Why you can't fix your smartphone

[@zentouro]

I started working on this video in 2018 when my first generation google pixel was falling to pieces and I saw a poster about Right to Repair in a camera store. Thank you so much to everyone who I spoke to along that journey, for letting me into your repair spaces and taking time with me even if the video wouldn't see the light of day for several years. (All the in person footage was filmed in 2019,,, hence the lack of masks. Stay safe out there folks.)

[@JeremySmith-wc4lh]

Wow! 4 years for a video...

[@l0gic23]

You should pin your comment to the top for increased visibility.

[@zentouro]

l0gic23 oops, yup that is definitely what i meant to do. thanks for the reminder!

[@JosephDavies]

@@zentouro I'm glad you finally completed and shared it! This is an important fight that many of us have been in for a very long (decades, even) amount of time, and it's great to have a video like this to share in explaining it to people. I feel like we've been losing the war in the last ten years, but I'm hopeful the tide may be turning (or at least slowing...).

[@Marsk1tty]

My OG google pixel is also experiencing overheating issues, it's barely functional right now.

[@ItsRadishTime]

this is very cool! I'm useless with electronics but I am trying to get into a repair mindset by learning to mend my clothes, shoes, and bags.

[@goibh]

"The most sustainable phone is the one you already own" - according to Fairphone, who I believe, make the most ethical and repairable phone available at the moment.

[@Paulo44.01]

I wish I could get one, but apparently it's only available in Europe at the moment

[@12tone]

I'll never forget the time in college when the off button on my (at the time) brand-new iPhone 4 broke. I took it to the Apple Store and the technician immediately identified that the problem was just that the spring attached to the button had come loose, then said that he wasn't allowed to fix it but could sell me a new $400 phone. He also showed me a work-around to turn the phone off using the accessibility settings, and I used that work-around for like 7 years before the phone finally died, because the only other option was just buying a brand new one in order to replace a single spring.

[@zentouro]

well that is simply infuriating

[@odraudenoel]

It's Apple!

[@syber-space]

Thanks for covering this, especially as this has gotten worse and worse over the last few years. Between servicer-locked vehicles like Tesla and John Deere, paired and locked components in iPhones and other cell carriers with limited authorized repairs, and smart devices with cloud dependence and forced lifetimes, there's never been a more important time for right to repair. I repaired my Nokia 7.1 a year ago, replacing the charging port and battery with questionable replacements from ebay sellers (mic was almost unusable) and had to get in touch with a random Russian developer to hack through the manufacturer lock to unlock it for a version and safety upgrade. The knowledge and background needed for that repair was absurd. I'm a technology teacher, and I love teaching repair and showing older devices. We need this. Even if it isn't for everyone, repair is important.

[@paprika_ame]

This video is 🔥, and perhaps the BEST exploration ever done on the Right and Repair movement. I like that you took the extra mile to not just deal with usual talking points like climate change (which by all means is important), but also on areas like the ethics with our current labor practices and sentimentality. The people you've interviewed are clearly passionate and well-involved with the subject matter, and the perspective on sentimentality totally opened my mind. It's even more amazing that this was filmed so long ago!

[@brewster2462]

Hey sweet video! I'm one of Mike's good buddies and he mentioned recently on our podcast that he did video editing for this! Ya'll both did a great job, Right to Repair is super important and this helps get the word out and explains the issue very thoroughly.

[@zentouro]

hi! mike did an amazing job, i am wicked grateful.

[@garyi8284]

I am 70 years old retired Electronic and Computer Technician. My first Electronics courses dealt with vacuum tubes. I remember that people could go to a grocery store and test the vacuum tubes in their television sets, stereos, radios, and guitar amplifiers, and fix what ever themselves. I now volunteer for King County Solid Waste Division in WA, as a "FIXER". We repair a variety of items for free, to keep them out of the landfills. Repair events and Repair Caf'es are growing here in WA.

