After waiting almost a week for the screen, and then searching for 2 days to find a screw driver that would work, I finally fixed my screen. I used the video on repairsuniverse.com, and I have to say, it looked much easier than it actually was-but it worked. One thing I would warn about is that I had several parts in my phone that stuck to the adhesive, like my earpiece and a small piece from the camera lense, and I was scared that maybe they broke. I managed to get them back in place and everything worked fine. I'm glad I did it, but next time time I'll buy a new phone.
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Do you still have the fixed or broken aria to sell?
Hello everyone,
I dropped my Aria and it landed face-down, like many of the other stories on here.
I ordered a digitizer from one of the links above, along with a Y screw driver, hoping that's all I'll need to replace it.
The more I read, the more I think I have a bigger problem, though. I can still type and select things on the screen, even though it is cracked all over the place, but the graphics have gone down the tube also. The left 1/4 of the screen does not display at all, and the rest flashes and there are lots of lines through it, leading me to believe I need a new LCD, also.
Does anybody here have any insight into that? I need it shipped to Vietnam, so RepairUniverse doesn't seem to be an option for me.
I dropped my Aria and it landed face-down, like many of the other stories on here.
I ordered a digitizer from one of the links above, along with a Y screw driver, hoping that's all I'll need to replace it.
The more I read, the more I think I have a bigger problem, though. I can still type and select things on the screen, even though it is cracked all over the place, but the graphics have gone down the tube also. The left 1/4 of the screen does not display at all, and the rest flashes and there are lots of lines through it, leading me to believe I need a new LCD, also.
Does anybody here have any insight into that? I need it shipped to Vietnam, so RepairUniverse doesn't seem to be an option for me.
It all started last month when I was changing out my SD card, when I snapped the back cover back onto the phone the screen shattered in my palm. I have never ONCE dropped my phone to this day. First thing I do is call AT&T, they say oh yes this is a known problem let me get you transfered to HTC. HTC gets on the line and says I'm sorry this has happened to you, we know its a fragile screen and things like this happen. Lets get your information and you can mail in your phone and we will fix it and ship it back to you. So I said hold on I'll call you the following day to arrange the fix and shipping... I waited too long I guess. Now I call HTC and they tell me they NEVER fix screens for free, and that my phone is out of warranty because of the physical damage. AT&T tells me its not their place to fix it or accept it into warranty that they would have to charge $425!!!!! WTFFFFF. Anyways so I just got off the phone with HTC because now, I have BOTH PHONES (2lines) that have cracked screens and they cracked in very similar matters and they were never dropped of put in extreem temperatures. I plan to cancel my plan with AT&T and I will bitch and complain to the point where I have no cancelation fees. HTC and AT&T are going down the shit hole, be prepared.
seldom.seen
Lurker
Well, I'm breathing a sigh of relief as my repair, while a bit stressful at points having to put more than a comfortable level of pressure on the adhesive tape to get separation, seems to have restored mine to near perfect working condition. More on that in a separate post.
I wanted to respond to this post specifically as it looks to me like that little earpiece could easily become inverted during reassembly in such a way that the contacts on the back no longer meet the contact points inside the phone. In other words, it might be upside down. Seems like this could be the cause of lost speaker if the speakerphone is working and the headset is working.
seldom.seen
Lurker
Thought I'd share my repair as I just finished it and all appears to be functioning properly.
I dropped mine in a bar. Fell a couple feet onto a tile floor and shattered. I first took back to Radio Shack but having not purchased insurance weeks earlier, I was told I was SOL. This, after the guy behind the counter starts picking away at the shattered glass and pulling little pieces out, DUDE, WHAT THE *(&^ ARE YOU DOING! The phone works and I want to use that thing you know. I think I just managed to grab it back before he pulled a big chunk off in the upper right corner by the logo, behind which happens to exist a tiny little motion chip (I suspect), more on that later.
Next I tried the AT&T store, but got the same result. They could offer me a go phone but that it. Finally, after about an hour with the store rep and about ready to storm out, he finally revels to me that you can buy replacement digitizers on-line. Now you tell me? And that brought me to this forum.
