Fixing a Cracked Phone Screen

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Cracked phone screens are more common than anyone would like to admit, and they typically render the phone useless and require professional repair or a replacement. If you’re dealing with a cracked phone screen for the first time, here’s what you need to know.

For starters, not all cracked phone screens are the same. There are varying stages of severity, from a small crack to an entire phone screen broken into hundreds of pieces, making the phone useless and in desperate need of repair or replacement. While there are a few different ways to fix a cracked screen, they are entirely dependent upon the severity of the damage.

So, review the screen damage carefully by placing your phone on a desk or counter (any solid surface will do) and in good lighting. This way, you should be able to tell whether the screen is still intact, or if the screen is close to falling off or failing entirely. If the screen is visible and looks like it will stay in place, and the phone is working, you can still use the phone with some discretion.

Once you’ve reviewed the damage, you can choose from the following solutions, ranging from temporary to permanent.

  • You can use packing tape as a kind of band-aid for your phone screen. Line up the tape accordingly and cut it with an X-Acto knife or something similar for a neater appearance. This is not a permanent solution by any means. However, it is something you can do if you’re waiting for a paycheck to pay for repairs or replacement, or if you’re waiting until your able to get a mobile phone upgrade in a few months or weeks. You’ll also keep the glass together and prevent cuts to your hand while using the screen.
  • Purchase a screen protector. This is an upgrade from the packing tape method and ensures that there is a clean line around the edge of the phone screen with no seams. This can also help prevent further breakage of the screen.
  • If you have the skills or you’re willing to research how to do it online, you could try replacing the screen yourself. However, you should pay attention to the pricing of the items you’ll need to replace your screen versus how much it would cost to take the phone in for a screen repair. Screen repair can get pricy, and it won’t make sense to repair it yourself if a professional can do it for less money. However, if you try to fix the phone yourself, it is quite likely you will void the warranty (if cracking your screen didn’t already void it), and you stand a good chance of ruining the phone completely if you aren’t careful, even if you know what you’re doing.
  • Take your phone to a professional to have it fixed or replaced the right way. iPhones can be taken into Apple stores and Best Buy stores. Best Buy will also repair phones by Samsung. However, here at Cellular Repair and Exchange, we will fix LG phones in addition to iPhones and Samsung phones. If it’s an iPad or another mobile tablet that you’ve cracked the screen on, we can take care of those as well.

Ready to fix or replace the cracked screen on your mobile device? If you’re in Tulsa, Oklahoma or Little Rock, Arkansas, you can visit one of our stores in person. You can also fill out and submit the form on our Contact Us page, or call 918-551-6550 for more information.

How to Fix or Prevent the Most Common iPhone Issues

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The iPhone is the most popular smartphone there is. But just like all other smartphones and technology in general, it has its own problems. Thankfully, there are easy ways to either prevent or fix the most common iPhone problems, and they don’t all require taking your iPhone to a store to be fixed.

iPhone Fixes

iPhone Fix #1 – My iPhone Fell in Water/Liquid – This is one of the most common issues (with a well-known and often-used fix). Maybe you dropped your phone in the pool, or the toilet, or some soup, whatever. Get your phone out of that liquid as quickly as possible; you’ll have about 20 seconds before the liquid seeps into your phone and does real damage. (If it’s the toilet, please put a glove on first.) Then do the following:

  • Turn your iPhone off and take it apart as best as you can. This battery cover won’t be removable without a specialized tool, but it’s easy to find online and is inexpensive as well. Once you have that tool, you can take off the battery cover and remove the SIM card, and then place them on a dry paper towel.
  • At this point, you can do one of two things:

A. Wipe down the rest of your iPhone and place it in a bag of raw, uncooked rice. The rice is supposed to draw the rest of the water/liquid out of your iPhone. However, this takes time and apparently doesn’t work as well on iPhone 4s and earlier models. While most people have newer models, some people either prefer to or must hang on to their iPhones for much longer. So here are your other options…

B. Wipe down the rest of your iPhone and place it in a container filled with any of the following: couscous (pearl), classic rolled oatmeal, instant oatmeal, instant rice (different from uncooked), kitty litter, or silica gel (crystal kitty litter). According to gazelle.com, all of these do a better job of drawing out water from an iPhone better than uncooked rice does. However, these foods and substances get sticky when wet, and therefore could get stuck inside your phone as well.

