Life happens, and sometimes our iPhones break, but have no fear: they can definitely be repaired.

Everyone breaks their phones at least once, so you’re not alone. It could happen thanks to an accidental drop or a toddler getting their hands on it, but phones can always be repaired. iPhones in particular can break in several situations, so here’s what you should watch out for.

 

Cracked screen

One of the most common scenarios is the infamous cracked screen. A cracked screen isn’t the worst thing that can happen, and it can be fixed inexpensively if the digitizer for the front screen isn’t cracked too. If the digitizer is cracked, you’ll see black marks under the broken glass, and that costs a few hundred dollars to fix.

 

Water damage

Even though some iPhones can survive being dropped in water, they can still sustain damage if they’re left in the water for long periods of time. Sometimes this damage can be remedied with rice, but that doesn’t mean the phone will be completely fixed. Always get an iPhone repair shop to check your phone if it sustains water damage.

 

Faulty buttons

In the past, a major problem involved the iPhone’s home button sticking. This is still true for the devices which still have home buttons. The side buttons can also stick, but they’re less of a nuisance, since the home button directly affects the phone’s operation. This can be remedied by replacing the button(s) causing the issue.

 

Signal issues

No one likes hearing “Can you hear me now?” when they’re on a cell phone. A lot of connectivity problems are due to network issues, but if you and someone else are on the same network and you’re having connectivity issues, the problem could be your internal antenna. This can be fixed by replacing the antenna.

 

Battery issues

If your phone dies after a few hours of active use, it’s normal. But if your phone dies after half an hour, then you may have battery issues. You need to replace the phone’s battery, but they’re hard to get to. It’s not like replacing a battery in a remote — to avoid damaging the phone, always replace the battery at a repair shop.

iPhone repairs often look easy to perform in DIY videos. But if you don’t know what you’re doing, you may do more harm than good. For instance, when repairing a cracked screen, breaking the digitizer can turn a $60 fix into a $200 fix. Always see a professional to repair your phone, even if you believe the problem is minor.