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DEVICE CARE

Having issues with your battery not charging properly?

It actually could just be something blocking your connectors. Dust, dirt, lint, etc. can get into the port and not allow a proper connection. It’s simple and easy to clean. And by cleaning it, it could save you money from unnecessary fixes to your phone.


STEP 1: Blow Out Your Port

Get something that will blow out your port. We recommend the compressed air you can buy to clean your keyboard. Gently blow out the port.


STEP 2: Cleaning the Port

After getting the dust out of the port, next step is to gently clean out your port. How to do that is to take an old, CLEAN toothbrush and apply 72% or higher rubbing alcohol to the toothbrush. After applying the rubbing alcohol to the toothbrush, tap it to take off the excess. Next gently clean the port with the toothbrush. You may have to repeat a couple of times if the port is dirty.


STEP 3: Finishing Your Cleaning

Now to finish the cleaning, take your compressed air and again gently blow out your port. This helps to blow anything out that you may have loosened from the toothbrush cleaning and also to help finish the drying of the port.

That’s it. You should be done. Try out your newly cleaned charging port. If you still have issues, it could be that you still have a piece of lint stuck in the port or it could be that something needs to be replaced. It could be your battery or you’re charging port. (Do not stick toothpicks, anything cotton, etc in the port!)


How To Tell If Something Needs To Be Replaced

If you cleaned out your charging port and still having issues, it could be that the battery or charging port needs to be replaced. To tell which one it is to see what exactly is going on with the phone.

Battery:
If it’s your battery, you will notice that it charges to 100% but then starts draining quite rapidly without you using it. (Although make sure ALL apps are COMPLETELY closed) Usually it gets down to about 30% and then turns completely off. That is a strong indication the battery needs to be replaced.

Charging Port:
If it’s your charging port, you will notice it doesn’t charge properly or doesn’t charge at all.

Now you’re armed with the knowledge to know if your phone needs to be fixed or not.

Information to Know Before You Buy a Used Phone:

So you want to buy a phone but the high price of buying a new phone without a contract seems too steep or getting in a two year contract doesn’t sound like a great proposition. After all, if you don’t like the phone or the carrier, you are stuck in a two (2) year contract. And the fees for getting out of the contract are not attractive either.

So now you are in the market for a used phone but one that is in great condition and fits your needs. Here at Fly Buy Phone Fix we want to make sure you are in the know when buying a used phone. As we have discovered over the years of buying phones, we have compiled a list of tips to do a complete check before you buy.


1. Make sure the phone you are looking to buy has a clean ESN.

What do we mean by clean ESN? Phones can be reported as lost or stolen and carriers can blacklist the phone (due to the contract was terminated without the early termination fee being paid), which basically makes the phone a paper weight. You won’t be able to activate it. And depending on how you bought it, you may be out the money you paid for it.

Before you even meet to buy the phone, ask for the IMEI/MEID number depending on what type of phone you are buying and check that number to see if it is clean and you can activate it. So how do you check the phone’s IMEI/MEID number? There are a number of websites that you can check to see the status or you can call the carrier and ask them. Also, it’s best to meet at the carrier you are planning on activating it with and the carrier can let you know if it’s a clean ESN.

Also, ask the seller if the phone is listed as stolen, lost, or otherwise listed as restricted that would prevent activation. If what they say and what you find out are not the same, move on. Why deal with a dishonest seller.


2. For future iPhone owners, make sure the phone is off the owners iCloud account.

If the iPhone is on the owner’s iCloud account, it will just become an expensive iPod and you will not be able to activate it. When meeting with the person, place your SIM in the phone and see if it will let you use it. If you meet at the carrier, and you are planning on buying it, start activating the phone while they are there. That way if there is an iCloud on it, you will find out BEFORE giving them the money.


3. Make sure the phone they say they are selling is actually the phone they are selling.

So many times have we run across someone selling a 6 and it’s a 6S or the complete opposite. They say it’s a 6s and it really is a 6. Know how to detect what you are buying. Check by looking at the model number which can be found on the back of the phone (starts with an A1) or go into settings, general, about phone. You will have to google the model number but it will tell you what phone it is.

Also, check out what capacity the phone has by going to Settings, General, About, scroll down to Capacity to make sure if they are telling you it is a 16 GB, it will be less than 16 GB but greater than 8 GB. This holds true for whatever capacity you are buying with the phone.