[@zentouro]

thank you for your volunteering! glad to hear the events are growing around the country :)

[@KatrinaEames]

This is very cool! Honestly I wish I could have repaired my old phone, I loved my old phone. Also I couldn't afford a new phone, so I kept using my broken phone for almost a year after it broke - despite the screen occasionally leaving pieces of glass in my fingers, the lower 1/3 of the screen display beign unreadable, everything being covered in this green light, it taking 9+ hours to fully charge and losing battery life in just 3 hours, the volume buttons being sticky, etc. etc. It was definitely well past the point that having that phone was dangerous for me, but because nobody could repair it and because I couldn't afford a new one I just kept using it even though it barely worked.

[@zentouro]

ugh that is so frustrating :(

[@KannikCat]

“You’d think that was ridiculous - because it is.“ Nicely put. :D I’m also really fascinated by the notion of our sentimental attachment to items. It’s something I’ve been aware of (we all have examples of it in our life), but never broadened or connected it with/to more ‘mundane’ items and the desire to keep and repair them. Very well done video, thank you!

[@zentouro]

thanks for watching and for your thoughtful comment!

[@tely5]

I have a refrigerator that is at least 30 years old and running fine. But new refrigerators have issues and break down all the time.

[@handlemonium]

Very well produced! I'm trying to decide what phone to upgrade to next: a Fairphone (modular, repairable, relatively more ethical) or a foldable. Hopefully repairability catches on enough for transforming tablets, phones and laptops too.

[@l0gic23]

Foldable phones seem like the new gimmick.... Like the ultra tiny but more easily broken

[@ClimateAdam]

infant incubators?? INFANT INCUBATORS?!?

[@zentouro]

RIGHT?! ACTUAL PURE EVIL

[@mydoggotshavedtoday]

I don’t believe you really ‘own’ a product if you can’t repair it. Which considering the generally hyper individual material mindset many Americans have should be enough to enrage people. I’ve had luck getting repairs done at a shop in the east village but outside of NY that kind of place rarely exists, you’re right. Same with all types of repairs. There are still cobblers in Brooklyn. I don’t know if many outside of that area. Instrument specialists are becoming an issue too for different reasons, how many harp techs do you know? And what is the solution

[@seanandernacht800]

This is great, super high production value and added impact with the input from other experts. Well done!

[@beskamir5977]

I've been keeping my Samsung S8+ alive despite the screen and USB port breaking. I replaced the USB port and put some thermal pads under/over the cpu, storage, ram, section of the board to fix the screen. Also as an added bonus the back comes off a lot easier now since I didn't glue it shut as strongly so the phone's a lot more repairable. The obvious loss in waterproofing is not that big of an issue for me.

[@sonmihae-joo6286]

Great video, thanks for covering this !

[@AntonWongVideo]

Great work on this subject! My Galaxy s8+ was purchased used as a 2-year-old phone back in 2019. I'm still using it today! battery is half of the life it once was but the device still functions perfectly fine! Wow, you started making this video 3 years ago? Now, I don't feel so bad for the videos that I've started but haven't completed!

[@zentouro]

that's amazing, i'm glad it is still chugging along. hopefully you can find a way to replace the battery if it gets even worse. and yeah, turns out starting a phd really messes with an already slow production process

[@IamTheHolypumpkin]

I recently repaired my phone, replaced basically everything except for the mainboard and the back case. Even kept the old battery and old screen. While the old battery couldn't hold enough charge for a phone. It's perfectly fine my hobby of mine to DIY IoT devices. Don't know what to do with the old screen, but I'll figure something out eventually. Generally don't try to throw electronic. Old charging cables are cut up to get the copper wire.

[@JeremySmith-wc4lh]

Great to see you're back!

[@zentouro]

thanks, trying over here :P

[@平和-v1z]

Outstanding work! Very well explained and with great interviews! I also love how you implemented the devices by using their screens!

