A recently discovered US trademark application from Samsung suggests the company may be expanding its self-repair service and rolling out a new support app to boot.
This app is called Self Repair Assistant, according to profile (opens in a new tab) on the US Patent and Trademark Office website. Its purpose is to provide “consultation and information services related to [the] self-installation, self-maintenance, self-repair…” of various mobile devices. Samsung now has a cooperation with repair company iFixit to provide information and resources for its Self-Repair Program. If this app launches, you will no longer have to visit the iFixit website to read the instructions; all will go through Samsung.
Self-repair assistant questions Samsung’s partnership with iFixit. Nowhere in the app is the repair company mentioned as an associate. We’ve reached out to iFixit to ask if they’ll continue working with Samsung on the new app or if it’s a stand-alone effort. A company representative got back to us and said that the company has no comment at this time.
Expansion
The app also reveals smartwatches and earbuds being considered for the Self-Repair Program. So it’s likely that a diligent user will be able to fix it galaxy bud or see 4 device in the future. At this point the platform hasn’t changed even a bit since its launch a few months ago, not even supporting for Galaxy S22. Still three product lines: Samsung S20 series, S21 series and Galaxy Tab S7 Plus.
A potential phone icon for Self-Repair Assistant can be found on the profile, but other than that, there’s not much else about the app. Currently, it is awaiting examination by the US Patent and Trademark Office; presumably to make sure that whatever Samsung is doing meets US regulations.
We’ve also reached out to Samsung to see if they can answer our questions about the app and when people can expect support for S22 phones in the Self-Repair Program. While the program is fully extensible, a trademark application is only an indication of what can happen; nothing is guaranteed. This story will be updated later.
Competitive advantage
Assuming everything in the trademark application turns out to be true, it could give Samsung an edge over its already-launched rival Apple. Self-repair back in 2021. People can order replacement parts to repair certain iPhone and MacBook models; however, the category has remained unchanged since then. No word yet on expansion to include AirPods or Apple Watch UltraFor example.
But if there’s one thing we’d like Samsung and Apple to include in their respective programs is the ability to add new batteries. Overtime, lost smartphone battery their effectiveness. In fact, most mobile devices “lose about 20% of their initial battery capacity” within the first year. Efforts have been made to create a better power supply but who knows if we will see smartphones with better batteries and battery life.
If you want to find out another way you can repair your device, TechRadar has a list Best repair software for business computers that you should check.
