Joshua's Tech Talk

MyProtection: What is it, and how can it help you?

Fri, 19 Dec 2025 18:40:36 GMT

We get it. Repairing your phone's super costly, and you're not paying just any insurance company to protect your phone.

You pay insurance for your car, right? A very high-ticket item, you want to ensure that it's taken care of, properly. Now, we can offer that, with MyProtection .

Under the hood, here at Apex Wireless & Phone Repair, we use a platform called MyRepairApp . It's a wonderful tool to ensure customers like you get your devices fixed quickly, tracking who did what, alongside allowing us to do warranty repairs. MyRepairApp recently(ish) launched "MyProtection" , basically, because we already take basic information (your name and phone number, mostly), and we work with regular customers, regularly, there's a very good chance that you might come back to us to fix your device(s) again . And sometimes, it might not fit within our warranty's terms, or it's another thing that needs to be repaired, such as your back glass, after breaking the screen.

Now, we try to price fairly, to ensure that everybody has access to their technology that they bought, but sometimes, even our prices can be a bit high, usually due to the scarcity of parts, how new the device is, how difficult the device is to work on, so on and so forth. Our highest prices are because we care enough, and don't want you risking your device if you try to fix it yourself. There're plenty of guides online to get you started, but it's a procedure , not a tutorial.

That's where MyProtection comes in.

Next time, or, perhaps, the first time you get a repair with us, ask about MyProtection plans. For $5, $7, or $9 a month, you can get your device fixed for a flat, $50 deductible , instead of hundreds and hundreds of dollars for a screen, battery, or back glass, replacement.

You get the same service, same speed, and same general experience, like you would without insurance, except you save more money, versus taking it to another shop, back to the manufacturer, or anywhere else.

If you have any questions, or want to know more about MyProtection , reach out , and we'll be happy to help.

Data Breaches: What Are They and How They Effect You

Fri, 12 Dec 2025 16:11:55 GMT

Every day, every week, somebody's account on a forum, social media platform, or fundamental service to their livelihoods is hijacked.

Coincidentally, "data breaches" are prevalent. What are they? Is there a correlation?

What is a "data breach", and how does it effect people? That's what we're going to answer today. But first, let me pose some hypothetical questions to you.

Do you use the same passwords for everything, for the sake of convenience?
Do you have 2FA (Two Factor Authentication) enabled for your personal social media, bank services, or anything that supports it?
Do you use the same e-mail for everything?
Do you share your name online with services?

If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, and/or no to having 2FA enabled, then you can be susceptible to a data breach . Everything that was asked here could, and likely is , in a database (or, somewhere important, persistent information is stored) somewhere on the service that you have an account with. X account ? Password, e-mail, phone number, 2FA. Bank account ? Password, e-mail, phone number, 2FA, and likely more sensitive information, such as bank statements and information about how, and where, you shop, online or in person.

As such, when you hear that, say, Ticketmaster, in 2024, suffered a data breach of 560 million users' information, people's usernames, possible hashes of passwords (which can be reversed if it is common and/or short, if improperly secured), some bank card information, addresses, e-mails, a lot of things can be exposed onto the internet, or malicious actors .

Why does this matter?

Think about it this way. Imagine you're a family man, a few kids, wonderful wife, and you're going about your day. Suddenly, you get a call from an unknown number. Could be a business partner, could be a friend with a new phone, could be anything, so, you answer . And then you hear a voice, asking if the person answering is you. It is, so you say that it is . Then, you hear that on a certain day, your family will be kidnapped . Stolen from you, right when you expect it the least. Everything you love in your life, could be taken away, and they read out your address as proof. Your kids' names, where they go to school, where your wife works, everything someone should never, ever know.

Some people don't have to imagine, and this is because a critical vulnerability in a service led to people's data being stolen and sold elsewhere online, deep in the corners of the TOR network, for someone to buy up and use however their heart desires. This particular person's desire? Stir fear and chaos in the average working man, and get away scot-free, either taking money, or simply doing it because they want to.

This is an unimaginable risk, and the right series of data breaches could make it happen to you .

So, what can you do?

Services exist to mask your bank card's information, while still letting you shop and make purchases, but in the event of a data breach, your card information isn't able to be used anywhere else.

You could enter false information to protect yourself from websites you don't trust.

There are all sorts of options, and we can help , too. If you've suffered a data breach, we can help you set up new information, and help you get back on track with more information and more sources that you can use to keep moving forward in a more digital age.

Be careful online.

Recent News: The RAMpocalypse

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 23:17:52 GMT

Okay, alright, what's the deal with RAM?

