Recently, many of the major phone companies have started making it easier for customers to repair their own equipment, rather than trying to make them rely on costly first-party repairs. Samsung America started teaching itself over the summer and filed for a new trademark suggesting there might be some ways to improve it.
The document suggests that Samsung may be expanding its self-healing program, part of which involves launching a dedicated support app. The app, called Self Repair Assistant, is designed to provide “consultation and information services related to self-installation, self-maintenance and self-repair … of mobile devices,” the filing said.
From the sound of things, that means Self Repair Assistant will be your go-to resource for learning how to fix your phone yourself. At present, self-study resources come from iFixit, which has long advocated door-to-door repairs and also cooperates with Google.
It’s unclear what a dedicated Samsung repair app would mean for the company’s iFixit partnership. Considering the site’s vast library of repair guides, it seems like a waste to cut the link. However, assuming you have a separate device, being able to load a repair app might help simplify the process and help make the self-healing process more obvious throughout.
Sadly, there are very few details about the file other than the app icon that may appear on the user’s phone. But we doubt that a bare minimum of users will see that the app has repair guides and features that let users buy the tools and parts they need.
iFixit does offer all of these services for a variety of phones, including Samsung, so Samsung isn’t going to offer something new and unique. Still, a standalone app can simplify the repair process for any Samsung product included in the program.
The rights revision movement is gaining momentum
The phones currently included are the Samsung Galaxy S21 series, the Samsung Galaxy S20 series, and the Galaxy Tab S7+. But according to the trademark filing, there could be more options, including smartwatches and earbuds.
iFixit has previously pointed out that Samsung has a pretty good track record when it comes to repairable earbuds, but that’s not the case for everyone — especially Apple. Hopefully, by providing a resource for repairing earbuds at home, it will prompt other companies to consider repairability in their future products.
While a trademark filing doesn’t guarantee that the app will always be available to the public, it’s a good sign. Phone companies have been known to resist when it comes to consumers’ right to repair their own devices, with Apple being one of the most notorious naysayers. The fact that Samsung may be putting more resources into its self-healing program means it’s not just doing the bare minimum for us.
Given Samsung‘s status as one of the most popular Android phone brands, it’s easy to see competitors on our best Android phones list following suit. Perhaps one day, the ease of repair of phones will become an important feature in the marketing of flagship phones.