[@FruchtcocktailUndCo]

Nice to have you back with such an amazing video! And you even found other advocates than Louis Rossmann :D

[@NathanButh]

One example of an industry that shifted in relation to repair dramatically are cameras. Often times if somebody has an issue with a digital camera their only option is to replace it. There aren't many people out there that do repairs and camera service. In the past however, there were many highly skilled technicians with the manuals, knowledge, and tools to reliably service analog cameras. To the point that there were even recommendations for how often to get your camera serviced in its owners manual, not unlike a car.

[@mik13ST]

I have my computer mouse for almost 10 years now, because I have learned to fix the buttons so they don't do double clicks. It never had any other problem. Also, I stay away from USB-C because it's too small and you cannot easily connect to the individual pins if you need to hack something.

[@ptarmigan1356]

It really annoys me that 'old' phones only a few years old don't receive updates even though they can work a long time still. I'm not sure what to do about this, I want it to change!

[@blakenathanielbookerthetru9958]

This is a very big issue and growing we should be able to repair the electronics and or recycle them so that the metals like nickel copper in some cases gold can be reused along with all the circuit boards and batteries

[@HebaruSan]

Our robotic vacuum cleaner no longer works because part of the plastic case cracked off and loosened the front wheel. Replacing all those perfectly functional components for such a small problem is the definition of absurd. Today is hot glue gun day, wish me luck!

[@zentouro]

good luck! i adopted and repaired my parents old robot vacuum. it's got its fair share of tape keeping it together :P

[@KarolaTea]

Such a great video, thank you!!! As an industrial electrician I also find it frustrating to just have to replace a whole unit, instead of trying to find that broken resistor. Replacing boxes until the lights are on again is boring, that's not why I got into this job lol. But yeah, even if there's no sentimental value attached, I'd usually rather fix the thing I already have an know. Sure it might have its annoying quirks (even if functioning state), but I already know those quirks, and having to figure out a brand new thing is just a bother. Also, the video next to this in my subbox is about a perfectly functioning 1876 sewing machine. Perfect neighbours. ("Investigating One of the Oldest Victorian Sewing Machines! 1876 Wilcox & Gibbs Chainstitch")

[@pseudonamed]

It's great to see that there are Right to Repair laws coming up around the world, we need to put the pressure on governments to support these laws

[@平和-v1z]

I wish we could still have the choice to buy phones with replaceable batteries... Swapping out an old battery shouldn't fall under repair, it should fall under basic accessible maintenance. Imagine having to take apart your car's fuel cap by heating it up to soften the glue, so you can refuel it, that would be n awful task.

[@zentouro]

I'm starting to feel old that all my first phones had replaceable batteries. I loved that, it was so convenient to just bring a spare battery rather than plugs and chargers.

[@平和-v1z]

@@zentouro Exactly!

[@melneedsherspace]

Great video! It highlights such an important and infuriating issue, while providing lots of opportunities to act. Thanks for the great content!

[@jacobparasite]

This channel is a gem :)

[@HBCrigs]

Not Just Bikes sent me! Great video!

[@zentouro]

oh wild! thanks for letting me know and thanks for stopping by!

[@StepBackHistory]

Hm, it seems that capitalism might be... Bad?

[@zentouro]

*le gasp*

[@tommimakinen2405]

One point with product longevity that I simply hate is the software issue. Especially in phones, that are still functioning well enough to keep going -but the OS license expires and you get no updates. This means that surprisingly quickly most apps you would like to use will start to have problems and simply won't be usable anymore. This is one gripe that I have when phone manufacturers inform that they have released a phone with "long lifespan" (like Fairphone or Nokia), and even if their hardware would keep the phone going for years, they have no OS support for more than 2-3 years. And that is still the same lifespan as I have had for cheaper models that have fallen out of usability for that exact reason. Not for breaking down, but becouse of lack of updates. And besides phones, my former workplace has similar problem with field research equipment -all OS systems are updating towards touch screen (which can be abysmal to use in the field when weather conditions are not optimal -simple rain for example) they are going to have to update all the hardware of the fieldworking equipment for less-optimal ones simply because newer OS doesn't support it anymore. That's hundreds of well working electronic devices that would still do the job just fine -propably even better than the sub-optimal touch-screen only devices. Personally I've decided that if any phone manufacturer decides to sell a repairable phone with subscription based OS, then no matter the OS itself, I will support that model (after my current phone dies) rather than buy another phone with maxed 3 year lifespan.