And what, on God's green earth, is the RAMpocalypse?

Yesterday, December 3rd, Micron released a statement saying that they are pulling out their Crucial brand of RAM modules from the general PC market , to the shock of absolutely everybody. For 30 years, Micron has been producing RAM sticks for consumers, companies, and the like, and now, they are pulling out in favor of providing hardware to exclusively AI data centers and cloud markets . Depending on the type of person you are, you might be asking: "well, what's the problem with that?"

Well, Micron has 33% market share, as of Q3 of 2025, aka: from July to September of 2025, they held 33% of the market selling RAM sticks for computers, chips for laptop motherboard and console manufacturers, and had a revenue growth of 46%. This is great news for a business, especially one specializing in manufacturing computer components, until you start looking at some numbers.

As of the last five days, meaning before the announcement, their stock was rising. Upon the announcement yesterday, stock plummeted from $236.49 per share... to $229.30 . A decrease of 3% in an instant. It promptly went back up to ~$235 , however, it has been on a decline since, and is now down to $226.65, and has been around that range for the entire day today. This is a bad look for them, and I'm sure they're on full damage control.

So, let's break this down.

Why is RAM important?

RAM stands for Random Access Memory , and is used for short-term storage. Your computer, your phone, anything that could be considered a "digital computer" uses RAM. It holds variables, information, and all sorts of things for a very short amount of time, and is used primarily by the CPU. It's much faster than your storage, even if you have an SSD , so the CPU uses that for short calculations.

Say, for example, you have two variables, variable A and variable B, and you want to add them together. The CPU assigns variable A a number, then variable B a number, and then adds them together, and gives it back to you. Without RAM, after the CPU assigns variable A a number, and goes to give variable B a number, it goes back to variable A to add it to variable B, and promptly realizes that variable A is gone, and proceeds to have a panic, and finally crash, resulting in you not getting the sum of A and B.

Not having RAM is very bad. So manufacturers create RAM chips that serve that purpose, with the intentions being speed, and size. The bigger and faster, the better.

Because an option has disappeared for consumers, especially a huge option like Micron's Crucial brand, this means that there's a gap in the market, which is immediately filled by existing competitors, who usually charge more to keep up with the demand, as supply dies out for Micron.

Why would Micron pull out?

That is the million dollar question; and the answer is what everybody and their dog with a phone and modern knowledge would guess: AI. AI takes a lot of resources, especially RAM, and by catering to AI data centers, they can charge whatever they like for the modules, as they make very strong High Throughput Modules, which is needed for AI and machine learning models to decipher and "remember" conversations with users.

Now, by focusing purely on AI, it's easier work for them, for sure, but they lose a majority of their customer base . And no customers means no revenue. And no revenue means no profit. And no profit means no money. And no money means no Taco Tuesdays.

For us, a cute lil' rinky dink repair shop? This doesn't change much -- we work with parts for phones, tablets, consoles, lap- oooooooh . Because RAM modules are so expensive now, because of what we deem the "RAMpocalypse", this means sourcing parts is much more difficult. But we're more than willing to try anyway !

5 Tech Items to Get Your Loved Ones This Christmas

Fri, 28 Nov 2025 19:07:09 GMT

It's approaching Christmas time, so you know what that means: Christmas shopping.

And we're here to deliver some gift ideas this time of year.

It's not really even December yet, but some people like to do their shopping around this time of the year anyway in preparation for it. After all, buying early or buying late tends to give you better prices and rates than buying right towards Christmas day. So, to help you provide some excellent gifts this time of year, we're providing a nice top 5 gift recommendations to fill the bottom of the Christmas tree, or some stockings!

Number 5: A Chromebook.

This is normally a by-person basis, but we believe that a Chromebook of any kind can make for a decent gift this year! While they aren't super strong or good for a lot of intense computational work, they're amazing for cloud-based office work, utilizing tools like Microsoft 365 or the Google Suite!

If the person you're buying it for:

Likes writing
Likes watching YouTube videos
Works in a mostly white-collar position
Knows some things about computers, enough to use them

Then a good Chromebook, such as the HP Chromebook 14" (14a-na0020nr) , like the ones we have in our store for $239.99 , would be perfect for your favorite person!

Number 4: A refurbished iPhone.

Think about it: When you go to a phone repair shop, like us, cough cough , you're going to save money. Yes, you could buy the brandest, newest iPhone imaginable, in order to replace your old, broken, shattered iPhone, but then you could be losing data, spending way too much money, all the setup -- It's not worth it for most people! So, to treat your person, why not get them a refurbished iPhone instead? You'd be saving money, and they'd be getting something awesome in the Apple ecosystem, it's a win-win!

