Tutorial: What To Do When You Water Damage Your Phone!

Many customers have been asking what to do when their phone is water damaged, so we are posting a quick tutorial on how to react when your device gets damaged by liquid, and what services can be offered.

To start, as soon as your device gets damaged by liquid, or you think liquid is still in the device, turn it off as soon as possible, and if the battery can be taken out, take it out now. The phone needs to dry out as soon as possible. There is a much greater chance of the phone being further damaged if the phone is on and has water in it.

Now that the device is shut off, it can be inserted and fully submerged into a bowl of rice and/or Silica Gel packs. You can keep the phone in the rice/silica until you're confident the phone is dry, sometimes this can take a day or two, so be careful when trying to turn the phone on. Sometimes this is all it takes to get your phone back to normal working condition. If this was not successful, we offer a water damage treatment to the majority of smart phones. There is about a 50% success rate with this treatment depending on how bad the corrosion on the board. The treatment takes up to 3 hours, but sometimes when it is not fully successful, we like to let the device sit overnight and try a second treatment the following day. The standard pricing for this is 10$ if we can’t get it fixed, and 50$ if we can get it fixed. No appointment necessary! We are open 10-8 during the week and 12-4 on the weekend, our address is 299 northfield drive east, unit 16.

Thank you, feel free to call us at 519-729-1372 if you have any questions at all.

WE CAN HELP

Thanks

We-Lectronics Cell Phone Repair

Tutorial: Unlocking your Blackberry/Android (Non iPhone)

Whether you're traveling to a different country for a week, or wanting to change to a carrier that is offering a better priced plan, there are several reasons you may want to unlock your device. This guide is just a little "how to" go about getting your device unlocked and finalizing the unlock.

Attention: These rules do not apply to iPhone. Apple devices have a different method of unlocking and finalizing the unlock.

Pricing:

First things first, there are different prices for the unlocking of devices, please call in for the exact amount as sometimes the prices can fluctuate. Generally, Androids are around 25$, older Blackberry(Pre-BB10) are around 10$, and newer blackberry(BB10+) are around 30$. Again, these amounts are just approximates and are subject to change.

In order to start the unlock process, we will need information for the device. We will need the imei number, carrier and model of the phone. Once we have this information, we can submit the unlock for processing. The unlock process takes between 1 and 24 hours.

Once the Unlock Code has been processed, we will need to type the unlock code into the phone to finalize the unlock. To finalize the unlock, start by shutting the device down. You will need a sim card from a carrier in which the device is not supported. Example, if your phone is locked to Rogers, you will need a non Rogers sim card, Bell, Koodo, Telus etc. Proceed to put the non supported sim card into the device, as soon as the sim card is inserted, turn on the phone. Once the phone is booted up, you should receive a message saying that it is an unsupported Sim card, and it will ask whether you want to unlock the device. Hit yes, and it will bring you to a screen prompting the unlock code. Simply type in the unlock code provided by We-Lectronics, and hit enter. The box in which you typed the code will either disappear, or it will display a message saying the unlock code was successful.

Congratulations, your device is now Unlocked.

Short Version (Android+Pre-BB10):

Once you receive the unlock code from us do the following:

1.       Turn off the phone and put a non-supported sim card in

2.       Restart the phone

3.       You will be prompted to enter the unlock code, after which you should receive a successful message

Short Version (BB10+):

1.       Turn off the phone and put a non-supported sim card in

2.       Restart the phone

3.       Navigate to Settings>Sim Card and press “unlock network”

4.       Enter code, after which you should receive a successful message

If you have any questions at all, feel free to call us at 519-729-1372, "WE" can help.

Unlocking Guide and FAQ: A quick guide of the obvious and not so obvious unlocking in's and out's

What is Unlocking?

When a phone is purchased from a carrier(Rogers, Bell, Telus etc) that phone is going to be "Locked" to the carrier it was purchased from. What that means is, that a phone purchased from Rogers, is going to be "Locked" to Rogers, you will only be able to use it with Rogers, and it will not work with any other carrier(Bell, Telus etc) unless you "Unlock" it from Rogers. An unlocked phone will work with any carrier, including carriers from different countries(Tmobile, Sprint, At&T etc)

What are the Benefits of Unlocking my Device?

There are several benefits to unlocking a device, including but not limited to:

1-Switching Carriers-For example, your contract is finished with Telus, and Virgin is offering you a better plan, you can unlock your phone so you can change from Telus to Virgin.

Also, there are a few carrier combinations that do not require you to unlock your device, this rule applies to majority of the phones on the market.

-Rogers phones will work on the Fido network and vice versa

-Bell Phones will work on the Virgin network and vice versa

-Telus phones will work on the Koodo network and vice versa

2-You can use Unlocked phones in different countries-Planning a vacation to another country but you don't want to pay Roaming or buy an expensive travel plan? Simply Unlock your device, and purchase a plan right from the country you're traveling to, it will be a lot more cost effective.

3-Resale Value-Unlocking a phone makes it much more attractive to buyers, it also opens up the sale to more potential customers. For example, if you were trying to sell a phone that was locked to Rogers, you will only attract people that are with Rogers and/or are planning to go with Rogers. If you were selling a phone that was unlocked, you are not limited to a certain carrier, so it will attract anyone who is interested in the model of phone regardless of carrier.

