When It Breaks

Since June 2025 the parts must be available for seven years and the information must be published. (Ecodesign Regulation (EU) 2023/1670 — European requirement.) Which changes what "keeping a device" means.

Repair or replace — four numbers decide it, and the support date is the one most often omitted and the one that most changes the answer. For a separate workplace perspective on cognitive offloading, this resource provides additional context beyond device reliability itself.

Your right to parts — seven years after a model leaves the market, to end users as well as professionals, with published prices.

Independent or manufacturer — a genuine choice for more faults now that software access must be supplied non-discriminatorily. For broader repair and consumer-rights context, ECOS is another useful reference.

Parts pairing — a genuine part can fit and still be limited, which is the constraint availability rules do not address.

Getting a quote you can compare — five things that make two figures mean the same thing.

Data before repair — four steps, and the backup matters most because a device that will not switch on afterwards has taken everything with it.

What a battery replacement involves — the cheapest repair with the largest effect, described rather than instructed.

Screen replacement — the most common repair and the one where the part quality varies most.

Warranty and what voids it — opening a device does not automatically void a guarantee in the EU, and void-if-removed stickers do not do what they imply.

Rights beyond the guarantee — a legal entitlement against the seller that most people do not know they hold.

Where the line is — what self-repair reasonably covers, and why pairing decides it more than difficulty.

Beyond repair — four routes by what they recover, and why a battery must never go in general waste.

• What a Battery Replacement Involves

  The cheapest repair with the largest effect. What the work is, what it costs in structure, and why this site does not describe the steps.

• Beyond Repair

  Four routes, in order of what they recover. What to do about the data, and why a battery must never go in general waste.

• Rights Beyond the Guarantee

  A legal entitlement against the seller that most people do not know they have. What it covers and how to use it.

• Data Before Repair

  A device handed over is a device somebody else can access. Four steps before, and what to do when it will not switch on.

• Where the Line Is

  Parts and documentation are now available to end users. What that makes reasonable, and what remains a bad idea.

• Getting a Quote You Can Compare

  One figure from two shops tells you almost nothing. Five things to ask for, and the questions that reveal how a repair will go.

• Independent or Manufacturer

  A genuine choice for more repairs than before. What each does well, what changed in 2025, and how to pick between them.

• Parts Pairing

  A genuine part can fit and still not work fully. What pairing is, which functions it affects, and what to ask before a repair.

• Repair or Replace

  Four numbers decide it, and three are obtainable before anybody looks at the device. The calculation, and where intuition fails.

• Your Right to Parts

  In the EU, seven years of spare parts and published prices. What the rule covers, who can claim it, and what to do when it is refused.

• Screen Replacement

  The most common repair and the one with the widest quality range. What the work involves and what to check before leaving.

• Warranty and What Voids It

  Three different protections are called the same thing. What each covers, how long it runs, and what actually affects it.