Things to Do Before Sending Your Phone for Mobile Repair
From the moment you wake up to when you switch off for the night, the phone rules your life. Nat having your phone for even a few hours can be quite frustrating. But, no matter how well you take care of your phone, there are a number of things that can go wrong from time to time. Phones are delicate appliances and so if something goes wrong, you should always get it fixed by an authorized service center. You will have to hand over your phone for a few hours so before you hand it over for mobile repair, here are a few things you should do.
Take a back up
Today, a phone isn’t used only to call people but also to take photographs, edit documents, access your email, etc. Thus, it houses a lot of important data. Some of this data may also be confidential in nature. Hence, before sending your phone for repairs, always take a backup on your laptop or an external storage device. Alternatively, you can upload your data to the cloud or a Google Drive.
Sync it up
While you probably have hundreds of contacts stored on your phone, you wouldn’t remember the numbers of more than 2-3 people. Your phone contact lists probably has numbers of friends and family as well as professional contacts. Thus, losing these contacts can be disastrous. To minimize the risk of this happening, sync your contacts with your email account or the cloud. You can also consider syncing your calendar and photographs.
Open security locks
In a bid to protect our privacy, we put passwords and locks on everything. Some phones even allow individual apps to be locked with passwords. Whether you use a PIN, password or pattern lock, you must unlock your phone completely before handing it over. If you choose a fingerprint lock, you must not only unlock your phone but also delete your personal fingerprint records.
Remove the SIM card
You should never give your SIM card to someone else. This card has your number that is registered to your name and if anyone were to misuse it, it would be reflected against your account. Hence, always take your SIM card before handing your phone over for mobile repairs. This should then be stored carefully in a place where it cannot be scratched.
Remove external storage
Irrespective of whether your phone has an 8GB internal memory of a 128GB internal memory, you probably use an external thumb drive. This reduces the load on the internal memory and keeps your phone from slowing down. So, when you take out your SIM card, take out the micro-SD card as well. This should also be kept safely in a place where it cannot be damaged. If the micro-SD card is damaged, you risk losing all the information stored on it.
Make a note of your IMEI number
Each phone has a unique IMEI number. This is human thumbprint equivalent for mobile phones. In most phones, you should be able to find your phone’s IMEI number by typing *#06# on your keypad. Some phones may also have the IMEI number contained in their settings. Making a note of your IMEI number before handing your hone over ensures that it is not exchanged with any other phone.
Factory Reset
Lastly, before submitting your phone for repairs, reset it to original factory settings. Why-this removes all apps you may have installed that contain confidential data. Can you imagine what might happen if the banking app of your phone could be accessed by someone else? You may also individually remove all apps. Some technicians advise performing the factory reset twice before handing over your phone.
Now that you’ve done all of the above, you can hand over your device for repairs. If you visit an authorized service center for mobile repairs, you should have your phone back within a few hours. A few other reasons you should always go to an authorized service center is that these centers have experienced technicians who understand the nuances of your phone and can repair it without causing more damage. If there’s a part that needs to be replaced, this also ensures that the replaced part is an authentic part and has a warranty on it.
