
Motorola and iFixit partner to sell phone repair kits - SifJar
https://ifixit.org/blog/11644/motorola-ifixit-partnership/
======
bloopernova
I have a lot of respect for iFixit. They at least appear to have their heads
screwed on right, and the tools I've bought from them do really seem to be
good quality.

My only recent "complex" task that needed their tools was adding a hybrid
water cooler to a 1080ti GPU. Their stuff was great, and their customer
service has been good too. (EDIT: I meant to say, the addition went well due
to their tools, good quality stuff means easier job with tiny screws)

I'd love to see the right to repair/replace be enshrined in law. It's possible
to strike a balance between tiny components and being able to replace them. My
phone, a LG V20, is very thin, yet has a replaceable battery and is still
waterproof to a "certain extent" (MIL-STD-810G but I'm not sure what exactly
that means for waterproof-ness). Which is kind of amusing because I dropped
the damn thing in the sink for the first time ever this morning.

I'd love to see something like T-Mobile partner with iFixit and certify
particular phones to be user or expert repairable.

Hopefully this is the start of a larger movement in the world.

(EDIT2: I really didn't intend this comment to sound so public-relation-y. I
swear I'm not a product placement shill!)

~~~
chrisseaton
What does T-Mobile know about hardware repairability? They’re a carrier aren’t
they? They don’t have anything to do with any hardware.

~~~
toast0
To the extend that carriers curate the hardware they sell in their store (and
for some carriers, support on their network), they could provide some sort of
indication of how likely it is to be fixable. T-Mobile has a reputation of
caring slightly more about their users than other carriers in the US, so they
might be a good target.

Fixing phones could be a reasonable side business for their phones, so it
could work out as a win-win for them -- if you buy a fixable phone, they would
probably be able to fix it for you it's broken.

~~~
bradknowles
So, a shade of black that is slightly less black than VantaBlack™?

------
zubspace
I own a fairphone 1 and after I dropped it once I was able to order a new
screen. With instructions made by by the fairphone team I was able to fix my
phone.

I'm bitter though, because they soon switched development to fairphone 2 in a
higher price class and I'm left with android 4.2.2. Many new apps on the play
store stop being compatible.

I believe, something like this is only viable, if the phone maker guarantees
software updates for at least 5 to 10 years. Otherwise all that talk about
environment and all is just hot air.

~~~
Fej
I love the concept of Fairphone but I can't believe they're still selling
their phone for €530. It's worth maybe 1/5th that, if that. Is it just hubris?
I hope not, because even if their phones command a reasonable price premium
over competitors, it's worth it to some people. They're definitely filling a
need. It would be a shame if few of their phones get into people's hands
because they price them too far above cost (because, let's face it, it's
almost impossible to turn a profit as a small phone manufacturer).

~~~
akvadrako
That's what they need to charge to make money. I think it demonstrates how
repairability and fairness isn't worth it - I can just buy 4 equivalent phones
for the same price (like the Nokia 5) and throw them out when broken.

~~~
mrpopo
You're missing the point here. Repairability and fairness isn't worth "it in
the current world state".

In a true fair world, manufacturers would be charged for all externalities
(pollution from mining, paying decent wages that ensure people don't starve,
recycling thrown out electronics, etc), all phones would cost that. Currently,
those externalities are just ignored, with the expected consequences.

------
organsnyder
One (relatively small) criticism: there doesn't appear to be a way to purchase
the repair parts without getting the tools, as well. I already have a deluxe
toolkit from iFixit, so I'd be getting tools I don't need—ironically, leading
to some waste (though far less than disposing of a phone, of course).

Edit: never mind! There is a "part only" option for each kit.

~~~
kwiens
Glad you found the part only option. We sell both, but we find that 80%+ of
folks prefer to get the kit that guarantees a complete solution.

------
organsnyder
Looks like my next phone will be a Motorola! I'm tired of "upgrading" phones
every couple of years because the battery wears out.

~~~
nerdponx
FWIW, you can now get an official iPhone battery replacement for $30 on the
"last-gen" models, or for free with Applecare.

[https://support.apple.com/iphone/repair/battery-
power](https://support.apple.com/iphone/repair/battery-power)

It looks like on _some_ issues, we still have market power.

~~~
craftyguy
Only after apple was caught red-handed slowing down older phones to entice
users to upgrade.

~~~
balls187
That's a gross misrepresentation of fact.

Apple engineers slowed the CPU in the phone, in order to keep battery life
reasonable, and prevent the phone from restarting when worn batteries couldn't
deliver power. Windows does this with laptops.

