Why did RobyOne stop repairing smartphones and tablets?

After over 12 years of repairs, a choice dictated by seriousness, transparency, and respect for our customers.

Over 12 years of experience, from iPhone 3G to iPhone 12

Our experience in smartphone repair began with the first iPhone 3G, which arrived in Italy in 2008, and continued through the iPhone 12 series, introduced in 2020.

Over 12 years of technological evolution, thousands of repairs, displays, batteries, connectors and electronic components replaced.

During all this time we have seen smartphones become increasingly sophisticated. Unfortunately, however, we have also witnessed a change that has made it progressively more difficult to offer convenient and reliable repairs outside official networks.

And it is precisely for this reason that we have decided to discontinue our smartphone and tablet repair service.

When a working spare part is no longer enough

There was a time when replacing a display or battery was relatively simple: you used a good quality component and the phone worked again.

Today that is not always the case.

Manufacturers, including Apple, have introduced component serialization systems. In simple terms, the phone can identify individual spare parts through electronic codes and verify whether they have been properly recognized or configured.

This means that even a perfectly functioning component could generate warnings, limitations, or require special configuration procedures.

But the most insidious problem is another: a repair that works perfectly today could develop problems after a simple software update.

It is not just a hypothesis. It has already happened.

• 2017 – iOS 11: touchscreen problems were reported on some iPhone 6s with replaced displays.
• 2018 – iOS 11.3: several iPhone 8s with compatible screens stopped responding to touch after the update. Apple subsequently corrected the issue.
• 2023 – iOS 17: update difficulties were reported on some iPhones equipped with compatible batteries, with cases of devices becoming stuck during the procedure.

Not all compatible spare parts have these problems, and it is not always possible to attribute the cause with certainty to the update. However, these episodes demonstrate how software can affect the functioning of previously replaced components.

How can we guarantee a repair over time when some of the variables that determine its functioning are no longer under our control?

Fast repairs are no longer an exclusive of independent labs

For years one of our strengths was speed: while official support often took several days, we could replace a display or battery in less than an hour.

Today things have changed.

Many official and authorized centers offer same-day repairs, sometimes even within an hour, using original spare parts and procedures directly supported by the manufacturer.

An advantage that once distinguished independent labs has therefore been significantly reduced.

And then there is the problem of costs: the paradox of "right to repair"

In recent years there has been much talk of the so-called "right to repair", which should also guarantee independent labs the ability to repair devices using original spare parts.

On paper, a great step forward. In practice, however, the situation is quite different.

Manufacturers can make original spare parts available to independent labs, but at prices sometimes so high as to make their use economically inconvenient.

The result is paradoxical: the original spare part is available, but its price may prevent an independent lab from offering a repair competitive with official support.

In this way, at least on an economic level, the much-publicized right to repair risks being stripped of its meaning: formally no one prevents us from repairing, but commercial conditions can make it practically unsustainable.

And in the end, both independent labs and consumer freedom of choice suffer.

Service quality comes first

From the beginning we have built our business on expertise, seriousness, and transparency.

Our mission is not to repair at all costs, but to offer the customer the best solution.

We do not intend to sacrifice the quality of spare parts, propose inconvenient repairs, or promise reliability over which we cannot have full control.

If official support can offer better conditions, we believe it is right to acknowledge this.

We prefer to forgo a category of repairs rather than abandon the principles that have guided us for so many years.

We do not stop repairing. We specialize even more.

Our choice does not mean abandoning the world of electronic repairs. On the contrary.

We have decided to focus our expertise even more on more specialized activities, including repair of industrial electronic boards, professional equipment, and component-level electronics.

We naturally continue to work with computers, notebooks, consoles, and video game controllers.

These are sectors where in-depth diagnosis, professional instrumentation, and experience gained over many years of work can still make a concrete difference.

Devices change, not our philosophy

We know that some customers, accustomed to coming to us for their smartphones, will be disappointed by this decision.

But we believe that trust is built also by knowing how to say no, when we are no longer in a position to offer the best possible service.

We have not stopped repairing smartphones because we no longer know how to do it. We have stopped because we no longer believe we can guarantee, in this sector, the relationship between quality, convenience, and reliability that has always characterized our work.

Our passion for electronics has remained exactly the same.

RobyOne Torino

Challenges change, passion does not. And above all, our respect for our customers does not change.