March 2022 -

March 12, 2022February 20, 2022 Justin Drake Carroll Repair

7 Practical Ways to Finance Your Smartphone Repair

47% of people are embarrassed by their cracked iPhone screen. After all, it looks unprofessional and can even be dangerous, since you can cut yourself on the broken glass. You want to get it fixed as soon as possible, but what if the budget is tight this month? Since smartphone repair is a sudden expense you might not have budgeted for, it can be sometimes hard to finance the repair cost.

However, you have more finance options than you may think! To learn more, keep reading to find seven of the most practical ways to finance your smartphone maintenance, so your iPhone or Android looks as good as new in no time!

1. Use Your Credit Card

If you’re in desperate need of electronic help, one of the easiest ways to pay for your smartphone repair is with your credit card. Most of us have a credit card that we only use for emergencies, but a damaged phone definitely counts as an emergency!

We depend on our phones for work, connecting with loved ones, and even navigation to and from new places, so having a functional phone is essential to daily life as we know it.

If you’re worried about your credit card bill, aim to pay it off as soon as you can, once your next paycheck comes in.

Or, if you don’t have a credit card, it might be worth opening one to get your phone fixed quickly. Repairing a damaged phone will almost always be cheaper than purchasing a new phone outright, so you’re still coming out ahead and limiting how much you charge on your new card.

2. Ask a Friend or Relative for a Loan

It’s not an option for everyone, but sometimes you can finance your smartphone repair with help from a relative or friend. If they’re willing to loan you the money, this is a helpful way to get your device repaired quickly.

Just be sure to confirm the repayment terms in advance, so both parties know what’s expected of them. And always honor your deal, making sure you pay back your friend or relative as soon as you can.

One big advantage of a personal loan from someone you know and trust is that they generally won’t ask for interest, which will save you money in the long run.

3. Sell Some Unwanted Gear

If you love your smartphone, chances are that you have plenty of other electronic devices as well. However, many of us have old electronics that we’ve since upgraded, but no longer use.

Could you consider selling a few of your unwanted electronics? This can be an effective way to get cash fast and you can sell online on sites like Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, or Amazon.

It helps to concentrate on the gadgets with the highest resale values, like game consoles, iPads, Google Chromecast, and any vintage audio equipment, like record players.

Or, you could take them to a pawn shop, but they don’t always offer the most competitive prices.

4. Take Out a Personal Loan

Sometimes, smartphone maintenance and repairs come at the most inconvenient times, so if the money just isn’t in the bank, consider taking out a personal loan.

Many banks and private lenders will offer personal loans, even if your credit isn’t perfect. However, your bank is the best starting point, as they’ll usually have the most competitive rates.

5. Consider a Payday Advance

If you need a smartphone repair done as soon as possible, there’s not always time to wait for Friday’s paycheck. For urgent repairs, consider getting a payday advance to cover the cost.

Sometimes, your employer may be willing to help with this, as long as you’re a trusted employee. Or, consider a payday advance or loan.

Quite a few companies advertise and offer payday loans, but be sure to read the fine print first. This is because some offer high interest rates, so be sure to get the best possible rate—and then pay it off as soon as you can.

6. Ask About Payment Plans

Some repair companies might offer payment plans, allowing you to pay for the repairs in installments. While not always possible, it never hurts to ask and could help you pay for your repairs over time.

7. Trade in an Older Smartphone

When you bought your current smartphone, which now needs repairs, what did you do with your current previous smartphone? If you still have it, and it’s in working order, you might be able to sell it or trade it in.

Many electronics shops will buy pre-owned mobile phones that are still working, so consider selling yours if you need money to finance your repair. Generally, the newer the smartphone, the more value it has.

As a last resort, you might be able to move your SIM card into your old phone until you have the money to repair your new phone.

Contact Us for All of Your Smartphone Repair Needs

If your smartphone, tablet, laptop, or other tech gear is in need of some urgent repair, Fruit Fixed is here to help. We’re a skilled and friendly group of electronics enthusiasts, with seven locations across Virginia.

With a low price guarantee, we ensure the best possible smartphone repair price for our customers—if you find a better price, we’ll beat it by $5, because we know repairs can be a big expense. We use only the highest quality parts and pride ourselves on top-notch customer service.

March 7, 2022February 18, 2022 Justin Drake Carroll Apple

7 Common Apple Watch Problems and How to Fix Them

Around 43 million people purchased Apple Watches in 2020. Owning an Apple Watch offers many great perks, including the ability to receive your phone notifications on your wrist. These watches also track your heart rate, play music, and assist with navigation services.

