• TootSweet@lemmy.worldEnglish
    16·
    1 year ago

    I noticed my phone battery bulging just yesterday. So I went and dug up the documentation that came with it to see if I could take advantage of the manufacturer’s warranty. No dice, but the sim card tray ejector thing was in with the user’s manual. So at least I have that. :/

      • LemmyIsFantastic@lemmy.world
        11·
        1 year ago

        You can replace phone batteries. It’s not that hard. It’s just harder than sliding it in.

        It costs $15 plus the battery cost to have a professional with warranty to do it for you.

      • TootSweet@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        1 year ago

        Yeah, I’ve done some research about fixing it myself on YouTube. A kit to fix it is only about $25. But I was a little intimidated by the “heat the phone to soften the adhesive so the screen will come off” step and decided to look into how much it’d cost just to get it fixed professionally.

        I walked into the “Authorized Google Repair” shop with my bulging Pixel and the guy told me there was a “99.9% chance” that the screen would break in the process of replacing the battery and if he had to replace the screen too, the total cost would be more than I paid for the phone and more than I would pay to get an identical model on Amazon now.

        So, I’m evaluating my options. I could get a replacement battery and a replacement screen and do a lot of research and fix it myself, which is a little risky. Or I could just contribute to the e-waste problem and get a new phone (or a refurb; this whole ordeal makes me want to not spend much on phones in the future) that has a consumer-replaceable battery.

        Oh, also, I’ve had this phone for less than three years.

        Also, an unlocked bootloader and a mature LineageOS or GrapheneOS or whatever other Open-Source no-Google-apps distribution is basically an absolute deal breaker must have for me. (I suppose if I do end up getting a different phone, I could look into Linux phones too, but I’m a little wary of that. I got burned with the Openmoko Neo Freerunner back in the day.) I bought this Pixel direct from the manufacturer (not through a carrier or anything) because that was the only way to get it with an unlocked bootloader so I could go LineageOS. But going that route, I only get the one-year manufacturer’s warranty. No carrier warranty or anything.

        So I guess I’ll go go pray to Saint Louis Rossmann now and hope for divine inspiration. Lol.

        (Ha! Sorry for the rant. I was an extremely late adopter of smartphones at all because I don’t trust them. This is the first smartphone I’ve ever had and it didn’t last me three years! Clearly I should have remained staunchly Amish for QWERTY. Lol.)

        • MtDewaholic@lemm.ee
          1·
          1 year ago

          I used to work in a phone repair shop, I have no clue what that guy is talking about. Ive replaced the battery on dozens of pixels and never had the screen break on me. He most likely said that because there is always some risk of something breaking during the repair, so by stating it up front he won’t get any angry customers after the fact.

  • Tiger Jerusalem@lemmy.world
    53·
    1 year ago

    I just realized that each phone comes with one and only one of SIM ejectors, and I have a lot of those in my drawer. I think I have a problem. -_-

  • Laticauda@lemmy.ca
    2·
    1 year ago

    I still have this, but I have adhd so I have no idea where it is whenever I actually need it.

    • veroxii@aussie.zone
      6·
      1 year ago

      As someone traveling to other countries a few times a year, eSims have been a game changer.

    • kenopsik@lemm.ee
      2·
      1 year ago

      These little ejector tools are useful for more than just SIM cards. CD/DVD ROM drives have force eject buttons inside tiny little holes that these can reach and push. Many hardware reset buttons are also hidden inside tiny holes.

      You could use an unfolded paperclip in a pinch. One of my air purifiers has a reset button inside a hole that is slightly too thin for the paper lips I have on hand. But the SIM ejector tool I keep around fits perfectly.

    • Selmafudd@lemmy.world
      4·
      1 year ago

      Same, I’ll unpack any electrical item and keep all the packaging including the wire tiers on cords, plastic bags with the tape carefully folded back and pack all of that back up in the box and storage the empty box in my garage incase. I then use the item until it breaks and then 6 years later see the box on a shelf while walking passed, realise I no longer own said item and throw the box away.