C. Wipe down the iPhone and then try to remove any water that’s inside the phone by shaking, blowing, or vacuuming it out. You’ll need more tools to take the rest of the iPhone apart.

  • Your iPhone will need time to air out, so don’t touch it for about 24 hours. Once that time has passed, put your iPhone back together (if you took it apart). Then try turning it back on to see if it works.

iPhone Fix #2 – My iPhone Won’t Hold a Charge – If your iPhone won’t charge, it could possibly need a new battery. However, that will cost you, so before you set out for an iPhone repair, try the following first to see if it resolves the problem:

  1. Restart your iPhone (note that this tends to fix many other iPhone issues as well)
  2. Do a hard reset of your iPhone by holding down the home and power buttons (or, for the newer models, the volume up button on the left and the power button on the right) for 10 seconds until the Apple logo appears on the screen and the phone starts back up. The hard reset will not delete any data from the phone, and it typically works to fix black/unresponsive screens.
  3. Try different chargers, cables, and even wall outlets. If your iPhone charger isn’t working and a different charger is working, you simply need a charger replacement.

If you’re still having issues after taking these steps, then you can take your iPhone in for a battery replacement.

iPhone Fix #3 – The Wi-Fi or Bluetooth on My iPhone Isn’t Working – Sometimes iPhone iOS updates (like the iOS 9) will cause problems with the Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. This is usually a simple fix. You’ll do one or both of the following:

  1. Restart your iPhone based on the model and its instructions in the manual, or
  2. Reset the Wi-Fi or Bluetooth by going to your iPhone Settings app, then clicking on General, then Reset. Try the “Reset Network Settings” option first before messing with the “Reset All Settings”. Note that you’ll have to sign back into the Wi-Fi network or re-pair the Bluetooth connection.

Neither of these options will delete data from your iPhone. They only help reset the settings. If you choose the “Erase All Content and Setting” options, however, that will completely wipe all data from your iPhone.

Prevention of iPhone Issues

If you’d like to be proactive rather than reactive when it comes to your iPhone and avoid all of the hassles that come with a phone repair, the following tips can help you prevent certain issues.

How Do I Keep My iPhone From Overheating? – Keep your iPhone out of your pocket, as your body heat can cause the phone temperature to rise. Also, avoid using your iPhone in extremely hot weather. According to Apple, it’s best to use your iPhone when “where the ambient temperature is between 32º to 95º F(0º and 35º C ).” However, when you aren’t using your iPhone but simply storing it away, it can withstand more extreme temperatures. Apple says you can “Store the device where the temperature is between -4º to 113º F(-20º and 45º C ). Don’t leave the device in your car, because temperatures in parked cars can exceed this range.”

You also shouldn’t leave your iPhone plugged in overnight or for extremely long periods. This can also overheat the battery and lessen its ability to hold a charge. Unplug your phone once it’s at 100%, and plug it back in to charge any time before it reaches 20%.

How Do I Preserve/Extend My iPhone’s Battery Life? – There are a few things you can do to save and potentially extend your iPhone battery life.