Apple's mistake was not disclosing it. There an argument for user experience
that advocates making the best choice for the user and not over burdening them
with options.

~~~
addicted
It’s not just not disclosing it. Their geniuses would actively tell you that
the phone was not any slower and that you were imagining it.

~~~
Spivak
I'm not sure why you're expecting miracles from what are essentially sales
reps turned helpdesk. You have every right to be mad because they are
representing their company but we get senior engineers from MS that don't
understand basic things about Windows.

~~~
SmellyGeekBoy
I guess that makes it OK? "Whataboutism" at its finest.

------
omnifischer
FYI: Motorola is also friendly towards ROM development. You can easily unlock
bootloader and slap lineageOS/AOSP. Of course, for people from US - it may not
work if you have a carrier branded phone.

[https://motorola-global-en-
uk.custhelp.com/app/standalone/bo...](https://motorola-global-en-
uk.custhelp.com/app/standalone/bootloader/unlock-your-device-a)

~~~
amyjess
My only problem is that you can't unlock the bootloader without notifying
Motorola so they can void your warranty.

As much as I want to root my Moto X4 to get the notification LED back, I'm
waiting until my warranty expires next fall before doing so.

~~~
icebraining
Where do you live? I'm pretty sure that one can't renounce the mandatory
warranty for stuff bought in the EU, so if you live here, you should be OK
(but don't blame me if they're hard to convince!).

~~~
gowld
Modifying the software (for example, temperature-triggered CPU throttling?)
might move liability to the customer side, if the hardware's integrity is
software-controlled: [https://europa.eu/youreurope/business/dealing-with-
customers...](https://europa.eu/youreurope/business/dealing-with-
customers/consumer-contracts-guarantees/defective-products/index_en.htm)

" the injured party must prove that: damage took place, your product was
defective, the defect and the damage were linked."

"You bear no liability if you can prove that: he defect causing the damage did
not exist when the product was placed on the market"

~~~
Zeebrommer
That sounds quite reasonable. If you break something due to your own
modifications (hw/sw), the manufacturer should not be held accountable. The
trouble is of course proving that is was not due to the mod if the device
breaks.

------
zrobotics
I'm somewhat (pleasantly) shocked that it is Motorola doing this. I've been a
Motorola user for >15 years now, but my current phone (xt1650 moto z) had me
recommending family members to go for a different brand. I've always liked the
nearly stock android and build quality up until this one, which had me
convinced Lenovo was destroying the brand. Of 2 identical phones bought at the
same time, by 13 months I had 1) replaced 3 screens 2) replaced 2 batteries 3)
replaced 1 rear camera 4) replaced 1 USB-c connector

As well, this phone is just as bad as an iPhone for repairability, at least
IME.

Hopefully this is a trend for the brand going forward, parts availability was
always one of the downsides of Android (after 1 or 2 years, even alibaba
doesn't have any parts at any quality for many models). Additionally, I hope
this signals to designers that there is a market for phones that sacrifice
thinness for repairability and durability. It just depends on how many people
buy these parts. I know I would gladly pay a premium for an OEM battery, but a
market of 1 isn't significant.

~~~
dwild
I had the Moto X Play and it lasted nearly 3 years, the battery went bad,
which is to be expected. That was my only issue with it.

I currently have the Moto Z2 Play, no issue and it's been more than a year
now.

My experience is anecdotal, but so are yours. Are you just missing the fact
that you happens to drop your phone pretty often? It would still be crazy
because I do drop mine from time to time and never wear phone case.

------
DannyB2
> He challenged his engineers to design an inexpensive radio that could be
> installed in most vehicles

In the late 1970's, as a teen, I was given an old Motorola car radio. It was
all metal, greenish blue, no plastic. It had vacuum tubes! And it actually
worked. It was very well built. Like a tank. I opened it up for inspection.
When powered on, it made a very quiet buzzing sound. There was a "vibrator"
(yes that is what it was called), used with a transformer to get the high
voltages for the tubes. With just a short lead connected to the antenna
connector, it could receive nearby radio stations. It's speaker had the
impedance matching transformer typical of vacuum tube equipment I had seen in
TVs and radios.

As a teen I didn't realize how short life is and that radio might have been a
good thing to hang on to.

------
seniorsassycat
Partnering to make repair parts available is a good step but modern phone
design makes accessing the phones internals very difficult.

I had a Moto X4 that suddenly stopped turning on or pulling charge when
plugged in. I suspected the battery so I went to pull the phone apart. Here's
ifixit's guide to replacing the battery on a Moto X [0].