While owning an Apple Watch is great, these watches experience problems from time to time.

Here are seven common Apple Watch problems that you might experience, along with tips on fixing these issues.

1. It Keeps Asking for Your Passcode

You shouldn’t have to keep entering your passcode on your Apple Watch, yet some owners find that this annoying problem happens to them.

Their phones keep asking for their passcodes, and no matter what they do, they can’t get it to stop. If this happens to your watch, you can try several things.

First, make sure you update your phone and watch with the latest software updates. After that, check your phone to ensure that it’s logged in and paired with your watch. You might even want to pair it again.

You can also turn the watch off and then on again to see if this clears the issue. If not, you might need to talk to a shop that fixes watches and offers Apple Watch maintenance.

2. Your Apple Watch Won’t Unlock

You might also need Apple Watch repair if your watch doesn’t unlock. You can try several methods to unlock it before taking it to a shop.

Many Apple Watch owners experienced this problem after the iOS 14.7 update. Fortunately, Apple issued the iOS 14.7.1 update to correct it. If you don’t have this update yet, download it to see if it fixes the problem.

You can also try two other methods if your watch doesn’t unlock. First, you can shut off your watch and phone and turn them back on. Secondly, you can unpair them and pair them again.

3. The Watch Doesn’t Turn on When Your Lift Your Wrist

One common annoyance with the Apple Watch is when it doesn’t turn on when you lift your wrist. Of course, the phone should turn on when you do this, but specific issues can prevent it from turning on.

When a watch malfunctions like this, you might need to adjust the settings in your phone. The main setting to look at is the Wake Screen setting, located in the General section.

You might also want to read through Apple’s Support Communities. You can find forums there with posts from users who’ve experienced problems with their watches. You can learn a lot from reading these.

Your phone might also need some electronic maintenance or repairs. If you can’t get it to work, bring it to a shop that offers Apple Watch repairs.

4. The Screen Comes Loose

Another common problem people experience with their Apple Watches is with the screens. The screen on the watch might come loose or even fall out. If it falls out, you might lose it and need a new one.

If your screen is loose or falls out, you can try pushing it back in place. However, this doesn’t typically fix the problem.

When the screen falls out, it typically happens from a battery problem. For example, the battery in the watch might swell up, which means it expands. As a result, the screen pops off.

If you have problems involving the screen coming loose, you’ll need professional help to fix it. You can find a shop that offers repairs for all models.

5. Your Watch Won’t Pair With Your Phone

Some Apple Watch users face problems when pairing their watches with their phones. You might get yours paired at first, but you might lose it.

The first solution for this is going through the pairing process again. If you try to pair it again, it might solve the problem.

Next, you might want to reboot your watch and phone to see if this makes a difference. To do this, press on the digital crown and sidebar simultaneously and hold for 20 seconds.

When trying to pair the two devices, make sure they’re close enough together. If they’re too far away, you’ll experience difficulties.

6. It Won’t Turn On

When your Apple Watch no longer turns on, you might have a problem that requires professional help. The Apple Watch battery might need to be replaced, or there might be another issue causing this to happen.

The battery might be fine in some cases, but the charging unit might not work. If you think you’re charging the watch but aren’t really, the watch might not be charged. As a result, it won’t turn on.

If you troubleshoot this issue, you might find the resolution. However, if your watch still won’t work, you’ll need to take it to a shop for repairs.

7. The Screen Breaks

While Apple Watches are highly durable, the screens can still break. A broken screen is not a problem you should attempt to repair yourself.

To fix a broken screen, you must remove the current one. Next, you must install a new one on the phone. Unfortunately, you’ll need the right tools to do this, and you’ll need to know what you’re doing.

If you make any mistakes while replacing it, you could damage the internal parts of the watch. Additionally, replacing a screen requires buying the right parts.

If you want an easy solution for a broken screen, find a shop that offers Apple Watch repairs. They’ll give you a quote for replacing the screen, and the watch will be as good as new when they complete the services.

Get Repairs When You Experience Any Apple Watch Problems

You might be able to fix some Apple Watch problems you experience, but others might require the help of a professional. You can get the electronic repair you need by contacting us.

We offer numerous locations in Virginia and can fix any problem you have with our low price guarantee. Use the contact feature on our website to get in touch with us at Fruit Fixed if you want to learn more about our services.

