One of the world’s largest electronics insurance companies is now one of America’s largest retail repair services, as Asurion has acquired uBreakiFix.
uBreakiFix offers convenient repair services for consumer electronics, including phones, tablets, laptops, and game consoles. According to their website, the company has repaired over 6.5 million devices since its start in 2009, and it currently has over 500 physical locations in the US. uBreakiFix is also an authorized repair provider for both Samsung and Google.
Asurion offers insurance options for smartphones, like loss, theft, and damage, as well as coverage for device failures after the manufacturer’s warranty has expired. The company also provides extended warranties for all sorts of products, like appliances, televisions, computers, and other electronics. If you’re familiar with the name, it’s likely because Asurion is the provider for Amazon’s protection plans that are offered with many of the online retailer’s products.
While company buyouts can sometimes be bad news for consumers, we see this as a potential big step forward for uBreakiFix and the entire repair industry in general. Not only does this prove that repair is alive and well (and that big business is watching), it legitimizes independent repair and ensures that device owners who go through Asurion have even more options on where they can get their broken device fixed.
Asurion now has even more to gain from Right to Repair legislation, which would give uBreakiFix locations access to OEM repair parts for more manufacturers than just Samsung and Google. However, while Asurion has not weighed in on the legislation—which is pending in 20 states—their trade association, CTIA, has heavily lobbied against it. We’ve reached out to Asurion for comment and will update this post if or when we hear back.
In any case, congratulations to Justin and the entire uBreakiFix team!
Image from Mglatter/Wikimedia Commons
8 Comments
i don’t know
Does that mean UBIF will only use original iphone screens but not third party screens like Chinese copy from now on?
Bowen Yan - Reply
UBIF does OEM grade screens upon request and availability. Remember Apple is JUST a design and engineering company and does not actually make iPhones. Hence the “Designed and Engineered by Apple in California, Manufactured in China” label.
ryanalex4454 -
I work for Asurion, Apple doesn’t sell their screens to third parties so you would have to have Apple care or pay for a screen repair from Apple to get an Apple screen. The screen repair from Asurion comes with a one year warranty.
loriaz88 - Reply
The screens uBreakiFix receives thru Asurion are in fact original parts. They almost always have adhesive residue on them around the outer edge still so I think they are factory pulls from new working phones. Not sure how they get them but they ARE original.
stephtripp1 -
Anyone can get original Apple parts. https://support.apple.com/en-lamr/aasp-p...
plyx -