Tablet and iPad repair, explained
Tablet glass is thinner and more awkward than a phone's, which is why kiosk repairs so often come back. We take the time to do the digitiser properly, and we quote the exact price before the tablet is opened.
Why a tablet is not a big phone
A tablet screen looks like a scaled-up phone screen and behaves differently in three ways. The glass is thinner relative to its size and flexes, so it separates from the frame in pieces rather than lifting cleanly. On many tablets the touch layer, the digitiser, is a separate sheet bonded to the glass and sitting over a separate display panel, so a crack in the glass often leaves the display underneath perfect, and the right repair is a digitiser, not a whole assembly. And the adhesive holding the glass to the frame runs around the entire edge, which is where a rushed repair shows: glass that sits proud at one corner, a gap that catches lint, or a touch layer that stops responding along one edge a month later. Those are the kiosk repairs that come back to us.
Cracked glass with a working picture
If the image is perfect under the crack and touch works everywhere, the display panel is fine and the job is a digitiser replacement. The broken glass is removed in pieces with heat, the old adhesive is cleaned from the frame completely, the home button or fingerprint sensor is transferred to the new digitiser where the model has one, and the new glass is bonded down and left under even pressure until the adhesive has set. That last step is what takes the time and what most quick repairs skip.
Lines, dead patches or no picture
If the display shows lines, a dark blotch, flickers or is blank while the tablet clearly turns on, the panel is damaged and has to be replaced along with, or instead of, the glass. On some tablets the display and digitiser are laminated together as one assembly, in which case the whole unit is replaced. We check which case you are in before quoting, because the two prices are different.
Batteries on sealed tablets
A tablet battery is large, glued down along its length, and reached by removing the screen, so a battery replacement is a bigger job than on a phone. The symptoms are the same: dying early, a percentage that drops in jumps, and warmth on the charger. A swollen tablet battery pushes the screen up at one edge, and if you see that, stop charging it and bring it in. Because the screen has to come off for the battery, a tablet with a cracked screen and a tired battery is best done in one visit.
Charging and buttons
Tablet charging ports collect the same lint phone ports do, and a cleaning is the first thing we try. Worn ports are replaced. Power and volume buttons that have gone soft, and home buttons on older tablets, are all bench work. If a tablet will not charge at all, bring the cable and charger you use with it, because tablets are fussier than phones about weak chargers.
Kids' tablets, e-readers and school devices
We take the consumer tablets that come home in a rubber case as readily as the expensive ones, and we see plenty of school-issued devices. Tell us if the school needs a receipt in a particular form. The honest limit is parts availability: on some budget tablets a screen costs a large share of the tablet's price, and we will tell you that before you decide.
Cases, screen protectors and what to bring
Take the tablet out of any heavy case before you hand it over, or tell the counter if it is a case you cannot open easily; a rubber bumper hides the edges we need to see, and a folio with a magnet in the cover can confuse the sleep sensor during testing. A glass screen protector is removed as part of the job and will not go back on, so bring a new one if you want it fitted while the tablet is on the bench; fitting it is quicker for us than for you. Bring the charger and cable that normally live with the tablet if the fault is anything to do with charging, and bring the stylus if the tablet has one, because a digitiser replacement is tested with it. You do not need the box, the receipt or the original packaging, and you do not need to wipe the tablet.
How long it takes
Tablets are usually a leave-it-with-us job. Digitiser and panel replacements need the adhesive to set properly, and a battery means the screen comes off first, so plan on a few hours to next day rather than while-you-wait. Common models are on the shelf; less common ones need the part ordered, and calling the counter with the exact model saves a wasted trip.
Your data
Screen, battery and port work does not touch storage. Everything stays on the tablet. Back it up first anyway if the tablet is in a state where it might not stay on.
Questions people ask
The glass is cracked but the picture is fine. What is the repair?
A digitiser replacement: the glass and touch layer are replaced and the display underneath stays. It is the cheaper of the two repairs and we confirm it before quoting.
Why do tablet repairs take longer than phone repairs?
The glass is larger and separates in pieces, the adhesive runs around the whole edge, and the new glass has to be held under even pressure until the adhesive sets. Rushing that last step is why cheap tablet repairs come back.
Can you replace a tablet battery?
Yes. It is reached by removing the screen, so it is a larger job than a phone battery and usually a leave-it-with-us one. If the screen is cracked too, do both at once.
Do you fix school tablets and kids' tablets?
Yes. Tell us if the school needs a particular receipt. On some budget tablets the part costs a large share of the tablet's value, and we tell you that before you decide.
Will I lose anything on it?
No. Screen, battery and port work does not touch storage.
Do I need an appointment?
No. Walk in during opening hours. Calling with the exact model first means the part is on the bench when you arrive.
Bring it to a counter near you
Every counter quotes the exact price before anything is opened. Walk in during opening hours, or call ahead with the model so the part is on the bench.
New Hampshire
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