If the person you're buying it for:

Likes Apple
Wants a cleaner user experience than what Android phones may provide
Wants to be slightly closer to the times
Likes amazing camera quality and performance

Then a good iPhone, such as the iPhone SE 3rd Generation (2022) , like the ones we have in our store for $249.99 , would be perfect for your person that you want to gift!

Number 3: A Steam Deck.

Okay, can you blame me for sneaking in a piece of gaming equipment in here? Not only is the Steam Deck "gaming equipment", it's an entire computer in your hands ! Running a specialized build of Arch Linux, intended to be read-only for stability, you can disable this yourself, and use it for whatever you'd like! Running a full suite of AMD's custom hardware, specifically an RDNA 2 GPU and a Zen 2 CPU with 4 cores, 8 threads, at 3.5 GHz, it's comparable to most gaming laptops of it's era, but made by Valve !

If the person you're buying it for:

Plays Steam games
Likes computers
Wants to play games, even on the go

Then a good Steam Deck, available here , for $319.20 , could be just what the Christmas tree needed under it this year!

Number 2: A Meta Quest 3S.

This one is a bit of a "hear me out". Hearing Meta and Facebook immediately gets me thinking about Zuckerberg taking all of your data for unknown purposes, likely selling to other companies, so normally, I wouldn't be suggesting anything from Meta, however, after making an account and making the necessary privacy settings? The Quest 3S redeems it all with a nice hardware and software package , letting you play all sorts of different games and browse the internet in a brand-new way.

If the person you're buying it for:

Likes new technology
Likes/Wants to try VR
Wants a new way to experience their favorite games (with a strong enough PC)

Then the Meta Quest 3S, available almost anywhere, but especially on Amazon , for $329 , will be the perfect gift for your adventurous person!

And now, for number 1,

The #1 recommended gift for anyone this Christmas, as recommended by our blog here at Apex Wireless & Phone Repair is...

A laptop!

...Okay, yes, I put the Chromebooks at the bottom of the list, but this one, for sure, is #1 territory. Chromebooks are great for surfing the web, but a laptop can be a gateway to everything tech in the right hands.

For this, we recommend the HP OmniBook X Flip ! This provides excellent power for all sorts of different applications, ranging from games, to 3D modelling software, to integrated development environments, being able to bring the power of the internet with you wherever you go, for whatever you need, it's the all-in-one solution that can beat out every other piece of tech listed here.

If the person you're buying it for:

Knows how to use the internet
Wants to learn more about computers
Does a lot of different things

...then this, is the perfect gift for you. And hey, if anything goes wrong with anything you bought from this list, bring it by . We'd love to take a look for you, and help you determine what went wrong with the gift you bought this Christmas.

Happy holidays!

Winter Time Tech Week

Wed, 19 Nov 2025 17:30:45 GMT

Welcome to the first freezes of November, Apex!... And the rest of North Carolina, too.

Hard to believe it's November already. 2025 is almost over, and, we're not sure if we've accomplished as much as we liked this year, but that's why this blog is here again. Because everyone's favorite AW&PR blogger, Joshua Arnone, is back into the fray, fixing phones and yapping about tech.

What to say this week... How about software updates?

What are software updates?

When it comes to keeping your computer running at top notch, usually a very solid idea is updating the software . This, essentially, gets modified files by a provider, such as Microsoft or Apple. Last week, or, more accurately, the week before, we talked about how updating your phone can potentially slow it down , due to how developers often don't plan on their software running on older devices, especially not firmware developers.

This doesn't quite apply to computers, though! Unlike phones, while they're a hot target for hackers, they're fundamentally far more locked down than your average computer. For example, on a Windows machine, go to C:\Windows\System32 . This folder is chock-full of system files that let Windows boot and run, and if certain files were missing from here, you'd be blue-screening if not instantly, then every boot !

Now, on iOS or Android, go to the equivalent, the root directory of the filesystem on your phone . "How", you ask?

Funny thing about that: you can't, without voiding some warranty by the manufacturer. If you can do it, a hacker can too, with the right tools and enough time. And that's where system updates come in for updating your computer!

What if I have an old device?

Usually, system updates by Microsoft, Apple, and assorted component manufacturers, will improve your experience of using that system, including providing better stability and better performance, typically . Of course, if your device is decades old, and older than your firstborn, then there's a non-zero chance that whatever developers worked on the software and hardware have completely forgotten about it, and while an update may work, it may not be as performant or helpful as a typical update on newer hardware.

