What to do if you have lost your cell phone

Loosing your cellphone can be devastating, but not to worry. We are here to offer you a few tips to find your missing phone, and some necessary steps to take if your phone cannot be found.

Almost everyone, in some situation or another, has experienced loosing his or her cell phone. The feeling can be awful, and you may experience some sort of panic. If you have lost your phone here are a few basic (maybe obvious) tips to help you find your mobile device.

1. Call the phone- Make a quick call to your phone, from another phone. If your phone is not on silent, you may get lucky and here you phone ring or vibrate. If you don’t have a phone nearby, and have a laptop, you can get online and find a program that will make a call or text to your device.

2. Search around- Take a look around the most obvious places you may have left it. If you are at home check the couch, bathroom, under the bed or pillows, and in your car. Check to see if you have left it on charge somewhere without remembering.

3. Retrace your steps- Try first remembering the last time you had your device. If you had been texting a friend, ask them to look at the time your last text was sent. This will help give you a time frame of when you may have lost your phone.

4. Text the phone- If you have access to another phone, text your phone. Someone may have found the device and cant get past the lock screen. They may be able to read the text, so text them a number they could potentially reach you at.

5. Call around- If you have been out for coffee or at the gym recently, you may have left your cellphone there. Give the places you have recently been a call to see if someone has found, or turned in your cell phone.

If you own an iPhone you may have a feature called “find my phone” activated on your mobile device. To find out if you have this activated, log on to www.icloud.com and click on the “find my phone” tab.

If you are lucky and have this service turned on, you can activate “lost mode” on your device. This will prevent anyone from using your device while it is locked. You will also be able to see the GPS location that your phone is currently at (if the device is on).

If you own an android device, a very similar application is available to you. Visit http://www.google.com/android/devicemanger to use this service.

What to do if your device is definitely lost.

If you have spend some time looking (a few days or so) for your cell phone, your device may be lost for good. If this is the case, and you are ready to move on a buy a new phone, there a few things your should do first

1. Check your insurance plan- You may have an insurance plan that covers lost or stolen phones. Some banks offer this service that you may not even be aware of. If you happen to have this coverage look into filling a claim and getting a new cellphone.

2. Call your network provider- Call your network provider and report your device as lost or stolen. This will prevent anyone from using your SIM card that may have been left in the device. This will avoid someone from using your phone and raking up a large cellphone bill for you. Please note, once you have reported your phone lost or stolen no one will ever be able to use that device again, not even you. Make sure you only do this if you are absolutely sure your phone is gone for good.

3. Report it- Contact the police and get them to log your devices “imei” number (if you have it). You may be able to get this number from the box your phone came with or from your service provider. If the police come across your device, they may be able to contact you and you can get your device back.

If you live in Vancouver, leave your “imei” with Cell Clinic Vancouver. Our downtown Vancouver phone store offers buying and selling services for phones. It is completely possible that your phone may end up here. If you let Cell Clinic know your imei, we can run future bought phones imei’s against yours and help locate your lost or stolen device.

Is the iPhone 6 plus too big

It may be time to upgrade your old iPhone and you may be wondering… iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 plus? The decision can be a hard one to make. Both have a bigger screen then that of their predecessors, but the real question most people are asking is “is the iPhone 6 plus too big”.

If your coming from an iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S the screen size difference on these new devices is substantial! The iPhone 6 screen size is 4.7 in. while the iPhone 6 plus is a massive 5.5 in. This is compared to the 3.5 in size of the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4s.

One of the perks of working at cell phone repair store in Vancouver is the ability to try out all latest and greatest phones. The first week I spent with the iPhone 6 I noticed one important thing. This phone is the perfect size! It’s just small enough to grip with 1 hand and still allows you to slide it in and out of your front pocket. It is also large enough to watch movies, play games or whatever else you need to do with it. The repositioned lock button made the iPhone 6 comfortable to hold with 1 hand and operate, and its “double tap home button” feature made everything in thumbs reach. All in this iPhone phone seemed perfect to me in all aspects.

Next I spend a week with the iPhone 6 Plus. Right away I was blown away with the size of this mammoth phone. The same feeling I got moving from the iPhone 4s to the iPhone 6, I got with moving from the 6 to the 6 Plus. No joke, this cell phone is huge! The resolution on this device was superb and every day tasks seemed more exciting. But all that excitement soon started to diminish when the downfalls of the iPhone 6 Plus started to kick in.