4. Check the phone completely out first before buying.

If it doesn’t have enough power to power on, request to plug the phone in so you can look at it. Here are a few more tips on checking a phone when you have it in your hand:

a. Make sure the phone is not water damaged
The phone will have either a red dot or will show red x’s in the dock connector housing or the headset jack. Aim a flashlight into the jack. If there is red, there’s water damage. To check the various spots where specific indicators are, check out: http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT3302. Also, ask the seller while you are looking at the phone, if there is any other damage to the phone, aside from any cosmetic/water damage.

b. Check for dents and major scratches
Dents could mean more than cosmetic damage. It’s possible it could mean internal damage as well. If there is a dent, ask the seller about it and ask questions if anything is not working correctly.

c. Check the ports for any damage
If there is damage to the port, it’s possible it may not charge properly. Again ask questions.

d. Camera check
Take a picture and a selfie. If either picture is blurry, the camera could be damaged.

e. Check all the buttons to make sure they work properly and do what they are supposed to do
This may sound silly but phones can be sensitive. If a phone gets damaged in any way things may not work the way they are supposed to.

f. Check the headset port
Look in the headset port, if it shows red there is water damage. If it doesn’t show red, still plug a headset in to check if the sound is good. If there is static or it doesn’t sound right, there could be internal damage.

g. Make a test call
Call yourself, or have someone call the phone. Also it would be a good idea to make a test text message to make sure that feature works too.

h. Be leery of a jailbroken phone.
Jailbroken phones can bring a lot of issues with it. Make sure to ask the seller if they jail broke the phone or if the phone had a previous owner if the seller knows if that person jail broke the phone.

i. Check the WiFi
Go to your settings, if your WiFi is greyed out, then there is damage to the phone.


The main key is to protect YOU. Always do the checks on any phone you buy. When meeting, meet in a well lit, high traffic public area. That way you will be able to really look at the phone and see any damage it may have. And trust your gut feeling, if you don’t feel comfortable with the transaction just walk away. There will always be another phone out there that meets your specifications.


For the latest prices, check out the Pricing section of our website.

You Can Do a Few Simple Things To Speed Up Your Phone:

1. Just Like the Internet On Your Computer, Cleaning Out Your Cache Can Help Speed Things Up

To clean out the cache on an iPhone, all you have to do is press and hold the power/sleep/wake button until the slide to power off shows up. But you do not want to slide it. When you are on that screen, simply press the home button until the home screen comes back on. Congratulations, you have now cleared out your cache on your iPhone!


2. Clearing Out Open Applications

To clear out open applications on your iPhone, just double click the home button and swipe all open apps up. This will completely close them out and not allow them to run in the background.


3. Moving Pictures To Your Computer or iCloud

If your phone becomes too full of pictures, it can slow your phone down. To clear out pictures, simply plug your phone into the computer and back up your phone. You can also use the iCloud. After doing that, simply select the camera or DCIM folder, highlight the pictures you want to remove from your phone and place on your computer.

There are several factors that can drain your battery. By taking preventive measures, there are things you can do to save your battery life and not have it drain too fast.

Putting your phone on Low Power Mode. This helps you save battery life and your phone should last longer. However, keep in mind by putting your phone on Low Power Mode there are things that will not work the best.

Low Power Mode reduces or affects these features:

  • Email fetch
  • “Hey Siri”
  • Background app refresh
  • Automatic downloads
  • Some visual effects
  • Auto-Lock (defaults to 30 seconds)
  • iCloud Photo Library (temporarily paused)

For more information, go to the Low Power Mode article on Apple.

To learn more about batteries and performance for iPhone’s, click here.

What To Do When Your Phone Freezes:

It’s the dreaded freeze. You are in the middle of something and your iPhone decides to just stop, and nothing is helping it come to life. You think the phone is dead and it’s over. But maybe not…


There are a few things you can try to help it come back to life:

  1. Try turning the phone completely off (power off) waiting a minute then turning it back on.
  2. Try doing a hard reset on the phone. This resets the firmware only. (Instructions taken from the Apple website)

On an iPhone X, iPhone 8, or iPhone 8 Plus:
Press and quickly release the Volume Up button. Press and quickly release the Volume Down button. Then, press and hold the Side button until you see the Apple logo.


On an iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus:
Press and hold both the Side and Volume Down buttons for at least 10 seconds, (screen will go black) keep holding both buttons until you see the Apple logo. Then release both buttons.


On an iPhone 6s and earlier, iPad, or iPod touch:
Press and hold both the Home and the Top (or Side) buttons for at least 10 seconds, (screen will go black) keep holding both buttons until you see the Apple logo. Then release both buttons.


If that doesn’t work, go to this article and follow all the steps.

LET'S FIX IT

You’re on your way to a nice fixed phone and a fresh start! Please use the info below or fill out the form and we’ll get back to ASAP. We look forward to helping you get your phone in the shape it should be.

CALL / TEXT TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT:
(805) 769-4811

EMAIL US: [email protected]

We go to your location between Paso Robles, Templeton and Atascadero. We generally service within city limits. If you’re outside of city limits, there may be an additional charge to come out to very rural locations.