When it comes to older desktop and laptop computers, usually leaving it be is the best course of action, unless you decide to trek down the penguin-based kernel path, and wipe off Windows in order to install something like Ubuntu or Arch onto it. Which, if you do, be very careful when doing so .

Two years ago, almost to the day, we talked about wiping the operating system off of your computer, where we talked about Rufus. This is a very valuable tool for Windows users, but it doesn't perform as well on Linux, if not, is inherently incompatible , even with a compatibility layer such as Wine. If you're looking to return to Windows from Linux, try researching into WoeUSB . This can help you get a Windows installer and help you get back into the Windows ecosystem.

If you find yourself trapped in the UEFI menu because you messed up something during the installation process, or you want to go back to Windows, but don't know how to, feel free to bring your computer in to us! Our computer technicians would be more than happy to guide you through the process, and have you leave the shop with a shiny new OS to restore your computer back to it's former glory.

Tech Tips w/ Josh: Linux, yay or nay?

Mon, 03 Nov 2025 20:15:32 GMT

The year of desktop Linux is a joke among experienced computer users.

But, is it really still not the year?

First of all, welcome to the very first post in the "Tech Talks w/ Josh" series. I'm your blogger, Joshua Arnone, and let's get to talking about a penguin-oriented operating system.

What is Linux?

Linux is a free-as-in-freedom kernel , created by Linus Torvalds, in 1991, as a personal project while studying in Finland. A kernel is a foundational level in software that ties together your hardware (physical computer) to your software (applications, like Firefox and whatnot) that takes care of drivers and running the operating system. If you're in the Mac ecosystem and heard of a " kernel panic ", that means that the computer ran into something so irrecoverable that even the kernel was forced to shutdown and restart. When people talk about "using Linux", they really mean that they are using a distro , or distribution, of Linux.

What are Linux distros?

Distros are essentially the "operating system" that Linux boots up. When you hear "Ubuntu", "Arch", or "Debian", those could be considered the operating system behind Linux. It all loads the same Linux, however, what differs is normally the package system (i.e., Ubuntu and Debian use apt , or "advanced package tool", while Arch and derivatives use pacman , or "package manager"), update cycle (Debian releases stable update cycles very cautiously and barely "occasionally", to promote system stability, Ubuntu releases stable updates more frequently, and Arch has no concept of stability beyond "it just works" nearly daily, depending on the developer), and general community.

However, distros don't equal how it appears. Two computers running the same distro could look very differently from another, and that's thanks to one of two possible GUIs, or graphical user interfaces: Desktop Environments , (DE) or Window Managers (WM).

What's the difference between a Desktop Environment and a Window Manager?

Statistically speaking , you're running Windows. Windows could be considered a desktop environment , as you have windows, with bars for you to click on and move around with your mouse. If you're a mobile user, i.e., Android, iOS, and the like, it could be considered a window manager . Unlike a desktop environment, window managers manage their windows (which are managed by the window manager) by the user using certain keybinds and combinations of characters to move them around, close them, and duplicate them, rather than using the mouse.

Generally, if you're looking to enter the Linux ecosystem, it is highly recommended you use a distro designed for a desktop environment , such as Manjaro with KDE, or Ubuntu with XFCE. This is because many skills you may have acquired using Windows, even at an intermediate level, will transition nicely over to Linux, except for when it comes to getting applications.

Fundamentally, why Windows, Mac, or Linux?

When it comes to using your computer, you have a certain lifestyle and suite of applications you use regularly.

For example, the average Windows user likely simply browses the internet using an internet browser like Firefox, Chrome, Opera, or Edge . These are the most popular and most used internet browsers, and if you're not using these, you are using a variant of the browser, such as Chromium-based browsers, which run off of a similar engine that runs Google Chrome.

Whenever you want to use an application (such as Discord), you normally go to the website, download an installer, tell UAC (User Account Control) to permit your system to be modified, and agree to whatever terms and conditions the installer displays, tell it where to install, usually just by clicking "Continue" over and over until it gets done.

When you do, you often get a little icon on your Desktop that leads to your application, it's in your start menu, it's everywhere you need it to be to access it, and you double-click it to open it.

The average Mac user also browses the internet, but often uses just Safari , and very rarely ever has to install applications, but when they do, it's normally through the App Store.

Now, the average Linux user may also be using the same kinds of browser as the Windows user, however, they have to get the packages for it via the command line, with apt or pacman , then, when they want to use it, they may run it from the command line, or through the Desktop Environment's equivalent to a Start menu, or any general "meta" menu. Installing applications, whether they be games or browsers, editors or system management tools, is all done through the command line. Very few desktop environments or distros are designed to be used exclusively with the mouse , and this is where the arguments for "year of the Linux desktop takeover" fall apart.