My biggest problem with the screen size of the iPhone 6 plus was how much I struggled to use it with one hand. The simple things you take for granted like walking your dog and answering the phone or carrying anything and using your phone went out the window for me. I soon began to realize that this is a 2 handed device and that was that. Once I made this adjustment, the iPhone 6 plus became more enjoyable for me, but I still wanted my iPhone 6 back.

After a week of experimenting with iPhone 6 plus I came to a few conclusions. For me, this device was much too big. As a male, I needed a place to put my phone when I wasn’t using it, and this proved rather difficult. The phone did not fit comfortably in any of my pants pockets, and even if it did, it would look a little awkward. If you are a female this device may work well for you if you keep it in your bag most of the time. Storage problems aside, I still found the size of this screen just a little bit unnecessary. My recommendation to you is to is (if you can) try out the iPhone 6 plus out for a few days before you buy it. You may find it’s just a bit too big for you as I found.

A little information of Cell Phone Batteries

Todays modern cell phones use Lithium batteries to power them. Lithium batteries were invented in the 70’s but were not introduced and used until the 90’s. Today they can be found it almost any electronic device and in every smartphone on the market. The reason for this for this is simple: Lithium batteries store the most energy than any other battery available.

As our battery technology increases, we are able to make smaller batteries that produce the same amount of power. The problem we have is even though batteries are getting smaller, the smartphone that they power are requiring more and more energy.

The heart of the lithium battery is a positively charged “ion of lithium”. Lithium batteries can be charged several hundreds of times over, and last the longest when they are not run completely dead. There are many theories on how to get the most out of your cell phone battery. We have be informed the most ideal way to get the most life out of your cell phone battery is to run it between 40-80 percent. Leaving it charged in all night or letting it run right down will shorten the life of your battery. Lithium batteries also age much quicker when exposed to heat. It is a good idea to avoid leaving your cell phone in direct sunlight, as this will kill the life of your battery.

3 Pranks to play on someone with an iPhone

Just in time for April Fools here are a few pranks you can play on someone with an iPhone.

1. Auto correct prank

On someone else iPhone

 1. Go into the Settings > General > Keyboards > New Shortcut

 2. Change any word you please to become a new word

 (Example change the word “no” to the word” Pecan Pie”.

 Whenever they type the word “no” the word pecan pie will appear.

2. Frozen iPhone Screen

On someone else’s iPhone

 1. From their home screen, press the power button plus the home button at the exact same time. This will take a screen shot of their background.

2. Move all their home screen applications to another page (by pressing the app until it starts moving around).

3. Go into their Settings > Wall paper > And Choose a new Wall paper. Upload the screen shot you took earlier.

Whenever they go to click on their apps, absolutely nothing will happen

3. The App Trap

 On someone else’s iPhone

1. Go into their Settings > General > Then Click Accessibility.

2. Turn their “guided access” on

3. Then open any app (maybe one they don’t use much)

4. Then press down the home button three times

5. Finally, enter a password

They will then be trapped inside this App unless they know the password.

Will Apple ever use a Sapphire Screen for the iPhone

Recently there has been lots of talk about sapphire glass, and how it is could produce an unbreakable iPhone screen.

In 2013 Apple spend nearly $600 Million dollars investing in a company that produces this sapphire glass.  Everyone hoped to see this new sapphire glass on the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6+, but that did not happen.

You may be asking, why would Apple spend that amount of money and not fit their new line of iPhones with the sapphire glass screens. Your guess is as good as ours, but we have 3 ideas why we think they haven’t yet included sapphire screens on the iPhone.

When thin, sapphire glass is not strong

Currently sapphire glass is used to produce such things as barcode scanners and high-end watches. It’s the thickness of the glass that gives sapphire glass its “unbreakable” qualities. Currently iPhone screen glass is extremely thin and if fitted with sapphire glass, it would be more breakable than the current gorilla glass that is used with the iPhone.

Sapphire glass is Heavy

When compared to Gorilla Glass (the current glass used for the iPhone), sapphire glass is 60% heavier. In a day an age where phones are getting thinner a lighter, it doesn’t make much sense to switch to a thicker heavier glass.

