< back home

The right to repair your own devices and my phone repair

November 2, 2025 - Written by Andreas

Recently, I wanted to replace my phone’s battery, as its performance had degraded but I was and am still very happy with the overall functioning of the device. It felt like a waste to purchase a new phone even though only one part needed replacing. This also got me thinking about the way we currently consider our (electronic) devices and how companies implement planned obsolescence—designing a product in such a way that the user is forced to replace it after a couple years.

With over 60 million tonnes (that’s 60,000,000,000 kilogrammes—an unfathomably large number) of electronic waste produced every year, a number that surely keeps increasing; over 16.5 million children working in industry; and hundreds of toxic chemicals being released into the world1, the question of consumption and repair are more relevant than ever. Clearly, we should aim for electronics that can be repaired instead of replaced. Furthermore, we have to reduce the use of resources, especially rare minerals. Finally, repairing can be more inclusive compared to replacement, as buying new devices is generally more expensive.

Recent movements

Fortunately, more societal and political attention is going out to repairing. One example of this is the rise of repair cafés, where anyone can walk in to get help repairing any device, appliance, or item2. iFixit is also offering more and more guides and tools to replace all sorts of components on many different types of devices, such as laptops, smartphones, and gaming devices3.

There have also been legislative efforts to promote and enforce this right to repair. In the United States, different states have progressed with bills to promote repair of electronics, agricultural devices, and military equipment4. The European Union has adopted the Right To Repair Directive, which covers better access to repair tools, spare parts, and guides, offering longer legal guarantees after repairing, and providing financial incentives5.

Such legislative efforts are very helpful in pushing companies to actually implement the tools and infrastructure to allow independent shops and consumers to repair their devices. As we all know, companies are rarely moved to do something “good” without legislation enforcing them to do so. However, current laws and directives are still limited6 7. Therefore, it is worthwhile to follow these initiatives and support them whenever possible, for example by writing to representatives.

Replacing my phone’s battery

Back to my phone (a Samsung Galaxy S20 FE)—I wanted to replace my battery and fortunately found that all necessary tools I still needed, as well as the battery and new adhesive to stick the battery and back cover back on, were available on iFixit. I ordered all materials there. Note that none of this was officially available, but only thanks to community efforts! I have added a small compilation video of the different steps:

A compilation video (12.7 MB) showing the different steps of replacing my phone battery. For a high-resolution video (146.5 MB), please click here.

The general steps to accessing the battery went relatively smoothly. However, getting the battery itself out was a right hassle. The original adhesive used to glue the battery onto the frame was extremely sticky, and it took me a lot of time to get it out and to get as much as possible of the old adhesive off. However, eventually I managed to get the old battery out, pop the new one in place, and reassemble the phone. After some tricky aligning of the adhesive to get the back cover back on, the repair was done.

The final step was to calibrate the battery and reset the battery statistics that the device keeps. Calibrating is not that difficult: It merely entails completely discharging and charging the device a few times. However, resetting the battery statistics stored in the system provided to be more difficult. It is required as these statistics determine how much the battery can be safely charged, especially as capacity reduces with time. However, the statistics are not reset when you place a new battery, meaning the new battery won’t be fully utilised until they are reset.

For more recent models, Samsung has released a ‘self-repair app’ that allows one to do this, but I could not open this on my device. As these settings are stored deep inside the system, I could not reset them in any other way (apart from rooting the device, if you’re familiar with that). Eventually, I found a workaround to launch the self-repair app by mapping it to the action button (I tried to find the source but could not—I will try to add it or feel free to email me). The repair was complete!

Although I managed to do it, I would not consider the process convenient or trivial (especially for a first-timer). There were times when I was afraid of damaging parts and getting the battery undone from the adhesive and removing the remaining adhesive cost me hours. It is definitely not at a level where it’s friendly for anyone to just replace it. It took a lot of time, effort, and patience.

Purchasing repairable devices

Unfortunately, not every part is replaceable or serviceable until the end of times. Sometimes, we do need to buy a new device. Fortunately, there are a couple companies that aim to build very repairable and ethical electronic devices.

Framework is a manufacturer of laptops and computers in which all components are replaceable. In fact, you can buy the parts and you get a manual to assemble the laptop yourself. This also means you can upgrade and replace parts when needed.

Fairphone is a phone company that aims to produce ethically sourced phones that are easy to repair. The materials and parts come from fair-trade and conflict-free mineral sources. Furthermore, the company places great emphasis on environmentally friendly production and products as well.

Conclusion

It is clear we need to work on repairability and sustainability of our electronics. We have to reduce the sheer amount of e-waste and we must take responsibility for the unethical sourcing of materials and fabrication of parts, often done by children in conflict zones. We can do this by advocating for our Right To Repair, using these rights, and making ethical choices when purchasing new devices.

If you’d like to share your experiences or opinions regarding the right to repair, feel free to send me an email at mail [at] andreasknoben [dot] nl.

The rights to repair

  1. We have the right to devices that are designed so that they can be opened and repaired

  2. We have the right to have access to affordable parts and tools required to conduct repairs

  3. We have the right to repairs that are not limited by software hindrances

  4. We have the right to repair our devices in the privacy of our own home

  5. We have the right to appropriate documentation (including troubleshooting and diagrams) to conduct our repairs

  6. We have the right to choose to repair our own devices without voiding warranties

  1. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/electronic-waste-%28e-waste%29↩︎

  2. https://www.repaircafe.org/↩︎

  3. https://www.ifixit.com/↩︎

  4. https://www.repair.org/legislation↩︎

  5. https://repair.eu/news/analysis-of-the-adopted-directive-on-common-rules-promoting-the-repair-of-goods/↩︎

  6. https://repair.eu/whats-my-right-to-repair/↩︎

  7. https://www.repair.org/legislation↩︎

< back home