Occasionally, the unthinkable happens: you get a little too confident watching YouTube videos in the bath, and the next thing you know, your phone is submerged in soapy water. Other times, you hear the sickening crack of your phone screen as you walk down the road, realising too late that your screen is cracked beyond recognition after falling right out of your pocket.
When one of these tragedies strikes, it can be tempting to reach for a packet of rice desperately or to frantically attempt a DIY repair. Thankfully, the tech experts at Likewize Repair are here to debunk the myths around at-home phone repair – from which techniques actually work, to what can happen if the wrong one is used.
- Leaving a cracked phone screen is fine
Dropping your phone is, sadly, just a part of life. Unfortunately, it can sometimes lead to completely smashing your screen and, despite the fact it makes the phone difficult to use, some people just choose to leave it.
This can cause more damage to your phone, as it means that tiny particles are able to get into the body of it. Your screen is extremely important – it shields the more vulnerable, delicate mechanisms within.
As well as this, having a cracked screen is a big fire hazard. As dust builds up in the cracks, it causes the phone to overheat, making you susceptible to burns or even electric shocks. You could also end up cutting your fingers, as eventually, the glass will not be able to hold itself in place.
If your phone screen is severely damaged, take it to a repair shop as soon as possible. Failing that, invest in a screen protector.
- You will be without a phone for a long period of time
Another common assumption when it comes to phone repair is that you will have to go without your device for days or even weeks.
This is, thankfully, very rarely the case. In most instances, you will be able to have your phone back on the same day as handing it in – assuming that it does not have to be sent off to a third-party company.
Even if your phone screen has been cracked, the device will only require longer than a few hours to repair if the impairment has reached the inside of the phone.
If the damage to the phone is particularly complicated, it may have to be sent to a specific repair centre. For example, if you have a very badly defaced iPhone, it could need to be sent to an iPhone repair centre for a number of days, in order for a specialist to evaluate it. 
- You can dry out your phone with alcohol
Isopropyl alcohol is commonly used (by experts) to revive phones that have been dropped into water. The alcohol forms hydrogen bonds with the water, getting into all the crevices of the inside of your phone and drawing it out.
Despite this, isopropyl alcohol can very easily over-dry the components of your phone which could, in turn, damage it even more. Using too much of this solution could also lead to corrosion of the battery, making the phone even hard to fix – or unfixable.
As well as this, lots of people assume that any alcohol can be used to fix a phone, which is not the case. This type of cleaning is always best left to the experts.
- Getting your phone fixed is very expensive
Arguably the main reason people don’t bother to fix their phones is due to the expense. However, fixing your phone does not always have to break the bank – and this is where insurance comes into play.
While having phone insurance may not be at the top of your priority list, it will almost always protect you from having to live with a broken phone. Insurance shields you from damage that is not covered by the warranty of your phone company, and can be as cheap as £2.80 a month.
If the damage meets the criteria and is within the time period of the phone company’s warranty, you could even get your device fixed for free.
- Fixing your phone will mean having to wipe your data
Many of us are guilty of not backing up our photographs and messages, meaning that our phone is the one place to hold such precious memories. Due to this, many people are reluctant to get their phones repaired professionally, as they are worried they will need to be totally reset.
However, this is only the case if the phone is completely broken and cannot be fixed – and even then, most mobile devices automatically upload pictures to the iCloud(if you have an Apple product), transferring them to your iPad or laptop.
Most of the time, your data will remain totally protected, as manufacturers understand how important it is to people.