  • Keep your Wi-Fi off when you’re not using your iPhone or not near or at a Wi-Fi hotspot.
  • Screen brightness affects battery life significantly, so don’t use a bright screen setting when it’s unnecessary. Use the “auto-brightness” light setting that allows your iPhone screen to adjust its brightness based on the lighting in your environment. Simply go to your iPhone’s Settings, then Brightness & Wallpaper, then click Auto-Brightness and turn “on.”
  • Turn off your automatic updates for your apps, especially when your iPhone is low on battery. Just go to Settings, click on iTunes and Apple Store and then uncheck the Updates option.
  • Turn off Apple’s “Spotlight”, as it consistently takes in data and uses up your battery life in the process. Go to Settings, then General, then click on Spotlight Search and disable it.
  • Turn off the “Airdrop” feature, which allows you to share files with users on the same Wi-Fi. Those who have disabled this feature have stated they experience improved battery life. Simply go to the Control Center and disable your Airdrop.
  • It may or may not seem obvious, but consistently heavy usage can shorten your battery’s lifespan. So, the less you use your iPhone, the less often it completes a charge cycle, and the longer it lasts. According to Apple (via Wikipedia), a full charge cycle is completed whenever you’ve used an amount equaling 100% of your iPhone battery capacity. For instance, if you use 66% of your battery’s capacity today, charge it back to 100%, and then use 34% tomorrow, that is one full charge cycle (even though the battery never fully discharged to 0%). Keep in mind that using your phone less also helps delay battery decay. Lithium-ion batteries have a cycle limit before decay sets in. Decreasing the number of cycles it goes through extends the battery life.
  • Don’t leave your iPhone plugged in at all times, as your battery can overheat and lose the ability to keep a charge.

How Do I Keep My iPhone Screen from Being Damaged? – A great case will provide screen protection for your iPhone, reducing or eliminating the likelihood of you damaging your screen. If you have a good case but it didn’t come with a screen protector, you can buy one separately. While good screen protectors prevent scratches or dings on your screen, great screen protectors will keep your iPhone screen from getting cracked. Get the best screen protector you can within your budget at CPR and exchange , because phone screen repair is generally expensive, and it might be even pricier for your iPhone.

If you’re in the Tulsa, Oklahoma area, there’s no need to Google “iPhone fix” or “screen repair near me” – we operate in your area and we have you covered. If you’re past the prevention and preservation stage with your iPhone and it needs to be fixed or replaced, please visit our Contact Us page to submit a form detailing your issue, or call us at 918-551-6550. You can also message us on our Facebook page.

Types of Apps Everyone Needs On Their Cell Phone

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Everyone has personal preferences for the types of apps they want to use on their phone, but there are certain types of apps that are necessary for everyone, regardless of preference or circumstances. If any of the following types of apps are missing on your cell phone, consider downloading a few of these today.

Shopping/Coupon Apps – Everyone needs to buy something at some point, and there are certain shopping apps that help make buying certain products and services easy and less expensive. Obvious apps include Amazon and eBay. But there also grocery store apps and big box store apps that offer coupons for many everyday items, along with points and special offers based on your shopping habits. Groupon is a popular coupon app for products as well as services (anything from catering to eyeglasses and more) and events (such as sporting or concert events). There are also general coupon apps like the RetailMeNot and Coupons.com apps that can be used in various stores for numerous items.

Health Monitoring & Prevention Apps – Taking care of your health is important no matter who you are, whether you’re monitoring current health problems or trying to prevent unhealthy issues now and in the future. There are numerous food and exercise apps like ShopWell and FitBit that can help monitor caloric intake and outtake, as well as nutritional needs. Apps like Yodish help individuals with special dietary needs such as gluten-free diets, vegetarian or vegan diets, and people with food allergies. There are also self-diagnostic and self-monitoring medical apps from WebMD, as well as disease-specific apps that will help people monitor their specific health needs. (NOTE: These should always be used in conjunction with professional diagnosis and monitoring from a doctor).