How does it fall apart?

The average Windows or Mac user will have to undergo a life-style change, not to mention possibly losing their data to install a Linux-based distro, and understand how to use the command line, even if it's just to the extent of getting the same things they already have on Windows or Mac. Because of this, it becomes a question of "why bother changing", if what they have is working?

The Windows user may answer "I don't bother, because what I have is so easy, works everywhere, and is perfectly fine."

The Mac user may answer "I don't bother, because what I have is part of an ecosystem. Everyone I know has a Mac, and it works fine for them, and it works fine for me."

And the Linux user may answer "I bother, because I care about my privacy, know what I'm doing with my data and my everything, and it all works fine, until someone updates something improperly, and I have to roll-back an update. That's annoying, but I care about my computer, so I use Linux."

And I answer "there should be no point in arguing, because what everyone has works, until big corporations come to try and tear it away for the sake of more money. When the paid stuff breaks and nobody fixes it, then you switch to Linux, because then, you trade your time for saving money, and stability, if you make the right choice."

But that's just me, and it's a case-by-case basis, which is why if you worry for the future of your computer and want to learn more about Linux, we can help by setting you up with a Linux distro that fits you, and help you learn how to use it.

How To: Not Replace Your Phone Every Year (To Two Years)

Mon, 27 Oct 2025 16:49:27 GMT

We get it. Replacing your phone sucks.

Think about it. You're going about your day, browsing the internet, chatting with friends, whatever, and somebody, whether it be a friend, tech blogger, or just an enthusiast for a certain fruit-based technologies company, brings up the brand new iPhone 1928 Pro Max Ultra M92 Devil May Cry Edition with one (1) extra bit of memory, at that point in your life, having been either part of the fruit-based technology colony yourself, or been part of the not-so-libre "revolution" with a certain robot-based OS, you're asking: "What's the point? Why should I be upgrading, when this thing I already have and paid for, works perfectly fine?" If you're not asking that, and instead saying "Oh, sweet, I could do something with that extra bit, I'll look into getting that", then... good for you .

Why upgrade?

Why would someone want to upgrade, at all, when your iPhone 14 Pro Max has been "sir-yes-sir"ing you your entire time with it, and spent a good chunk of change on it, and it still works perfectly fine?

Its' charm might've worn off over time, sure, the "brand new thing" becoming the "thing that you have in your pockets all the time that you bought three years ago" doesn't have such a nice ring to it anymore, sure, but it sure does ring.

It has the bells and whistles, lil' miss Siri, it lets you look up silly cat videos on your social media of choice, and lets you keep in touch with friends and family!

If it does the job; then why change the employee?

Right when you ask that question, boom. System upgrade. iOS 27. Brand new iteration of the operating system. "Oh, goodie, some new features for me to mess around with for a moment", you think, and you hit "install", or, more accurately, you plug it in at night, fiddle with it until you fall asleep, and then it updates overnight.

When you wake up in the morning, or when the system upgrade finishes, suddenly, it's running hot. Suddenly, it's about as fast as a slug on alcohol. The ever-reliable Toyota Corolla turns into the "it still turns over!" Ford F150 that your "mechanic" cousin can't drive on the roads with anymore.

What gives? What changed?

Software changed, hardware didn't.

The fruit-based company changed all the bells and whistles, and your car engine of a phone can't handle the added weight, so the battery dies faster. Everything runs slower. It's not as good as it was three years ago, because the developers expected your phone to have the performance to match what the software needs, and, it can't!

"Okay," you sigh, dejected, "this really stinks. Considering gas is approaching four bucks a gallon, I have to choose between getting to go to work, or getting to use my phone properly again."

"What can I do?"

The answer's simple! Downgrade! Switch your version back to how it was before, using iTunes.

Here's what you do.

If you have a computer, the steps are relatively simple:

Install iTunes.
Plug your phone into your computer.
Restore your phone to an older, Apple-signed, version of iOS.*

* This will result in you losing all of your data on your phone that is NOT backed up to iCloud, any cloud storage provider, or on any additional physical media! Do this with caution!

That way, the software that the developers made should match your hardware perfectly. Rather than a Corolla running the load of a semi, your Corolla of a phone is running the load of a Corolla!

Thing is, as simple as I can make it seem, this can be an arduous process, and a risky process if done improperly, leading to possible data loss, damaging your phone, or straight up bricking it! That's why if you don't trust yourself, there's a secret step that, between you and me? You can bring it to a phone repair shop like us . We'll happily take a look for you, and do our best to try and get your phone back to running like new!

