I gonna have to contact Apple to be like, hey, or are you gonna do that for me?

129
00:10:41,000 --> 00:10:45,080
So, that wasn't your phone.

130
00:10:45,080 --> 00:10:45,920
What?

131
00:10:49,040 --> 00:10:49,920
This is your phone.

132
00:10:53,400 --> 00:10:57,320
We bought a broken phone that was exactly like your phone

133
00:10:57,320 --> 00:11:00,320
and then pretended to break your phone,

134
00:11:00,320 --> 00:11:03,480
but didn't break your phone. Your phone's fine. I told you, your phone was fine the whole time

135
00:11:03,480 --> 00:11:08,440
I was saying your phone is fine. It was a prank. It was a prank.

136
00:11:08,440 --> 00:11:12,600
What? I'm so confused.

137
00:11:12,600 --> 00:11:14,440
How did you do that? How did...

138
00:11:16,160 --> 00:11:17,480
Well, I had a bit of help.

139
00:11:19,760 --> 00:11:23,040
I had Jake back up your phone and do a restore on the...

140
00:11:23,040 --> 00:11:26,040
I can't believe you tricked her the whole time.

141
00:11:26,040 --> 00:11:29,520
I figured she'd find out. No, I was just like... She was being really good.

142
00:11:29,520 --> 00:11:32,760
She was really good. I'm trying to feel bad. She's so nice.

143
00:11:32,760 --> 00:11:35,840
She's one of the nicest people in the world.

144
00:11:35,840 --> 00:11:39,600
I think it's the one thing we've learned in this video. Sarah's so nice.

145
00:11:39,600 --> 00:11:44,000
Thanks for fixing this Mac Address. If you think that you can fix your own iPhone like Sarah did,

146
00:11:44,000 --> 00:11:50,200
well, give this video a like. And if you wanna watch more prank videos, then you might as well subscribe to Channel Super Fun.

147
00:11:50,200 --> 00:11:53,880
Now, I'm curious, do you think Apple's self-serve program is great

148
00:11:53,880 --> 00:11:58,680
or do they need to go a bit farther, including more devices and more things to fix?

149
00:11:58,680 --> 00:12:02,000
And would that actually make things any better? Comment below.
