What to do if your screen saver goes off?

In the previous generation of Samsung’s foldable smartphone, many users were worried about the screen protector replacement procedure. We took inventory of the brand on the occasion of the release of the Galaxy Z Flip and Fold 4.

Just imagine. You’ve just spent six months on your honeymoon with your new foldable smartphone from Samsung, either the Galaxy Z Fold 4 or the Galaxy Z Flip 4. Then one morning a detail catches your attention on the screen. You don’t want to pay attention to it at first. You hope it will be gone by tomorrow if you don’t think about it too much. Moreover, the next day the problem got worse. This is where the plastic film of your screen starts to wear. Now that’s all you think about.

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Do not panic. You are not the first or the first this has happened to. Far from it, several people posted their concerns on the Samsung forums.

Another netizen, RuBy_67, has been sharing the damage to his protective film (which he initially thought was his screen) day after day. The phone is said to be missing for a year.

Here are all the complaints of Internet users about this problem:

• Changing something on the phone is a little short;
• The intervention time for changing the film is considered very long, on average five days away from his precious phone;
• Some people worry that their warranty will be voided.

But what to do next? Unless there is a contraindication, especially in a fragile model, in which case you should already be informed, let’s say the following: you can remove the plastic film from your phone. Of course, if you want to maximize the scratch-free life of your screen, it might be a good idea to leave it on for the first few months. But sooner or later, there will come a time when wear and tear will overcome it. This will not prevent your phone from working perfectly normally.

What does Samsung say about protective films?

We asked Samsung to respond to various messages posted on its forum. Here is their response:

“As for the protective film, in case of damage, it is possible to remove the foldable smartphone while continuing to use it normally and benefit from the same performance as with a ‘traditional’ smartphone. » Just don’t panic if your movie is gone, even Samsung tells you it’s no big deal. On the other hand, you may be interested in the interest of leaving a slightly disturbing message when the phone is turned on.

Even if you want to change the movie, Samsung prompts you to go through them. “While it is possible to apply the new protective film yourself, we recommend that you visit an authorized Samsung center for optimal results. »

A matter of time

Another topic that bothers everyone who wants to change their movie: do they really have to do without your precious smartphone for five days? From what Samsung told us, yes. “Today, the observed average time including returning a smartphone to a repair center is 5 days, but we are trying to offer replacement of the protective film in our approved local network. » It’s clear that Samsung is working to improve the wait time, but for now we’ll have to be patient because authorized centers can’t repair the film themselves. They are forced to send it to the Samsung repair center. For such a small operation, Samsung would do well to come up with a slightly more practical solution.

And the guarantee?

This is where things get a little complicated. Some netizens reported that Samsung tends to ignore the warranty if the device is slightly scratched or damaged. From what Samsung told us, that seems to be absolutely true.

“During the warranty period, any repair of the Samsung smartphone, including the replacement of the protective layer, is supported free of charge if the use of the product complies with the conditions specified in the warranty (for example, no marks should remain on the smartphone). impact or fracture). »

One can rightfully be interested in this policy. Is it legal to charge for tampering with a screen film if the phone is broken in a place where it doesn’t belong? In addition, there is no price list available on the Korean giant’s website to help users decide.

Some statements mention very prohibitive costs, such as 400 euros or 30 euros in diagnostic costs or 59 euros deductible. As you can see, the problem is not that Samsung charges for after-sales service out of warranty, but the lack of information that leads some buyers to find a rather expensive invoice later. Samsung has made progress in this regard. In short, the more questions you can ask before you ship your device, the better.

Where can I find an approved center?

There is a map on the Samsung website to find an approved center that will take care of the phone (and therefore send it to Samsung to change the film). This allows you to search within a more or less radius of, for example, your home or even your vacation spot. We recommend that you call authorized repairers so that they can give you an estimate of the possible cost of the exercise.

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