Mobile

Google will soon send you parts so you can fix your own Pixel phone

The program will start later this year.

by
Joe Rice-Jones
April 8, 2022

Image: Unsplash

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The big push in tech right now appears to be self-repair, with Samsung and Apple both getting on board. The latest giant to join in is Google, which is going to offer parts and tools to repair Pixel phones.

It’s all part of a collaboration with iFixit, and it’s coming later this year. When live, the program will offer genuine Pixel spare parts for purchase; from the current Pixel 6 Pro flagship, all the way back to the Pixel 2.

Common repair tasks like replacement displays, camera replacements, and battery changes will be available, and will also come in kit form with all the tools you need.

The program will be available in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, and those EU countries Google sells Pixel phones in. For those of you who prefer a professional to handle things, Google says it’s making it easier for independent shops to get hold of the parts they need.

google pixel phone broken down into parts on table — Image: iFixit

Google also says it “evaluate[s] each new Pixel model on how easy it is to repair.” That’s so it can make repairs easier for the technician, or now for home users. The company also has a new Chromebook repair program, aimed at helping schools do their own repairs.

Google is also deepening its own sustainability programs. Starting later this year, it promises that 100-percent of all Google devices will include some level of recycled materials; with more used “wherever possible.”

Plastic-free packaging is promised before 2025, and Zero Waste to landfills by the end of the year.

Google’s new change of heart on Pixel self-repair might not be entirely altruistic. The FTC voted last year to do more about Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act violations. That’s the Act that means those “void if removed” warranty stickers are bullshit, by the way.

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