Apple has come under repeated criticism from independent repair specialists for making its devices incredibly hard to repair, which in turn forces consumers to go to Apple to get their devices fixed. However, one company has found a way to give iPhone users a way to get their iPhone screens repaired that can be less costly than the $149 Apple charges you to get your iPhone display repaired in one of its stores.
Fast Company informs us that independent iPhone repair firm iCracked has built a profitable empire for itself and has recently launched an official iOS app that lets customers request house calls from one of the company’s 500+ repair specialists to meet with them and repair their screen on the spot. The way the app works is refreshingly simple: You give iCracked your location, the type of iPhone or iPad that needs to be repaired and if you’re within a certain radius of a specialist, they’ll come out to meet you and work for to get your display replaced in an hour or less.
Although having a little more than 500 repair specialists on hand means that iCracked can’t be everywhere at once, the company is hiring new repair people all the time and its reach will only grow as it gets more customers. You should be warned, however, that iCracked will make house calls only for relatively simple repairs such as broken screens — if your iPhone’s internal hardware is broken, there’s a good chance you’ll have to send it into iCracked’s repair shop to get it fixed.
UPDATE: iCracked checks in to clarify what its repair specialists can repair on the spot. According to the company, “Our iTechs can and do nearly all hardware related repairs on-demand, not just screen replacements. The only real instance that it might be necessary for an iTech to take your device home with them or suggest a customer mail it in is related to water damaged devices.”
