Before your repair: five minutes that saves the visit

Most repairs go fine with no preparation at all. But a handful of things can stop a job being finished on the day, and every one of them takes a couple of minutes to sort out beforehand.

Back it up

Screen, battery, port and camera work doesn’t touch your storage, and we don’t need your data. Back up anyway. Any repair involves opening a device that is already broken, and the honest position is that nobody can guarantee a device that’s damaged.

If the screen is too broken to use, say so when you book — sometimes we can get a backup off it first.

Know your passcode

This is the one that most often stops a repair.

A technician has to power the device on and test the repair — touch across the whole screen, cameras, speakers, charging. On a modern phone that can’t be done from the lock screen. Without the passcode, we can fit the part but we cannot confirm it works, which means you’re accepting an untested repair.

If it’s a family member’s device, or one you’ve inherited, check you can actually unlock it before the appointment.

Turn off activation locks — but only if you’re selling

You do not need to turn off Find My or your Google account for a normal repair, and you shouldn’t: it’s your device’s theft protection.

What matters is that you can sign in if asked. Some repairs on some models prompt for the account after a part is replaced, and a device you can’t sign into is a device we can’t hand back working.

Charge it if you can

Twenty percent or so is plenty. A completely flat device takes time to reach the point where it can be tested, and on a battery replacement we need to see it charge afterwards.

Clear a space, and mention the awkward stuff

For on-site visits: a table, a chair and a plug socket is all that’s needed. It takes about a metre of desk.

Worth mentioning when you book, because it changes what we bring:

• It’s been opened before, by you or another shop. Not a problem — but screws and adhesive may be missing, and that changes the job.
• It got wet, ever. Even months ago.
• There’s a case that’s hard to remove, or a screen protector you want kept.
• It’s not your only fault. If the screen is cracked and the battery is dying, quoting both at once is cheaper than two visits.

For mail-in

Same list, plus: remove the SIM and any memory card, and don’t post the charger unless we’ve asked. Pack it so it can’t move inside the box — a phone loose in a big carton arrives worse than it left.

If it’s liquid damaged, leave it switched off rather than powering it up to back things up. There’s more on why in the first-hour guide.

Ready? Check the price for your model, or book a visit — diagnostics are $50 either way, credited toward the repair.