Even better, if you want a possible discount, or peace of mind that you KNOW it'll be done right? Ask for Josh. I'd love to take a look for you. Until next time!

How To: Get Unstuck From the Apple Logo

Wed, 22 Nov 2023 19:45:50 GMT

Hoo boy. You never want to see the Apple for longer than thirty seconds.

But if you do, here's what to do.

Nine times out of ten, the phone is totally unusable after this. But in a glimmer of hope, Apple decends from the heavens to give us iTunes, and DFU. Let's see what toys they've given us today.

iTunes, not just for music.

Despite the name, iTunes is more than just a music store. While it's a good jukebox, it can also help restore your iDevices, and provide them with newer updates, which, can sometimes be the way to getting out of Apple logo purgatory. Once you plug in your iDevice to your computer, whether it be a Windows machine with iTunes, or any Mac with OS X, iTunes can spring into action and help update your device to the newest software, which can be enough to get yourself out of watching the Apple logo instead of anything else you may want to watch with your device.

But sometimes, that's not quite enough, or maybe iTunes doesn't recognize it immediately. Thankfully, Apple thought about this too...

And gave us DFU. (Or Device Firmware Upgrade, if you want to be fancy.)

DFU is Apple's Excalibur when it comes to updating, restoring, or resetting an iDevice. There are multiple guides on how to get into it, but if you've got an A11 chip (anything after the iPhone 8), press the volume up, then volume down, and hold the power button. Once it turns off, hold the power button and the volume down button. After five seconds, release the power button. If it's hooked into a computer with iTunes, it'll scream out in help in computer language to iTunes, in which it'll be able to update or restore the device to boot it out of DFU.

But sometimes, not even Excalibur is able to slay the mighty beast, and it may be something deeper and more difficult to resolve...

Nine times out of ten? It's the battery's fault.

It's really annoying when the battery has been working fine for the past several months, to even years, and then suddenly gives out like a 2 by 4 with way too much weight. Yes, it's been sturdy, but even the most sturdy pieces of tech can break under enough strain. So, what is there to do? Replace the battery. And it isn't an easy process.

What you're going to need:

- Pentalobe, Phillips-head, and Tri-wing screwdrivers.

- A pry tool, about 1/3 the size of a butter knife.

- A pair of tweezers.

- Isopropyl Alcohol

Using your pentalobe screw driver, remove the two screws beside the charging port. Use the pry tool to break the adhesive between the bottom of the screen and the charging port, prying upward, careful not to damage the components there. Continue this cycle around the screen, releasing the clips holding the screen to the frame, and set it up against the frame. Holding it can be difficult, so use something that you can trust to be rather sturdy to hold it in place, as you use the tri-wing or phillips-head screwdrivers to remove the plate covering the battery flex cable connector, and disconnect it.

Once done, pour a tiny amount of isopropyl alcohol between the frame and the battery. Doing so will have it pour onto the adhesive holding the battery in place, which will then loosen, where you can then use a pry tool to get underneath and pry it up. Be very careful, as Lithium Ion batteries have a tendency to explode or catch fire when punctured or broken, so if you don't trust yourself, bring it to a phone repair shop, like us! We'd be more than happy to pick up where you left off , and replace the battery.

Once the battery is replaced, reconnect the flex cable, screw down the plate, clip the screen back into place, and re-screw the pentalobe screws, and boot it up. You may need to charge it for a little while, but after a battery replacement, this usually results in the phone responding how it should! Because of the need to enter the device, provided the original two steps don't work, we rate this easy to medium, for intermediate techs. Easy if you got it down for the first two, medium if you need to open it up.

How To: Fix Ghost Touch

Sun, 19 Nov 2023 17:56:08 GMT

As fun as that would be, no, this isn't a tutorial on how to get ghosts to touch your phone for selfies.

Disappointing, I know, but you really don't want your phone doing stuff on it's own.

But we get it. Your phone's acting funky and you're considering bringing it to either a very technologically-oriented priest, or a very enthusiastic repair shop, but you want to try something on your own first. Let's get to work!

First things first...

If you're doing this for someone else, figure out what kind of iPhone they have, which can be found in the Settings app, General, and About. If it's an Android, open up the Settings app, scroll all the way down to About phone, tap on it, and it'll tell you the model of the phone. Once you know what kind of phone you've got, look up that phone model, and "hard reset". For iPhones after the 8, which no longer have the home button, it's typically volume up -> volume down -> power button (hold) in that order. Once the Apple logo appears again, release the button.