Modern phones don't have screws, they use clips and glue. Waterproofing
adhesive is popular on waterproof phones, maybe there isn't another way to
seal a phone, but that just looking at a phones internals will break the water
proofing. The battery on a Moto X is accessed from the screen side, removing
the screen requires a heat gun, cutting and prying on a fragile screen.

[0]:
[https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Motorola+Moto+X4+Battery+Replac...](https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Motorola+Moto+X4+Battery+Replacement/103231)

------
ingenieroariel
I recently got a Moto S2 Play and went the LineageOS route with no Google
Apps. With no IM apps installed I made it my house's router (small house) and
5-7 devices can happily connect to it. I really recommend it.

Lately I have been finally understanding how Open Source and right to repair
go hand in hand.

~~~
thekingofh
Cool, how did you connect it to the outer network?

~~~
ingenieroariel
Yep, WAN is unlimited LTE, which is around 25mbps (on a somewhat rural area).
This is 5 times more than available coaxial-based bandwidth.

------
ocdtrekkie
This is a really cool place for a company to situate themselves. I always felt
Motorola was the power user brand of the Android world, and there's something
very Radio Shack about being able to buy replacement parts for your phone.

------
jaytaylor
Perfect timing from Motorola; amidst all the Apple iPhone and Mac proprietary
repair nonsense, price gouging, and counterfeit replacement parts floating
around in lieu of official ones, this is a beacon in the darkness. Techies are
sure to appreciate the shift in philosophy from a well-established player like
Motorola.

The gap between various mobile phones is ever shrinking these days, this is
definitely enough to get me to give Motorola serious consideration for my next
device.

------
sct202
This is great! I have been looking at replacement batteries for my Moto G4,
and all of the ones available on Amazon/eBay have terrible reviews on the
quality.

------
pjc50
Nice! Although it's not clear from looking at the store whether this covers
all the most recent models or just some older variants of e.g. Moto Z?

------
qPkk4Bi
I've been out of the phone market for a while, but have we reached a point
were we're celebrating that we can pay $40 to buy a kit to change the battery
of a phone?

When and why did this become a thing? I remember screens being a pain to
replace, but the batteries just plopped right out.

Edit: Sorry, that came out more cynical than I intended. I'm just curious why
we did away with batteries that fall out.

~~~
icebraining
I own a Moto G, and you don't _need_ any special tools to replace the battery.
They just make it easier.

Also, the kit includes a new battery! It's not $40 just for some tools.

~~~
Fnoord
I had a Moto G2, and it was incredibly easy to break the up and down physical
buttons on it whilst repairing it.

~~~
abhiminator
I used to use a Moto G2 as well and I second this. My volume-rocker keys were
super wobbly, and literally popped-out in my finals days with the device.

------
tinus_hn
This is probably a try-out. 'Motorola' is just one of the phone brands owned
by Motorola Mobility, a subsidiary of Lenovo. Motorola Mobility produces
mobile phones and slaps whatever label marketing thinks appropriate on it,
which in some cases is 'Motorola'.

------
mark-r
I've been putting off getting my Moto X screen replaced - a small crack in the
corner doesn't impair my ability to see the screen, and the touch interface
works _most_ of the time. Just ordered the repair kit, thanks!

------
acd
Happy to read about that Motorola is taking an initiative to make their cell
phones repairable! We should not produce unnecessary amounts of electronic
waste, this surely is a step in the right direction.

Thanks to iFixit, Motorola and its engineers.

------
mkaziz
I used to own an original Moto G, and the only complaint I had was the crappy
camera. I would buy Morotola again if they made reasonable sized phones.

~~~
ricardonunez
The camera is the bad part on their phones. A family member has the X4 on Fi
and although miles better than the G line, it's still bad, especially on low
light.

------
Glyptodon
I was hoping one of the kits would offer USB port replacement. USB ports are
what always seem to wear out on my phones.

------
diggan
Seems like none of the new Motorola kits are available in the EU store. Anyone
know why?

~~~
kwiens
Simple logistics. We're launching them first in the US, then bringing them to
Europe. Stay tuned!

------
pbhjpbhj
>battery eliminators became obsolete //

Seems there would still be a [small?] market for them?

~~~
arya169
There's a small market for most obsolete things, usually not a profitable one.

~~~
pbhjpbhj
Aye, but even in the 80s/90s I'd have thought there would be a big enough
market for a mains-powered battery replacement; so "soon" after 1928 I'm
surprised the market disappeared.

I guess everything got designed for mains only.