Read the threads and ordered one from Hong Kong for $40 thinking I could handle the wait. Little did I know it was going to be an excruciating 3 weeks for it to arrive. In the meantime, every time I placed or accepted a call, the screen would go blank and I would have to pull the phone apart to remove the battery to hang up. I now think this was due to me having to apply a small amount of epoxy in that damaged corner to prevent more bits of glass from coming loose, inadvertently immobilizing that little motion chip I mentioned earlier. Needless to say, pulling the battery and restarting the phone 3-6 times a day... if I didn't know what frustration was before, I do now.
Today, the screen finally arrives and I am eager to get to it. Little did I know how involved the repair process was going to be. But, struggle through I did managing to not loose that tiny chip under the logo now embedded in epoxy, which at first I mistook for a bit of the cracked screen. Here are a few words of encouragement.
1. Make sure you keep you kids in another room. There are some tiny bits to manage and you don't want little hands anywhere near you with words like "cool what's that dad?" emanating from them as tiny hands creep into your concentrated vision.
2. Take it slow. The video tear-down is rehearsed and parts loosened before removal. It takes more than a fair amount of prying to get the screen off the digitizer and anywhere there is tacky tape, you'll need some substantial pressure. Don't try to cut it apart either. If you go slow, the sticky tape will remain intact. You may have to pull some of it it off the back of the cracked digitizer and put it back on the edge of the screen, but with care you won't need to replace any adhesive. Envision yourself pulling off a label from cardboard. Go slow and it all comes off clean, go fast and you have a mess.
3. Additional tools: Try to find a pair of jewelers magnifiers, or a headset with lights, or something. My eyesight is pretty good, still 20/20, but I struggled to see what I was doing a couple times because of poor lighting. You will also need a MINUTE Phillips screwdriver. I have a micro set, but even the phillips in that set was too big. I had to use the tiny standard head to unscrew those microscopic buggers. For some prying I ended up using a dulled Exacto blade, carefully!!!!, since that little piece of plastic "pry tool" broke almost right away.
4. I managed the repair following the video where the metal plate is pried up to unseat the cable by lifting the metal plate and propping it with the screwdriver so I could see under the plate. Using an Exacto blade, I maneuvered the cable in place to seat it, very carefully. It can be done, but if there's another way as mentioned in this thread, you might want to follow that instruction.
5. Keep the plastic protective sheet on the digitizer just until you are ready to stick it back on the screen. Before that step, hold the screen up to the light to look for fingerprints you've left behind as you were reefing on the case to get things apart. There will probably be some there. Wipe odd with lint-free cloth (read hem of T-shirt) and then slowly remove the protective plastic, carefully line up the pieces and slowly stick together so you can tweak the edge insuring a complete black periphery. Misalign it and you'll be dealing with the aforementioned "glows"
5. For the love of Buddha, FIND A PROTECTIVE CASE immediately after your repair! You won't want to repeat this process, even again.
I dropped mine in a bar. Fell a couple feet onto a tile floor and shattered. I first took back to Radio Shack but having not purchased insurance weeks earlier, I was told I was SOL. This, after the guy behind the counter starts picking away at the shattered glass and pulling little pieces out, DUDE, WHAT THE *(&^ ARE YOU DOING! The phone works and I want to use that thing you know. I think I just managed to grab it back before he pulled a big chunk off in the upper right corner by the logo, behind which happens to exist a tiny little motion chip (I suspect), more on that later.
Next I tried the AT&T store, but got the same result. They could offer me a go phone but that it. Finally, after about an hour with the store rep and about ready to storm out, he finally revels to me that you can buy replacement digitizers on-line. Now you tell me? And that brought me to this forum.
Read the threads and ordered one from Hong Kong for $40 thinking I could handle the wait. Little did I know it was going to be an excruciating 3 weeks for it to arrive. In the meantime, every time I placed or accepted a call, the screen would go blank and I would have to pull the phone apart to remove the battery to hang up. I now think this was due to me having to apply a small amount of epoxy in that damaged corner to prevent more bits of glass from coming loose, inadvertently immobilizing that little motion chip I mentioned earlier. Needless to say, pulling the battery and restarting the phone 3-6 times a day... if I didn't know what frustration was before, I do now.
