I paid an actress to visit seven independently owned cell phone repair stores to have a broken iPhone 6 screen repaired. What I discovered was appalling. I rigged the phone with selfies, family pictures, contacts and fake text messages to make the phone look the part. In addition to being sold fake Apple products, I was surprised to find her pictures folder had been repeatedly accessed.
After each repair I disassembled the phone, rigged it with another broken screen and reinstalled my dummy load of fake data. Using iTunes as my basic forensic tool I was able to see when the phone was last backed up and when files and the operating system were last accessed.
Before I get too far into my results I need to mention that my company does not repair cell phones. We stopped performing these repairs after not being able to find a good source for replacement components. Manufacturers like Apple and Samsung do not sell replacement parts to third party repair shops.
Screen replacement times for an iPhone 6 are typically under 20 minutes and require removing six screws total. The screen pulls out from the microphone side and the new screen is snapped into place. Changing a screen on an iPhone 6 is a very simple smartphone repair.
Prices for the repair ranged anywhere from $75.00 to $140.00 at the shops she visited. Surprisingly the shop charging $75.00 repaired the phone while the woman waited and took approximately 15 minutes. Most shops asked the actress to leave the phone while they performed the repairs. The longest she had to wait was two days until the store replenished its inventory.
Six of the seven stores told her they were replacing her screen with an actual Apple replacement part. After examining each of the replacement screens I found none of them to be actual Apple parts. The low cost provider was the only vendor to explain that the part was truly aftermarket to keep costs low.
Most appalling was finding out the stores were accessing my actress’s information either by plugging the phone into a computer or accessing the files through the phone. iTunes lists the date the phone was last backed up and the “manifest” file within the iTunes backup lists when files and apps were last accessed. Pictures were the most accessed of all data.
You have several choices as consumers. First, go back to the manufacturer or carrier to have your phone repaired. Apple charges $109.00 to repair an iPhone 6 screen and is the only source for actual Apple parts. Second, you could do the repair yourself using kits from Amazon or eBay. These kits generally come with the necessary tools. Finally, if you’re worried about your personal data leaking and don’t want to tackle the job yourself, you can use one of the mall kiosks and actually watch them make the repair.
If you find your screen was replaced with an aftermarket and you were told it was a genuine OEM, you should take it up with the store owner. Tests to determine if the screen is real are listed in several videos below. Just remember not to leave the phone in the shop unattended.
I’m including some helpful links below:
Even though your screen may be installed already, you can easily tell the differences by referencing this video.
This test is an easy way to tell after your screen has been installed.
How to replace your LCD screen on an iPhone 6 video can be seen here.
(Jeromy Patriquin is the President of Laptop & Computer Repair, Inc. located at 509 Main St. in Gardner. You can read past articles at www.LocalComputerWiz.com.)