Safety Apps – Anyone and everyone is susceptible to emergencies in life, whether it be natural disasters like floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, and wildfires, or man-made situations such as car accidents, shootings and bombings, or medical emergencies such as seizures or heart attacks. Therefore, anyone with a phone should have apps for these situations, as they could save lives. (It’s likely even better to review the information on these apps long before you are ever put in any of these situations.) The American Red Cross has a few free apps for several of these situations. Their First Aid app covers everything from allergic reactions, anaphylaxis, asthma attacks, bleeding and broken bones to seizures, shock, and strokes. Listed for each issue are short steps to follow to treat the individual in need. There is also a Pet First Aid app to help treat some of the same issues for dogs and cats. There is an Emergency app for various natural disasters, as well as separate apps such as Tornado, Flood, Earthquake, Swim and Hero Care for locations and situation-specific alerts and instructions. There are also other apps from other companies addressing first aid needs for kids and traveling situations, and standard weather apps to keep track of certain weather patterns that could result in natural disasters.

It never hurts to have phone apps with money-saving, life-changing and life-saving information at your fingertips. Take some time out of your day and download the apps above to help make your life cheaper, healthier, safer, and overall, easier.

Apps You Can Use to Sell Your Items and Make Extra Money This Holiday Season, Part II

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Depop – Depop leans mainly toward clothing and accessories, but also has collector’s items and memorabilia as well (such as books, music, art and more). Interested buyers can message sellers any questions they have about the item, as well as haggle a bit for a better price. (While Depop is available on both PC and mobile phones, messaging and purchasing is only available through the phone app.) PayPal is the method of payment here as well, and Depop requires a PayPal transaction fee, as well as a 10% service fee on sold items.

VarageSale – VarageSale is an app that shows items based on the user’s geographic location. Users have to request to join local communities for selling and buying purposes. Home décor, furniture, electronics, clothing, accessories and more are sold on the app. Buyers and sellers meet in person so the buyer can see the item before pay for it. Also, there are seemingly no seller or buyer fees for this app.

OfferUp – OfferUp is another service that links users together through their geographic location. Clothing, accessories, home décor, appliances and automobile necessities are among some of the items available. Transactions are completed face to face with cash, meaning they don’t and won’t request selling or buying fees, and buyers and sellers can rate each other on the transaction afterward.

LetGo – LetGo is similar to VarageSale and OfferUp in that it allows users to buy and sell locally. Many of the same items are available – clothing, accessories, furniture, video games, and more. Sellers can set their prices in stone or make them negotiable. However, sales are not completed on the app, meaning there are no listing fees or final sale fees, but also means it’s up to the sellers to get paid properly. LetGo does suggest PayPal payments or cash payments in person.

Vinted USA – Vinted features clothing, accessories, beauty and bath products for both women, men and children. Selling and trading are a part of their service. Sellers can upload videos displaying their items. Prices are negotiable, and sellers pay no service fee (but buyers pay a 5% service fee and a 70-cent flat fee).

These are just a few of the apps available that allow users to sell various items online. Figure out what works best for you so you can make some extra money for your gift shopping (and maybe yourself too).

Apps You Can Use to Sell Your Items and Make Extra Money This Holiday Season, Part I

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Yes, it’s that time of year again – the season for giving. But all that giving can put a dent in your wallet (or better yet, your credit). If you’re looking to make some extra cash for the Holidays, the following website apps will help you out. Not only that, but you might end up selling something that helps someone else out with their gift list.

eBay – Nearly everyone has heard of eBay, and most people have used it to buy or sell a wide array of items, including beauty products, clothing, accessories, home décor, furniture, kitchenware, appliances, electronics, automobile items and more. Sellers can set items to be bid on at a minimum price, a “Buy It Now” price or a Best Offer price. Sellers also have the option to either ship items out or meet up with buyers locally if desired or necessary. Sellers and buyers can message each other, as well as rate each other on their transactions. Sellers do have to pay fees for listing items (although there are listing fee deals and waivers throughout the year) and final sale fees (where a percentage of what is made on the item is given to eBay, and PayPal is the method of payment.

Etsy – Etsy focuses on vintage and homemade items, including home décor, clothing, accessories, beauty and makeup products. Buyers can rate transactions, as well as leave detailed reviews about the items they’ve purchased. Just like eBay, sellers have listing fees and final sale fees, and PayPal is a method of payment here as well.