Today, the screen finally arrives and I am eager to get to it. Little did I know how involved the repair process was going to be. But, struggle through I did managing to not loose that tiny chip under the logo now embedded in epoxy, which at first I mistook for a bit of the cracked screen. Here are a few words of encouragement.
1. Make sure you keep you kids in another room. There are some tiny bits to manage and you don't want little hands anywhere near you with words like "cool what's that dad?" emanating from them as tiny hands creep into your concentrated vision.
2. Take it slow. The video tear-down is rehearsed and parts loosened before removal. It takes more than a fair amount of prying to get the screen off the digitizer and anywhere there is tacky tape, you'll need some substantial pressure. Don't try to cut it apart either. If you go slow, the sticky tape will remain intact. You may have to pull some of it it off the back of the cracked digitizer and put it back on the edge of the screen, but with care you won't need to replace any adhesive. Envision yourself pulling off a label from cardboard. Go slow and it all comes off clean, go fast and you have a mess.
3. Additional tools: Try to find a pair of jewelers magnifiers, or a headset with lights, or something. My eyesight is pretty good, still 20/20, but I struggled to see what I was doing a couple times because of poor lighting. You will also need a MINUTE Phillips screwdriver. I have a micro set, but even the phillips in that set was too big. I had to use the tiny standard head to unscrew those microscopic buggers. For some prying I ended up using a dulled Exacto blade, carefully!!!!, since that little piece of plastic "pry tool" broke almost right away.
4. I managed the repair following the video where the metal plate is pried up to unseat the cable by lifting the metal plate and propping it with the screwdriver so I could see under the plate. Using an Exacto blade, I maneuvered the cable in place to seat it, very carefully. It can be done, but if there's another way as mentioned in this thread, you might want to follow that instruction.
5. Keep the plastic protective sheet on the digitizer just until you are ready to stick it back on the screen. Before that step, hold the screen up to the light to look for fingerprints you've left behind as you were reefing on the case to get things apart. There will probably be some there. Wipe odd with lint-free cloth (read hem of T-shirt) and then slowly remove the protective plastic, carefully line up the pieces and slowly stick together so you can tweak the edge insuring a complete black periphery. Misalign it and you'll be dealing with the aforementioned "glows"
5. For the love of Buddha, FIND A PROTECTIVE CASE immediately after your repair! You won't want to repeat this process, even again.
floridys39
Lurker
I just wanted to add my 2 cents on the cracked screen subject. I've had my Aria less than a month and dropped it while sitting in front of my computer. When I picked up the phone, surprise the screen was cracked. Well, I've had my work mobile which is an Iphone for almost two years and have bumped, dropped, dunked and kicked it and it still works and no screen damage? I'm not a fan of the iphone which is why I bought the Aria as a personal phone. When my contract is up looks like i'm heading for a dual iphone.
Still haven't decided if I want to repair it yet.
Still haven't decided if I want to repair it yet.
How far from the floor was it dropped? Other than the fact that the screen broke, how do you like the phone?
Add another drop from two feet to the list, resulting in a cracked screen. I was feeling pretty stupid about it till I read this thread; thanks for all the great posts. I feel inspired to fix the screen except that the cost is $60-$120 - why is the cost going up so much?
I like the phone OK; bought it as my first Droid because I loved the HTC 3125 so much. But the Aria won't show my PocketMirror tasks as the app is still under development, so I went back to my old phone for a while till the screen is fixed as I can't live without the task list.
I like the phone OK; bought it as my first Droid because I loved the HTC 3125 so much. But the Aria won't show my PocketMirror tasks as the app is still under development, so I went back to my old phone for a while till the screen is fixed as I can't live without the task list.
I replaced my cracked screen with a new digitizer and was all proud of myself until I realized I couldn't make or receive phone calls (kind of the whole point of having a phone, or at least it used to be). Everything else works. As soon as I punch the screen to send the call, the screen goes blank. The call goes through, however. Also, people can leave me a message, but the screen goes black if I try to listen to it. Does anyone know at which point of my deconstuction/reconstruction of the phone did I do something wrong?
repairsuniverse
Android Enthusiast
Hi,
A couple of our customers have done this so your not the first.