If that doesn't do the trick, next up are some more desperate measures. We strongly recommend backing up important files, like pictures, music, or documents that are on your device .

Bring it back to factory!... Settings.

Unfortunately, no amount of maintenance can bring it back to it's brand-new-from-factory style, but the closest thing you can do to that is wiping the device entirely with a factory reset. Usually this can be done in the Settings app, under General, and Transfer or Reset iPhone. This will basically totally wipe the device , removing anything relating to you on that device, minus maybe a carrier lock if the phone isn't paid off yet, or your carrier hasn't unlocked the device remotely. This can be the best course of action for getting rid of those heebiejeebie ghost touches that you may get on your display.

If that, more desperate measure, didn't fix the device, then the next best course of action is to replace the screen. iFixIt will be your guide here, but if you want a gist as to what to do...

It may not look shattered, but it can be broken.

Screen replacements are the bread and butter of any repair shop, whether it be just for laptops, or just for phones. If it has a screen, there's a screen replacement out there for it. Ghost touches can be a sign of a faulty digitizer, or, the glass on the outside of the LCD. Unfortunately for most iPhones, these digitizers are part of an assembly with the LCD, and would be really difficult to separate without damaging either component. Thankfully, most vendors provide an LCD assembly, digitizer included, which makes it a lot easier!

For a roundabout guide, get a pentalobe screwdriver, pry tool (at least 1/3 as thin as a butter knife), a pair of tweezers, a tri-wing screwdriver, and a phillips-head screwdriver. These five tools are mostly all you need in order to totally disassemble an iPhone. After removing the two pentalobe screws at the bottom of the device (they are next to the charging port, on opposite ends), insert your pry tool between the gap of the screen and the charging port. Be very careful, as you can damage the charging port and essential components in that region if done improperly. Carefully pry upwards, unclipping the clips holding the screen down to the frame and device. Doing this will break the adhesive, which is crucial for keeping moisture out of the device, so make sure that when you re-assemble, the screen is down fully ! Not doing this can pose a risk to your device for water damage, even if you never spill water on it.

Disconnect the battery by unscrewing the screws holding it down via a plate, then using your pair of tweezers or your pry tool to pull up on the battery connector, then unscrew the plate holding down the proximity sensor, screen, and digitizer. Remove the proximity sensor from the old screen, and attach it to the new one, then reattach the cables to the motherboard, and screw it back up. If you've done everything right, after reattaching the battery, you should see an Apple logo appear after holding the power button down for long enough.

This isn't for the faint of heart, however, so we give this a rating of easy to medium for intermediate users to repair. It depends on the type of device, but iPhones are usually rather simple to replace screens on compared to Androids. If that still doesn't work, we'd be more than happy to take a look into it for you , and see if we can determine what is causing the issue.

How To: Wipe a Computer

Sat, 18 Nov 2023 16:57:01 GMT

We get it. You don't want to bring your computer to a shop, but you want a fresh new experience with your computer.

Don't worry. You probably already have everything you need.

Nine times out of ten, every now and again, your computer gets bloated with a bunch of programs that you don't remember installing, or have used so long ago that you forgot about it, and next thing you know, BOOM. Your drive is rich with all sorts of programs that you remember using once or twice. And you don't want to go through the trouble of sorting through them all, and it's probably better wiping than going through the trouble.

Before you remove everything (because that's what wiping does!) though,

- If you have any saved data, such as cookies, passwords, users, etcetera, it WILL be lost.

- If you have any saved games, such as installed via Steam, or maybe some other websites, it WILL be lost.

- If you have any documents, presentations, anything office related, it WILL be lost.

If you're okay with losing everything, or you have it backed up into some platform like Google Drive, or Dropbox, then you're prepared to get started.

What you need:

- At mininum a 8GB USB. Preferably with USB 3.0 or higher. USBs like that are the best way to get data across, and quickly.

- A good USB flasher. We recommend Rufus , although we aren't sponsored by them, they're an open source flasher. Rather than being closed source , where a dedicated group of people work on it with no-one able to fully able to look into the code without dedicated tools for reverse engineering, an open source program allows even you, the reader, to look into the code! Though, if you don't know the C programming language, this won't particularly be helpful. Anyhow; Rufus is the way to go with any amount of flashing, whether you're looking at a Windows installation, or a go in a Linux distribution!

What to do:

First, double check that your Windows partition has a form of "recovery mode". Worst case scenario, the partition that holds your recovery utility is totally done for, which means no internal resets. What's an internal reset? Well...