[@I.____.....__...__]

Lots of farmers have been pitching absolute fits for years because their machines will break down (but only by chance, toootally not by design 🙄), but there will be a backlog of repair orders, and they're not allowed to fix it themselves, so they'll have to try to manually harvest as much crops as they can (probably having to pay people to help) or just let that year's crop rot and go to waste while waiting for John Deere to send an "authorized" tech to fix it. In the meantime, food prices go up because that year's crops were wasted. Everybody loses except for John Deere. 😠 Worse, when the tech does come, it's rarely a mechanic to fix mechanical parts, it's usually just a computer guy who uses a secret code to reboot the vehicle's control software. As someone who slept in a tree for a month, I'm sure Kurtis is unhappy with the current state of affairs. 🤦 I wonder if someone can make something for John Deere devices like the Kytch that was made for ice-cream machines so that McDonald's and its ilk don't have to be slave to Taylor in the same way. 🤔 As for electronics, Apple is leading the charge to prevent people from being able to modify or change or repair _anything._ Louis Rossmann has documented a lot of Apple's anti-consumer tactics that have _NOTHING_ to do with safety or even trade-secrets, like locking the device to a specific genuine, first-party, authorized Apple part (eg swapping the screens on two real iPhones will no longer work 🤨). As Louis has explained, getting your products "fixed" official by Apple doesn't actually fix it, they usually just give you a refurbished replacement (eg one with a new battery) and throw the old one in the trash (along with your data because unlike a third-party repair shop, Apple doesn't care about customers and won't bother to back up or transfer your data 🤦). But then, what do you expect from a company that expects everybody to drop hundreds of dollars every couple of years on a new device that's barely any different form the last model? 🙄 Preventing the repair of hospital equipment is just absurd; it's no different form the Wannacry ransomware attack that hit the NHS and literally cost lives; how has that not had government intervention? 😠 As usual, Europe is leading the way. They lead the way protecting privacy and people's data with things like the GDPR, while North America lagged behind (a couple of US states have taken it upon themselves to legislate it for themselves since the federal government is dragging its feet, while Canada hasn't even mentioned it 🤦). Fortunately, Biden has already begun working to push for Right-to-Repair (Trudeau is probably too high to remember what a cell-phone even is). I'm glad they mentioned sentimental value. The world has had so much sorrow in it from things that have personal meaning being broken. Being able to fix things that have sentimental value makes the world better. This anti-repair movement by manufacturers is as feckless as anti-piracy attempts, it _never_ works, it will _always_ be cracked. Even HARDWARE DRM can and eventually will be cracked (viz the Xbox 260 "kamikaze hack" 🤯). It accomplishes nothing other than to frustrate, annoy, and piss off customers and make the world WORSE, all so that absurdly rich billionaires can get slightly richer and selfishly hog all the monies for themselves at the expense of the rest of the planet. 😠

[@barzie1000]

Great video! Have you considered buying a second-hand phone?

[@zentouro]

yes, definitionally. i try to buy most, if not all of my tech refurbished or used. unfortunately the timing of my old phone finally biting the dust didn't work out for replacement, but i'm planning on planning ahead better next time round.

[@JosephDavies]

It seems to me that manufacturer lobbyists trying to redefine repair as modification might be giving away their game. If a device that is built to fail and not be repairable is repaired beyond its planned lifetime, then that is inherently a modification from the point of view of the manufacturer who set that planned obsolescence date. It is no longer functioning as intended by the designers if it is made to simply continue working.

