Why You Should Be Careful Before Sending Your Pixel or iPhone for Repairing

Life HacksJanuary 20, 2024

There comes a time for every gadget-user when they have to send off their devices for repair. Sadly, this is an issue that a simple Google search can’t fix. It could be a cracked screen or a malfunctioning charging port but the bottom line is that you’d need help from trained technicians to fix your device for you. But, how would you feel if you found that your data, photos, and even money was being stolen?

When you think about sending your device for repair, you know that you will have to try to do everything that you can do before resorting to that option. Let’s be honest–no one wants to randomly hand over their phone to anyone, and why would you?

Joel Rohland/Unsplash | You go to a flagship store to avoid just that

Your phone has sensitive and personal information, your social media, and also access to your finances! So, the last thing anyone would want is their phones going missing. Recent reports show that some google and apple repair staff are stealing your data.

The Recent Victim – Jane McGonigal

Author and game designer, Jane McGonigal, is the recent high-profile victim of this unfortunate happening. She stated that her phone was sent to be repaired but, instead, her personal data was gathered and leaked. McGonigal shared on her Twitter account that the phone was reported to be ‘lost’ at Google’s repair facility so she went ahead and bought a new one.

Lisa Fotios/Pexels | This is every cell phone user’s worst nightmare.

However, only a few weeks later, she discovered that her old ‘missing’ phone was being used to gain access to her sensitive data like photos. She also added that the thief even skimmed through photos of McGonigal in hopes of finding her explicit pictures.

Apple Secretly Handled the Issue

When McGonigal opened up about this experience, many people came forward and told what happened to them and how their data, photos, and even money was stolen through phones they had sent to Google for repair.

Maksim Goncharenok/Pexels | Money cannot compensate for the emotional damage caused

This is not just limited to Google; Apple, too, was sued by a woman whose private photos were stolen and leaked by an iPhone repair technician who was working on her phone. The tech giant settled it by paying $2 million to the victim.

This is the last thing you’d expect from major brands like Apple or Google, which claim to provide the highest security for their devices!