Google announced plans to join the expanding list of tech companies that work with iFixit. The repair mavens distribute parts and tools for people interested in performing DIY electronics repairs, and starting today, iFixit’s store offers genuine Google parts for several Pixel phones.
You can order what you need to repair everything from the Pixel 2 to the latest Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, as well as the tools to install them and step-by-step guides to walk you through the process.
Now, if you have a cracked screen or busted charging port, your choices aren’t just finding a repair shop or tossing the device in the trash. iFixit has all kinds of repair kits, and while they get more expensive for newer devices — swapping out a Pixel 6 Pro screen for a genuinely new one will cost $199.99 for the kit — they vary widely, primarily based on age. Cheaper parts for older devices should help keep those phones viable for as long as you’re comfortable with the Android software update support they’re receiving.
iFixit’s parts and tools distribution arrangements already include companies like Microsoft, HTC, and even Valve’s Steam Deck. There’s also a partnership with Samsung in the works, and while we’ll have to wait for more details there, it seems unlikely to require a 79-pound kit delivery.
iFixit is an American e-commerce and how-to website that sells repair parts and publishes free wiki-like online repair guides for consumer electronics and gadgets. The company also performs product tear-downs of consumer devices. It is a private company in San Luis Obispo, California, founded in 2003. It was spurred by Kyle Wiens’s inability to locate an Apple iBook G3 repair manual while the company’s founders were attending Cal Poly.
iFixit has released product tear-downs of new mobile and laptop devices that advertise the company’s parts and equipment sales. These tear-downs have been reviewed by PC World, The Mac Observer, NetworkWorld, and other publications.
Co-founder Kyle Wiens has said that he aims to reduce electronic waste by teaching people to repair their gear and offering tools, parts, and a forum to discuss repairs. In 2011, he traveled through Africa with a documentary team to meet a community of electronics technicians who repair and rebuild the world’s discarded electronics.
iFixit provides a software as a service platform known as Dozuki to allow others to use iFixit’s documentation framework to produce their documentation. (O’Reilly Media’s Make and Craft magazines use Dozuki to feature community guides alongside instructions initially written by the staff for the print magazine.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, iFixit and CALPIRG, the California arm of the Public Interest Research Group, worked with hospitals and medical research facilities to gather the most significant database of medical equipment manuals and repair guides to support the healthcare industry during the pandemic.
In September 2015, Apple removed the iFixit app from the App Store in reaction to the company’s publication of a tear-down of a developer pre-release version of the Apple TV (4th generation) obtained under Apple’s Developer Program violating a signed Non-Disclosure Agreement and accordingly, their developer account was suspended. In response, iFixit says it has worked on improving its mobile site for users to access its services through a mobile browser.
In April 2019, it was revealed that some Oculus Quest and Oculus Rift S devices contain a physical Easter egg reading “Hi iFixit! We See You!” demonstrating that device manufacturers are aware of iFixit.