[@odraudenoel]

I love your videos! They are great :)

[@willemvandebeek]

I bought a Jolla phone from Finland, because of its high quality. The Jolla company, that chose quality over quantity, sells no longer phones any more, because they couldn't compete. :( Eight years later I still have and use my old Jolla phone, which is still working fine. I am looking at the moment to replace it, but it isn't really necessary yet. Currently I am keeping eye on the Pine Phone, because it uses Open Source software ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinephone ), but I have no idea if the hardware quality of this phone is good yet, because it is still very new and still in beta... we'll see I guess. :)

[@JugglinJellyTake01]

Given the complexity of electronic devices the amount of waste in the supply chain will be huge. Every step of manufacturing will see waste accumulate.

[@actual-spinster]

this is also a massive problem with adaptive/disability related technology!! & can be really dangerous ! i thought this was agreat rly useful video, thank you!

[@zentouro]

extremely true! a giant problem. the repair project works mostly fighting for repair for hospital equipment, but obviously it is an even bigger hurdle when it is adaptive/disability tech and you have to deal with it as an individual.

[@ChrisLhamon]

I'm betting you already know, but did you reach out to Louis Rossman? He has a big KZbin channel, has an unauthorized Apple repair shop, and does some work with the Right to Repair legal battles.

[@zentouro]

Yeah, I really appreciate the work Louis does -- but I figured his audience is well-informed on this issue already. If I'd added another interview I might never have gotten the video out :P

[@advityarajsingh]

Fairphone company helps you to repair your phone as much as you can

[@user-cv1jb9xv2p]

Thanks thanks a lot for the video

[@pardeepkumarsharma7916]

Attitudinal and Behavioral change is key. MNCs have linked newer VERSIONS with better status. We need to build consensus amongst ourselves, push politicians to launch awareness schemes and enabling legislation. Right to repair is socio economic and sustainable solution to this planet.

[@a.randomjack6661]

Do I really need a phone? I never needed a watch. I don't succumb easily to peer pressure, makes me feel free'er, a lill bit...

[@JosephDavies]

No, but phones are only an example that applies to a wide number of people. The underlying problem is much wider. People understand the concept of being able to replace a battery without destroying the device, so it's a good place to start.

[@seandepagnier]

step 1: dont buy apple products

[@killingtimeitself]

the biggest thing, and not even having to do with repair, that bothers me about this, is the blatant disregard for shelf life of these products. For example, im a computer nerd, i love computers and the associated hardware its my bread and butter. I have hardware that is 6 years old, and i only retired it a few months ago, not because it was too slow, not because it didn't work well enough, not because it was broken, but because i had obsoleted it with other hardware which happens to be newer. I also have hardware that is much much older than that. I have a machine running an i5 3570, from 2012, its over 10 years old at this point. Yes it's an old cpu, yes it struggles compared to modern cpus, you know what it does just fine though? Everything an average user would want and or need out of a computer. It wont do modern productivity work smoothly, but thats not what i use it for, i currently use it as a media box. It just exists to play media. It's more than capable. Yet for some reason, my three old phone, is somehow incapable of doing the very thing it was designed to do from the factory, a few years after release? Why? Why is everything so slow? You designed this software, it hasn't changed significantly, there is no reason it should be this slow to begin with. It is quite literally the definition of an engineered problem. There is no reason for your old phone to be slow and hot. There just isn't an excuse, it's bad software design and management in that case. Linux although it has its problems, is incredibly lightweight, and does everything, if not more than any other operating system needs to do. It is markedly faster than winows on a HDD, a fresh install of windows will take minutes to boot, a fresh lightweight linux install? Equivalent to windows on a sata ssd, after a year or two.

[@winterburden]

Yeah!

[@user-cv1jb9xv2p]

🙏🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@mirkofernd]

if the maker insists upon theier anual profitmargin then make them responsible for all following environmental costs!

[@yesterday1396]

Late capitalism what a beautiful thing.

[@adrontisin]

pixel 4

[@martinolausson9035]

I m waiting for the new Tesla pi phone😊🇸🇪

[@WastedContender]

can't solve that in capitalism. the sooner you all get it, the better. sry for being mean.

[@DwAboutItManFr]

I am not in favour of any governamental intervation, just stop recognizing any IP or right to restrict repairs which were allowed by the government.