March 2, 2022February 17, 2022 Justin Drake Carroll Phone FAQs

8 Tips for Keeping Your Phone Battery Healthy

These days, phones are more than just phones. 97 percent of Americans have cellphones that they use — and this isn’t just because they like to communicate on the go. Our phones are portable dictionaries, encyclopedias, checkbooks, and calenders. However, mobile phones come with a serious disadvantage — batteries. Many people run around their daily lives with low battery anxiety. If you want to keep your phone working, you’re going to have to care about the health of your phone battery.

But how exactly do you take care of this pesky part of modern technology? Read on as we walk you through everything you need to know.

1. Stop Charging at 100 Percent

Of course, if you want to keep your battery healthy, you’re going to have to charge it. Our tradeoff when we switched from a connected-by-wires world to a mobile world was that we’d have to make sure we loaded up these devices with limited lives.

However, it’s possible to charge your phone battery for too long.

If you charge your phone after it hits 100 percent, you run the risk of overcharging your battery. If this happens, you’ll create unstable conditions inside of the battery, which can lead to reduced efficiency.

2. Run a Charge Cycle

To make sure that your battery stays healthy and calibrated, run a “charge cycle” every once in a while. This is when you let your battery drain completely to zero until it turns off. Then, let it charge all the way — without use — straight up to 100.

This will effectively remind your battery of its full capabilities. It will reduce those annoying severe drops that can happen when your battery isn’t very healthy.

3. Keep Your Phone Out Of the Sun

Did you know that direct sunlight can damage your phone’s battery? The effectiveness of a battery is vastly influenced by its temperature. This is why your laptop has fans to keep it cooled down.

If you leave your phone out in the sun, your battery could very easily get corroded. If this happens, you’ll notice a serious drop in the quality, efficiency, and charge of this phone’s battery.

The sun can also cause your battery’s fluid to evaporate. If this happens, you’ll see a similar drop in quality from your battery’s performance.

Heat can also overcharge your battery, which as we mentioned earlier, is never good.

On top of all of this, excessive heat isn’t good for any part of your phone. Leaving your touchscreen out long enough will cause your touchscreen to lose efficiency and might even cause data loss.

4. Close Your Apps

It can be hard to keep track of all of the apps you have open on your phone.

On your computer, you have a large screen to look at. Every one of your tabs and apps are evenly laid out.

This isn’t true on your phone. It’s easy to accidentally minimize a window instead of exiting out of it completely. You can go days without realizing that you still have this window open.

Certain apps drain a lot of your battery. If you have several of these open at once while running about with standard phone activities, you can cause your battery some serious strain.

Make it a point to clear out all your windows and apps at the beginning and end of the day. This will ensure that your battery stays healthy and doesn’t get overworked.

5. Get it Serviced

Sometimes, you have to simply admit defeat. If your phone maintenance mission has failed, you don’t need to fret. Realizing that your phone needs phone repair is also very important in making sure that your phone battery stays healthy.

Check out the electronic repair section of our website. From there, you’ll see that we’ll be able to repair the battery of any sort of smartphone you might have.

6. Limit Your Location Settings

GPS tracking services cause a serious strain on your battery. It’s impossible to completely get rid of these, as they allow you to use many of the contemporary technologies that we consider parts of our daily life.

However, your phone might be set to automatically always give out your GPS information. If this isn’t what you want, then altering your GPS and location settings can help you out.

Your phone’s battery-saving mode is already able to reduce certain GPS capabilities. If you want to save yourself some privacy and battery health as well, consider turning on your battery-saving mode.

7. Switch to a Dark Theme

If your phone has the capability of switching to a dark theme, you should try it out. The brighter and lighter your theme is, the more battery it will drain.

If you don’t want to go dark all the time, your phone might be able to automatically switch to a dark mode exclusively for the night time.

If your phone doesn’t have a dark theme, you might be able to improvise something. Set your wallpaper as simple and dark and you’ll notice results.

8. Limit Your Wifi

Your phone is largely automated to try to help you out. However, as we saw with location settings, this can end up damaging your battery.

Your phone might have a feature where it automatically tries to link up with whatever wifi is nearest. This can be annoying if you have a good data plan and simply want to use your data. It will also drain your battery.

Turn off this capability and you’ll see your battery performance improve.

Keep Your Phone Battery Healthy

Phone batteries are one of the most important — but one of the most annoying — features of modern technology. If you want to enjoy the amazing things that contemporary cellphones can bring you, you’re going to have to take care of your phone battery.

Make use of the above tips and you’re more likely to have a healthy phone battery.

For more information on the health of your phone, check out the rest of our blog.