It sounds like you have blocked / covered the sensor at the top of the lens which tells if you have the phone to your ear or not. You may of covered this sensor with adhesive when installing. Take a look at the screen in good light and you will see some light holes on the upper glass. This is what the sensor "sees" out of.
Sort this out and your phone should be fine again.
okstatefan
Lurker
I am having the same problem, but I don't think it is the light sensor. I believe it may be a problem with the headset speaker. I can use mine perfectly fine with bluetooth or speaker phone; but when I try to use the Aria as a regular handset, the phone locks on black screen. The light sensor works fine on my Aria though, even after the replaced digitizer.
repairsuniverse
Android Enthusiast
If your having issues with the speaker I recommend checking over the connections. It sounds like it is not making the right connection which is causing the phone to freeze.
okstatefan
Lurker
Definitely, but there is no way I'm taking the phone apart again. It took three tries to get it back this good. I had a chunk of glass that I couldn't see, but wouldn't let the digitizer seat properly. Once i finally felt it and removed it, the phone went back together as is and I'm done.
I have got cracked screen replaced on my Aria couple days ago and would like to share my experience in hope that it might be helpful for some of you.
Note that I had Gadget Guard on my Aria screen when I dropped it. Although I don't like the Guard because it feels sticky and is much less comfortable when using touch screen, it came handy with broken screen - it kept it together and phone stayed fully functional.
Having phone still functioning gave my time to do some research.
I found that there were 3 options for repair.
1. Order replacement digitizer from China (almost $100) and replace the screen on my own.
2. Contact HTC repair center (888-295-1330), get RMA and pay for out of warranty repair. It would cost $100 or more - they said that exact repair cost is known only after the unit is inspected, but it's not going to be less that $100. Plus shipping to them is on me. It was expected that process will take 2-3 weeks. plus 90 days warranty on repair.
3. Go to local repair shop (I'm in Maryland). I found 1 repair shop in MD which quoted $160 and one in Arlington, VA (cellphonecarecenter.com) which quoted $100 plus 60 days warranty on repair.
I decided not to go for #1, because there were no guarantee that digitizer from China will be in working condition and I did not want to take chances on waiting for another month for replacement.
#2 was very attractive but it would be hard to manage everything I do without Aria for 2-3 weeks.
I drove to Arlyngton (cellphonecarecenter.com). I got there about 2 pm and they offered me to leave the phone and pick it up in 4-5 hours. I opted to pay them a rush fee ($20) and have Aria repaired in 30 minutes. After opening the phone they discovered additional damage from the fall, but they did not charge me extra for repair. In 25 minutes thay had new digitizer on, but it did not work. Investigation shown that replacement digitizer was defective (at this point I was happy that I did not order one from China). They went ahead and replaced the digitizer again (they waived rush fee because I ended up spending in the store about 1 hour instead of 30 minutes promissed).
Next digitizer was working fine, but it's not exactly as OEM one. It's not only missing AT&T logo. As well it's missing white strip on the back side (at the bottom) of digitizer. While inspecting it in the store I was able to see 4 small spots on the bottom black part of the screen. I was told that those 4 spots are from 4 LEDs which are blocked by the white strip on the OEM digitizer.
Later when I was using my Aria in dark room I noticed that there is significan light leak at the bottom of the screen, well visible on dark background scenes (not a concern for me, but may be a concern for movie watchers). I guess that it is from the same LEDs because of the missing white strip. The light leak is almost not noticable on home screen or under normal lighting conditions both indoor and outdoor.
Based on my experiance I would say there is no perfect solution but I recommend:
- if you can live without the phone for 2-3 weeks - go with HTC repair (but be aware that if there is other damage and repair is quoted about $200, then you need to pay $35 "triage fee" to back out).
- go to your local cell phone repair shop or mail your phone to cellphonecarecenter.com (they do mail-in repair) for fast turn around (but with less then perfect replacement screen).
On additional note. Right after repair a got HTC silicon case for my Aria. It worked well except it was hard to use volume and power buttons. I fixed it in 2 minutes with exacto knife by making small through cuts in the silicon on both sides of each button. Now it's pretty good.