Prepaid Wireless May Work for You

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Couple of things happen when you go into a big cellular carrier like Verizon. One, your new phone can only be used as long as you have their service. If you bought an iPhone, for example, directly from Apple, you could go into any carrier and activate it and switch carriers as you would like. But if you buy (really you are leasing the phone for two years, anyway!) from the carrier, you have to go through them.

That example, along with the contracts and higher rates, makes a prepaid cellular service a great fit for a lot of people.

A question a lot of customers what to know about surrounds the hassle of it all. The billing, getting minutes, the phone itself. First, there are a lot of different phones from which to choose—so you can get exactly what you need. The prepaid phones aren’t a bunch of flip phones from the early 2000s.

Second, you can get your phone set up with minutes and take care of the billing options in one place. Cellular Repair & Exchange, for example, is a one-stop shop for all of your prepaid wireless needs.

Cellular Repair is also an authorized metroPCS dealer, so it is easy to join the 280 million plus customers that currently use that platform.

Learn more about your prepaid cellular options at https://www.cellularrepairandexchange.com/prepaid-services/ or speak directly with the experts: Tulsa 918-551-6550 or North Little Rock 501-771-5566.

cellular repairs

I Broke My Smartphone: Can it be Repaired?

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So, you broke your smartphone again? Was it a cracked screen? Battery Damage? Water Damage? Whatever it is, we have you covered and we have seen it all so we don’t judge if this IS the third time you dropped your phone in the toilet. No worries, we are here to help! Below are the most common types of repairable smartphone damage:

Battery Damage:

Battery Damage is usually not a big deal. If your phone will not turn on and the battery looks puffy and swollen, it might be time for a new battery. Batteries will run anywhere from $13.00 to $40.00. If the battery looks okay and your phone still does not turn on, there might be something wrong with the device.

Water Damage:

Water Damage can be something that your phone can survive depending on the model and the type of liquid situation. Simple spills can most likely be repaired, but bigger liquid mishaps will require a larger investment as parts will need replaced.

Broken Screen:

There are two types of screen cracks: Inner and Outer. You can tell if the screen is cracked on the inside if when you look at the front of your phone you are seeing rainbow stripes across it. A phone that is cracked on the outside will look like a regular crack that a piece of plastic would have on it if it broke. A cracked inside is going to be more expensive than a cracked outside.

 

If you have experienced any of the above, reach out to us! We will get you fixed up and out the door in no time.

Get a Smart Phone Already

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“Roughly 58% of searches are done on a mobile device,” according to Search Engine Land. What does this mean? It means most people are using their smart phones to get information they once only used their desktop for. Maybe you know you need a smart phone to make your life easier, but what exactly does that entail?

Easy Access to Goods/Services

Businesses are making their products/services easier for consumers to access. That can come in the form of doing a quick search and click to get directions to a nearby restaurant. This can even come in the form of an ad that brings you to a text message you can then send to that business requesting information on products or services.

Entertainment

The amount of apps, games and videos available on smartphones are limitless, leaving you entertained for hours on end. You will never be bored while waiting on a friend to meet you for dinner or when you’re stopped at a red light. (We don’t recommend this, but everyone does it.)

High Tech

Technology is changing quickly. One of the newest changes is the fact that you can use your smart phone to hook up to virtually any device around the house in order to control music, the temperature in your house, change television stations, feed your pet or even start your coffee for you.

The examples above are just a few ways smartphones can help to simplify your life.  Considering all the above and the fact that 2.87 billion people in the world will be using smartphones by 2020, according to Statista, it is something no one can ignore. Businesses are making their products more easily accessible for consumers on mobile, you can find anything to keep you busy and technology is changing rapidly. So, do you need a smartphone? The answer is yes and if it breaks, call the industry leader in quick, affordable repair.

