iFixit claims Samsung isn't 'serious about embracing repair,' ends partnership (Update)

Update: May 23, 2024 (3:56 PM ET): A Samsung spokesperson has provided Android Authority with the following response to the situation:

Samsung is committed to providing quality, accessible device care to our customers with flexible options to suit their needs, including walk-in, mail-in, and “We Come to You” services. For people who would like to take advantage of our self-repair program, we offer Samsung-certified parts, tools, and information for our qualified products in one easy place: SamsungParts.com, powered by Encompass.

We’re proud of the work we’ve done together with iFixit. We can’t comment further on partnership details at this time.

Original article: May 23, 2024 (1:19 PM ET): Two years after launching the Samsung Repair Hub in partnership with the Android phone maker, iFixit is ending its relationship with Samsung. It appears that iFixit blames Samsung for contract negotiations falling through.

In a blog post, iFixit announced the end of its collaboration with the tech giant. According to the repair company, Samsung’s approach to repairability no longer aligns with its own. The company went as far as to say, “We let them convince us they were serious about embracing repair.”

As iFixit explains, this means:

• Starting June 2024, iFixit will no longer be Samsung’s designated third-party parts and tools distributor.
• Also starting next month, we will no longer have a quantity limit of seven Samsung parts per repair shop per quarter.
• No existing information will be removed from iFixit, but we will not collaborate directly with Samsung to develop new manuals.
• We will continue to sell parts and repair fix kits for Samsung devices, sourcing OEM parts when available and clearly indicating whether parts are original or aftermarket. Just like we do for Apple repair parts.

Kyle Wiens, iFixit CEO and co-founder, told The Verge that one of the main reasons for the breakup is the price of Samsung’s parts. For example, the batteries Samsung ships come pre-glued to the phone screen, forcing customers to pay over $160 for a battery replacement. Conversely, battery replacements for an iPhone or Pixel are about $50. Wiens believes that Samsung’s parts are priced so high and its phones are so difficult to repair that customers are opting to simply buy new phones rather than repair them.

Another problem Wiens mentions is that the Samsung deal wouldn’t allow iFixit to help local repair shops. He highlights the fact that his company would be limited, only able to sell up to seven parts per customer in a three-month period. On top of that, Samsung reportedly hasn’t been providing iFixit with official parts for its newest phones since the Galaxy S22.

Despite the partnership coming to an end on June 17, iFixit plans to still stock Samsung parts and publish repair guides. However, Wiens notes that it won’t be working directly with the OEM for repair guides, so they may end up being less detailed than before.

While Samsung will no longer be working in collaboration with iFixit, it appears it will be working with another provider called Encompass. The site has a Samsung Self Repair Services page and offers most of the official repair guides.

In a related note, iFixit also mentions how it will approach teardowns related to Galaxy devices. In the blog post, the company says that you shouldn’t expect anything different:

Teardowns will proceed as normal—if the device is noteworthy enough (no pun intended), we’ll tear it down, and we still won’t pull punches on our repairability scorecard.

The company also plans to launch more parts in more countries for more devices, expand its repair hubs, and partner with third-party point-of-sale providers so it is easier to access repair content.

We have contacted Samsung about the contract falling through with iFixit and will update this article if we receive a response.