Are there any Exceptions to these Rules?

Yes, there are a few exceptions to the rules stated above, including:

Phone Exceptions-Certain phone models come stock Unlocked. The Google Nexus 4 and Google Nexus 5 are both Stock Factory Unlocked, which means they will work with all carriers, no matter what carrier they are purchased from.

Carrier Exceptions-There are certain carriers that will only work with their carrier designated devices, regardless if the device is unlocked. For example, WIND works on a different network, it requires the phone to be compatible with their frequencies, what this means is that the has to be compatible with WIND in order to pick up service. You can find out if your device is WIND compatible by bringing it into any WIND store.

I hope this guide has shed some light onto the subject of unlocking, at We-Lectronics, we unlock all phones from all Canadian carriers. If you have any questions, or if you need your device unlocked, we can help, please call us at 519-729-1372, thank you.

Tutorial: How to Factory Unlock an iPhone

In order to unlock your device, we will need the following information:
-Model of iPhone(4, 4S, 5, 5C etc)
-Carrier(Bell, Rogers, Telus etc)
-IMEI Number(Found either on the back of your device, or by dialing *#06# on the phone)

"WARNING"-Before continuing, please make sure that you know password associated with the Apple I.D linked to the device, the unlock requires this information, and if you do not know the password for the Apple I.D, you will be locked out of your phone. Also make sure your device is not blacklisted by checking the imei at http://www.protectyourdata.ca/check-the-status-of-your-device-in-canada/.

Prices vary for the carriers and constantly fluctuate, call us today for a free quote. Once we have the information, we can start to process the unlock. We require you to pay up front if you are taking the device with you, or you can pay when you pick up if you leave the device with us.

It can take up to 3 business days for the unlock to process, it's usually within a day, but sometimes it can take the full 3 business days(We do not need the device during this time).

Once our supplier has processed the unlock, they notify us that phone can now be finalized. To Finalize the unlock, there is a few steps to follow. You will need a Sim card that is NOT compatible with the devices current carrier, the easiest way to check is by inserting it into the phone. If the phone gives you a message that it is an invalid Sim card, then it will work for this step, if it just says No Service, than it will not work for this step. (Keep in mind, that Telus and Koodo are compatible with one another, and Bell and Virgin are also compatible with each other, so these combinations will not work for this step) Have iTunes open on your computer at this point. Once you are confident that you have a non supported Sim card, put it into the device, and have the device bring you to the Invalid Sim Card page. At this point, you can plug it into your computer and hook it into iTunes. Once it connects to iTunes, and it is recognized, it may ask you for your iCloud information, simply put in any information that it is requesting. iTunes will finalize the unlock automatically, it just needs to be hooked into and recognized by iTunes, and the unlock will process itself. Once it has done this, look down at your device, it will be past the invalid Sim card message, and it should be back at the home screen with No Service if it is a dead Sim card, or have your new carrier in the top left corner.

Congratulations, your device is unlocked.

Tutorial: How to Purchase Used Phones off of Kijiji – We-Lectronics

Hi everyone,
Firstly, we thank everyone who likes our We-Lectronics facebook page. We really appreciate it!
Many customers have been asking so we are going to post a quick tutorial on how to purchase a used phone off of Kijiji, Craigslist or any similar in person deal. When buying used there is always a risk but we hope we can help to minimize these risks for you.

1. Understand the terminology
It can be easy to get lost under the weather of tech terminology but if you quickly educate yourself of the basic terms related to cell phones you will find it much easier when purchasing your phone.
ie. Phone Unlocked: This means that the phone can be used on any network. Typically unlocked phones are worth more (especially iphones) and sellers will claim unlocked when really it is not, this is why you check it with an active sim card.
* Note: Even though some phones are unlocked, sometimes hardware is not compatible with certain networks (ie. Wind)
ie. Phone is Locked: This means the opposite, that the phone will only work on the carrier it is locked to.
ie. Active Sim: This is a fully functional sim able to make calls, texts etc. You are paying for a service from your carrier.

2. Always bring an active sim card and make a test call
With the national blacklist in effect, people may be desperate to sell their unusable blacklisted phones for quick profit. To prevent this and to check for all other problems (earpiece, speakers etc.) always bring an active sim card or talk to the seller before to make sure they do.
* Note: Keep in mind the size of your sim card which you have and what is accepted in the phone you are purchasing. There are three: regular, micro, nano

3. Inspect the Phone Carefully
this means to check for any cracks, non-functioning buttons, water damage etc. no indicated by the seller. This is very important because it is easy to miss an issue and you are left to deal with it.
We like to check: earpiece, speakers, touch screen functionality, side and home buttons, charging port, connection to the network, camera. If you are unable to actually use the phone (ie. Iphone on activation menu), it may be worth your time to activate it or alternatively you can message the seller to make sure it is usable prior to showing up.

Always remember when something seems to good to be true it usually is. Always use your brain when buying a used phone and act smart. Its better to be cautious then to be out hard earned cash.

Here are useful links:
1. National blacklist check: http://www.protectyourdata.ca/check-the-status-of-your-dev…/
2. A list of the phones we have for sale: http://kitchener.kijiji.ca/c-PostersOtherAds-W0QQUserIdZ859…
If you found this article helpful we would appreciate your feedback!
Thanks,
We-Lectronics