Dozens of customers contact Plextor Americas every day. And almost every time we encounter the same thing: a request to disable or remove passwords in iPhones, iPads, iPods, and Macs. In most cases, people take this request sympathetically, but there are some customers who are concerned about the security of their data, to which they have every right. Below we explain why we need access to the device and how best to prepare your device for repair in our service center.
Why do we need your password?
Your devices are full of personal information: notebook, messages, photos, bank accounts, applications with financial information, statistics, music (yes, there are people who are ashamed of their musical tastes), and more. All of this information is confidential; it has to be kept from prying eyes.
On the other hand, the customer comes to us to solve a problem with the device. We know how to help, but in order to do that, we need to get:
- Full access to the device;
- Maximum useful information about the problem;
If there is no problem with the second point, there are misunderstandings with the first. In the understanding of the vast majority of customers, it is not necessary to gain access to the device itself in order to repair the iPhone, iPad, iPod, and Mac. When we convince them otherwise, people are confused.
So, in our work, we interfere with the construction of the device: we change the loops, re-solder chips, clean out dirt, change covers, display modules, and much more. All these actions lead to a violation of the integrity of the gadget.
To make sure that you are satisfied with the result of the repair, we do tests on each device after the work is done. This is done to make sure that the functionality and correct operation of the gadget is preserved.
For example: after the iPhone screen replacement, we need to test the front camera, voice speaker, front microphone, proximity sensor, and Home button functionality. All these components are related and in this kind of repair, they are transferred from the old display module to the new one. If the iPhone is password protected, we can’t do that. For this reason, and for no other, we ask you to leave the password before accepting the unit for repair.
Preparing your iPhone, iPad or iPod before you take it to the service center
- Back up the contents of your iOS device to your computer using iTunes or to iCloud on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod.
- Disable the “Find iPhone” feature in the iCloud settings. This is imperative so that when you reset your iPhone, iPad, or iPod’s settings and user content, it won’t be locked by Activation Lock. Then we won’t be able to activate your iPhone, iPad, or iPod for repair without your Apple ID.
- Do a reset of all settings and user content. This will completely erase all of your data and allow you to hand over your device without worrying about the safety of your personal data.
You don’t have to worry about deleting data from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod. With a backup on your computer or iCloud, you will be able to restore the content in its entirety. Once you restore the backup, you’ll have everything as it was before, including an indication of unread messages and missed calls.
Preparing your Mac before handing it in for repair
Now a few words on how you can prepare your Mac for repair. To speed up the diagnostic process, you’ll need to do some of the following steps:
- Back up the contents of your OS X computer using Time Machine. In general, you should do this on a regular basis to save yourself from unfortunate accidents.
- Create a guest account so that we can check the integrity of your hard drive during a diagnostic.
- Create a second account with administrator privileges if the reason for your complaint is that OS X is not working properly.
- If your computer contains sensitive information that you don’t want to put at risk, you can delete your user information completely. You can do this by disabling your iCloud account in the settings (disabling it is an option to completely delete all your data from iCloud) or by moving important information to an external drive.
- Following the advice of plextoramericas.com engineers, you can be sure that your confidential information is safe. If you have any additional questions, be sure to write or call us, we will be happy to advise you.