Note that I had Gadget Guard on my Aria screen when I dropped it. Although I don't like the Guard because it feels sticky and is much less comfortable when using touch screen, it came handy with broken screen - it kept it together and phone stayed fully functional.
Having phone still functioning gave my time to do some research.
I found that there were 3 options for repair.
1. Order replacement digitizer from China (almost $100) and replace the screen on my own.
2. Contact HTC repair center (888-295-1330), get RMA and pay for out of warranty repair. It would cost $100 or more - they said that exact repair cost is known only after the unit is inspected, but it's not going to be less that $100. Plus shipping to them is on me. It was expected that process will take 2-3 weeks. plus 90 days warranty on repair.
3. Go to local repair shop (I'm in Maryland). I found 1 repair shop in MD which quoted $160 and one in Arlington, VA (cellphonecarecenter.com) which quoted $100 plus 60 days warranty on repair.
I decided not to go for #1, because there were no guarantee that digitizer from China will be in working condition and I did not want to take chances on waiting for another month for replacement.
#2 was very attractive but it would be hard to manage everything I do without Aria for 2-3 weeks.
I drove to Arlyngton (cellphonecarecenter.com). I got there about 2 pm and they offered me to leave the phone and pick it up in 4-5 hours. I opted to pay them a rush fee ($20) and have Aria repaired in 30 minutes. After opening the phone they discovered additional damage from the fall, but they did not charge me extra for repair. In 25 minutes thay had new digitizer on, but it did not work. Investigation shown that replacement digitizer was defective (at this point I was happy that I did not order one from China). They went ahead and replaced the digitizer again (they waived rush fee because I ended up spending in the store about 1 hour instead of 30 minutes promissed).
Next digitizer was working fine, but it's not exactly as OEM one. It's not only missing AT&T logo. As well it's missing white strip on the back side (at the bottom) of digitizer. While inspecting it in the store I was able to see 4 small spots on the bottom black part of the screen. I was told that those 4 spots are from 4 LEDs which are blocked by the white strip on the OEM digitizer.
Later when I was using my Aria in dark room I noticed that there is significan light leak at the bottom of the screen, well visible on dark background scenes (not a concern for me, but may be a concern for movie watchers). I guess that it is from the same LEDs because of the missing white strip. The light leak is almost not noticable on home screen or under normal lighting conditions both indoor and outdoor.
Based on my experiance I would say there is no perfect solution but I recommend:
- if you can live without the phone for 2-3 weeks - go with HTC repair (but be aware that if there is other damage and repair is quoted about $200, then you need to pay $35 "triage fee" to back out).
- go to your local cell phone repair shop or mail your phone to cellphonecarecenter.com (they do mail-in repair) for fast turn around (but with less then perfect replacement screen).
On additional note. Right after repair a got HTC silicon case for my Aria. It worked well except it was hard to use volume and power buttons. I fixed it in 2 minutes with exacto knife by making small through cuts in the silicon on both sides of each button. Now it's pretty good.
Durapowerg
Lurker
if you are having trouble finding the Aria Digitizer you can check with our website at Durapowerglobal.com we have been getting shipments every few weeks due to the high demand for this digitizer they are very hard to find even on ebay.
We only sell OEM Original Digitizer for the Aria. Most sellers dont give you the double sided 3m adhesive to install it we include the adhesive with ours at no charge.
if we can help let us know.
We only sell OEM Original Digitizer for the Aria. Most sellers dont give you the double sided 3m adhesive to install it we include the adhesive with ours at no charge.
if we can help let us know.
I know I shouldn't blame the manufacturer, as it is my negligence that caused me to drop it, but I'm really sad that I only had the phone for three days before I cracked my screen. I would say my phone wasn't even two feet from the ground when the phone fell and the screen cracked. Plus, like some earlier posters stated, I had just taken the insurance off my line because I always take good care of my phones. I kinda wish I would have looked up this flaw before buying the phone, but I shall do so in the future. It's really neat, but I never thought it would be so fragile.
No use crying over spilled milk, right?
The cost for all the replacement screens I've been finding have been kind of outrageous (compared to the $40-$60 dollar finds stated earlier in the thread). Do you guys know if the price is just higher now since suppliers know that this is a serious problem or am I just looking in the wrong place?