The recovery partition is basically kicked into action whenever Windows detects that it's having troubles booting, usually if it BSODs on boot, or just can't get to the sign-in portion of booting into the computer after enough times. The recovery mode has an option for, after going into "Advanced Options", "Reset This PC". This tells Windows to basically refer to an internal segment of the drive that, hopefully, hasn't been damaged, to then flash into the Windows folder, and allows the computer to boot normally again. This usually works rather well, even without a Wi-Fi connection.

If that didn't work;

Either the recovery partition is damaged, or the internal portion is corrupted, your best course of action is to flash a USB stick using Rufus with a new Windows ISO. You can find these ISOs on the Microsoft website, both for Windows 10 and Windows 11 . Once you have the ISO downloaded, open up Rufus, insert the ISO into the Boot Selection, and then flash it once it's ready. After you're done, reboot.

This is where the fun part begins.

Booting into the setup:

Depending on the model of your computer, your motherboard has a BIOS, or Basic Input-Output System, where it has a temporary start-up menu. Any of the function keys can be your guide onto where to find this start-up menu, or even if you entire the BIOS yourself, you can boot into the USB stick, provided the flashing is done successfully.

After it's booted into the setup utility, begin the setup and follow the steps that Windows lays down for you. At this stage, any data that you have on your drives is likely unrecoverable without a dedicated repair shop to recover that data for you, or if you have another USB stick that you can use to store files to, with another USB flash, typically a form of Ubuntu installation for a temporary way to store your media that you want to recover. Either way, begin the installation, and with a little bit of sailing, your computer should be fresh and clean with a new install of Windows, or an installation of your choosing!

Congratulations! You saved yourself a bit of cash, and got a faster installation with it, nine times out of ten. Still encountering a bit of slowness? It may be a good idea to, if you're on a desktop, upgrade certain parts of your computer, or, if you're on a laptop, get a new one. Both of which can be very costly and risky, so it's suggested you bring them to knowledgeable computer technicians like us to take care of that for you.

Joshua's Tech Talk

MyProtection: What is it, and how can it help you?

We get it. Repairing your phone's super costly, and you're not paying just any insurance company to protect your phone.

That's where MyProtection comes in.

Data Breaches: What Are They and How They Effect You

Every day, every week, somebody's account on a forum, social media platform, or fundamental service to their livelihoods is hijacked.

Coincidentally, "data breaches" are prevalent. What are they? Is there a correlation?

Why does this matter?

Recent News: The RAMpocalypse

Okay, alright, what's the deal with RAM?

And what, on God's green earth, is the RAMpocalypse?

Why is RAM important?

Why would Micron pull out?

5 Tech Items to Get Your Loved Ones This Christmas

It's approaching Christmas time, so you know what that means: Christmas shopping.

﻿ And we're here to deliver some gift ideas this time of year.

Number 5: A Chromebook.

Number 4: A refurbished iPhone.

Number 3: A Steam Deck.

Number 2: A Meta Quest 3S.

And now, for number 1,

The #1 recommended gift for anyone this Christmas, as recommended by our blog here at Apex Wireless & Phone Repair is...

A laptop!

Winter Time Tech Week

Welcome to the first freezes of November, Apex!... And the rest of North Carolina, too.

What are software updates?

What if I have an old device?

Tech Tips w/ Josh: Linux, yay or nay?

The year of desktop Linux is a joke among experienced computer users.

But, is it really still not the year?

What is Linux?

What are Linux distros?

What's the difference between a Desktop Environment and a Window Manager?

Fundamentally, why Windows, Mac, or Linux?

How does it fall apart?

How To: Not Replace Your Phone Every Year (To Two Years)

We get it. Replacing your phone sucks.

Why upgrade?

Software changed, hardware didn't.

Here's what you do.

How To: Get Unstuck From the Apple Logo

Hoo boy. You never want to see the Apple for longer than thirty seconds.

But if you do, here's what to do.

iTunes, not just for music.

And gave us DFU. (Or Device Firmware Upgrade, if you want to be fancy.)

Nine times out of ten? It's the battery's fault.

What you're going to need:

How To: Fix Ghost Touch

As fun as that would be, no, this isn't a tutorial on how to get ghosts to touch your phone for selfies.

Disappointing, I know, but you really don't want your phone doing stuff on it's own.

First things first...

Bring it back to factory!... Settings.

It may not look shattered, but it can be broken.

How To: Wipe a Computer

We get it. You don't want to bring your computer to a shop, but you want a fresh new experience with your computer.

Don't worry. You probably already have everything you need.

What you need:

What to do:

If that didn't work;

Booting into the setup:

And we're here to deliver some gift ideas this time of year.