10 Years Later: How Have Smartphones Changed since the iPhone?

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AppleIt may be hard to believe, but it’s been nearly 10 years since the first iPhone was released. While it wasn’t necessarily the first “smartphone”, it was the first commercial smartphone to use touch as the primary way of input. We know now that the first iPhone created a shift in the phone industry that we can’t go back from, but have smartphones made massive changes in the past 10 years? Let’s break down what really has changed since the original iPhone was released.

Build

Perhaps the most obvious change in smartphones is the size, weight and durability. The original iPhone weighed 4.80oz and was 0.46in thick. Compare this to a modern phone like the Samsung Galaxy S7 which weighs 5.54oz and is 0.30in thick, you see that we’ve packed more into a smaller case. Not only have screens become more shatter-resistant, but the latest trend has become one-piece bodies and screens. It’s becoming more common to find a single aluminum body with the glass touchscreen. So our phones are thinner, stronger and better looking.

Processing & Storage

Processing and storage capabilities is where the greatest strides have come. The initial iPhone was equipped with basic Wi-Fi connectivity and Bluetooth technology. The maximum storage was 16 GB and there was 0.125 GB of RAM built in. Modern phones have a minimum of 32GB of storage built in with up to 1TB of additional storage available through microSD cards. Additionally, some phones are built with 4GB of RAM which is comparable to some computers being sold today. We’ve went from single core processors to octa-core processors. As far as processing and storage goes, most modern phones are more powerful than many computers available during the time when the iPhone was released.

Battery

When it comes to battery, however, this is where the least progress has been made in smartphones. The original iPhone had a standby time of 250 hours. Ten years later, the iPhone 7 has a standby time of 240 hours. That’s right, the battery life has actually become shorter! The real improvement is in the length of time it takes for a phone to go from 0% to 100% battery charge. In many new smartphones, a full charge takes less than 1.5 hours. This means a phone may last longer, but instead of your phone needing the entire night to charge, it only takes a lunchbreak to charge your phone.

Features

The improvements we hear about with every new smartphone are the features. Fingerprint scanning? Check. Facial recognition? Check. Full GPS capabilities? Check. 4K video streaming? Check. There are certainly no lacking features in modern smartphones.

If you remember the first iPhone launch, it’s easy to see how far we’ve come in 10 years. Even after all this time, smartphone manufacturers still haven’t been able to solve the biggest issue: screen shattering. Even with new screens and cases, all it takes is a fall from pocket height to render your phone useless. If your phone breaks, reach out to us online, over the phone, or stop in the store to get it fixed. We’ve been repairing smartphones since they launched, so we understand what it takes to make them better.

Previewing the Galaxy Note7

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Galaxy Note7

As we approach Samsung’s August 2 event, the rumor mills have been busy leaking photos and speculating on the features and specifications of the highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy Note7. Here’s what we know so far:

Release Date

Most likely, Samsung will present this smartphone at their Unpacked event on August 2. An official release date is unknown, but it’s likely that the Galaxy Note7 will be available right away. The Rio Summer Olympics start on August 5 and Samsung is the official wireless partner.

Iris Scanner

The latest leaks out of China confirm an iris scanning feature on the Note7. The leak, which is detailed here through Gadgets 360, shows two pictures of the new device. One of the images shows eyeholes on the top half of the screen and a pattern unlock in the bottom half. The other image gives details on how users will be able to use the iris scanner.

Dual-edge Display

Another rumor hints at a dual-edge display on the Galaxy Note7. The Note5, released last year, did not have this feature due to technical difficulties, but it seems as though Samsung has resolved these issues. The dual-edge feature means that the device will be curved on both the left and right sides.

Specifications

Other tips detail the specifications for the Note7, notably that this device will be the first handheld phone featuring a 256GB inbuilt storage option. According to the leaks, it will include a 5.7-inch QHD Super Amoled display, 6GB of RAM, a 12-megapixel rear camera, a 5-megapixel front camera and an Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow operating system.

As of right now, we only have leaks and rumors to go by. After the official presentation by Samsung, we’ll have much more on the Galaxy Note7 and other announcements from Samsung’s Unpacked event. Stay tuned.