No use crying over spilled milk, right?
The cost for all the replacement screens I've been finding have been kind of outrageous (compared to the $40-$60 dollar finds stated earlier in the thread). Do you guys know if the price is just higher now since suppliers know that this is a serious problem or am I just looking in the wrong place?
repairsuniverse
Android Enthusiast
The screens for the Aria are currently in extremely short supply and they have been this way for around 3 months now. We have had a hard time getting any stock at all but have now been able to find a source for them. However the prices have increased a lot.
We now have stock and are trying to keep prices as low as possible but you won't be able to find the $60 prices like before. And probably not for a long time if ever.
hillcountryblogger
Lurker
Cracked my screen a little different. I was performing CPR on a pt. (Fire Fighter/EMS) and someone was reaching in my cargo pocket for my trauma sheers. As the sheers came out, so did the phone and landed on the pt.'s marble floor. Crackola!
The folks at AT&T told me that I am SOL and my warranty is voided so I am less inclined to look for a certified service shop. I did use some of the links you folks posted and went with DuraPower Global.
The Durapower people are selling their screen for $65 (with the adhesive tape) AND they just posted the tool kit with the Y screw driver as I was on the phone with the lady. Think I am looking at $70+ for the whole thing.
Now I just have to get Otter box on the phone and get a rush build on our case.
The folks at AT&T told me that I am SOL and my warranty is voided so I am less inclined to look for a certified service shop. I did use some of the links you folks posted and went with DuraPower Global.
The Durapower people are selling their screen for $65 (with the adhesive tape) AND they just posted the tool kit with the Y screw driver as I was on the phone with the lady. Think I am looking at $70+ for the whole thing.
Now I just have to get Otter box on the phone and get a rush build on our case.
While my screen isn't cracked, I noticed some people talking about ear piece issues in this thread also.
I dropped my phone a couple times(just onto the carpet), and while nothing seemingly broke at the time, now I am experiencing ear piece drop out. As in, the sound will completely stop working for hours at a time(speaker still works), then suddenly start working again.
I have noticed that if I "compress" on the top of the phone, where the ear piece is, sometimes it will start working again. This led me to believe that the contacts are not making contact correctly.
Is this possible, or is it more likely that my earpiece just completely went bad? It's hard to tell from the video as it looks like the earpiece cleanly snaps out.
I guess my question is, would it be possible for the earpiece to not be making it's contact cleanly? So I can just go in disassemble the phone and tweak it so hopefully it works?
I dropped my phone a couple times(just onto the carpet), and while nothing seemingly broke at the time, now I am experiencing ear piece drop out. As in, the sound will completely stop working for hours at a time(speaker still works), then suddenly start working again.
I have noticed that if I "compress" on the top of the phone, where the ear piece is, sometimes it will start working again. This led me to believe that the contacts are not making contact correctly.
Is this possible, or is it more likely that my earpiece just completely went bad? It's hard to tell from the video as it looks like the earpiece cleanly snaps out.
I guess my question is, would it be possible for the earpiece to not be making it's contact cleanly? So I can just go in disassemble the phone and tweak it so hopefully it works?
I have cracked my aria three times and only dropped the phone three times as well. The first two times. I went throigh at&t insurance. This third time around I don't know what to do and hate using the phone with a cracked screen.
I don't want to order the screen online and fix it myself as I do not have the most steadiest hand.
I was thinking of contacting HTC since I've had the phone for less than a year but I've also read they can charge an arm and a leg.
Any suggestions on a solution or ways to "explain" myself to HTC for a cheaper price.
Thank you in advance!
I don't want to order the screen online and fix it myself as I do not have the most steadiest hand.
I was thinking of contacting HTC since I've had the phone for less than a year but I've also read they can charge an arm and a leg.
Any suggestions on a solution or ways to "explain" myself to HTC for a cheaper price.
Thank you in advance!
Did you have a case on the phone? Just curious because I'm constantly worried about dropping my phone and having the screen crack, even though I do have a case.
No I didn't have a case but as soon as I figure out a way to get this one fixed I will be getting one.
There's a good thread on here for cases.
No suggestions on a solution to my problem, is there?