It is expensive

Sapphire glass is much more expensive than the glass used on todays smartphones. It is estimated that sapphire cost 10 times the amount than the current iPhone Gorilla Glass.

We may never see a day in which sapphire glass is used on a cellphone touchscreen. We do think that Apple invested in sapphire to use on their upcoming “Apple Watch”. Using sapphire glass on the Apple watch would be a much better use fix for this type of glass technology.

iPhone power button or lock button not working

Cell Clinic Vancouver offers a variety of iPhone repair services, but one you may not know of is a power button repair for the iPhone.

The power button is crucial to the functionally of the Apple iPhone. As iPhones get used, the power button begins to lose its “clickablity” and eventually stops working completely. If you are having issues with the power button problem, not to worry. Cell Clinic is able to replace this power button with our same day iPhone repair in Vancouver.

The price for the repair varies on the model of iPhone you have. In almost all cases, our customers have found the repair is defiantly worth the cost. No one likes dealing with a half working phone, or having to use iPhones “assistive touch”. To find out the cost of replacing your iPhone power button visit the iPhone repair prices page.

If you have another cell phone, other than an iPhone, that is experiencing this same issue, we can also repair this. Repair time and price varies on the type of cell phone you have. Some older cellphones may not we worth repairing, but newer smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy and the Samsung Note are worth fixing.

Please contact Cell Clinic Vancouver if you have any questions on power button issues or cell phone repair in general.

Review of the iPhone 6

Apples new iPhone 6 has arrived, and along with getting everyone talking, it has produced record-breaking sales. Cell Clinic Vancouver has set out to answer the question is the iPhone 6 the best smartphone on the market, and is it much of an improvement over its predecessor, the iPhone 5S.

Features

Apple has included a few new features unique to the iPhone 6. With this new device, Apple is introducing “Apple Pay”. Although Apple Pay is not yet available in Canada, it does appear like this will be a very popular feature and could change the way be pay for everyday things.  Apple has also made some major upgrades to their IOS, but you wont need the new iPhone 6 to take advantage of these features.

Design

With the new iPhone 6 comes a new screen size. At 4.7 inches this screen is slightly larger than the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5S, yet it still fits comfortably in your hand. The power button has been relocated to the side of the device, making it easier to operate with the larger screen size. The iPhone 6 also features touch ID and a lightning charging ports, as featured on the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5S. Overall the design changes in comparison to the iPhone 5 and 5S are noticeable and an overall improvement, but nonetheless minimal.

Camera

The iPhone is typically known for having one of the best cameras in the smartphone market, and the new iPhone 6 is no exception. The iPhone 6 features an 8MP camera that creates some very impressive photographs. The iPhone 6 can also shoot 240fps slow-motion video. This camera is a significant improvement from the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5S camera.

Conclusion

Many of you are wondering if with all this hype should you run out an upgrade to the new iPhone 6 from your iPhone 5 or 5S. In our opinion, this is the best smartphone on the market. But in saying this, although the iPhone 6 is an incredible device, and an improvement on its predecessors, it’s not enough to scrap the iPhone 5 or 5S and get this new device.  If you are an Apple user and are currently using an iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S, this may be the time for you to upgrade. The larger screen on the iPhone 6 is very tempting, and moving from a 4 to a 6 you will notice a huge upgrade in overall operating speed and functionally.

Should you fix your iPhone screen yourself

If you happen to have broken your iPhone screen you may be considering whether you should have it repaired professionally or attempt to do it yourself.

If you do choose to do it yourself, you will first need to acquire the proper tools. Such websites like Amazon or eBay have the tools you will need to and most the time you can find these tools for less than $10.

Next, you will need to find the actually iPhone replacement screen. Don’t be tricked into buying “just the glass” to replace your iPhone screen. The iPhone glass and the LCD display are fused together, and buying just the glass will not help you in any way.

When looking for a replacement screen you must been in mind there are different levels of quality. If you want to be happy with your repair, and want your iPhone screen to last, we would suggest your buy a OEM or original iPhone screen. If the price is to low, typically the quality will not be great, and your screen may crack very easily or not work. Expect to pay $60-$70 for a quality iPhone 5c or iPhone 5S screen.

Once your receive your tools and screen, it is always wise to watch a YouTube video on how to replace your iPhone screen. If you do choose to repair your iPhone yourself you will save on average $20-30. iPhone Screen Repair Prices are typically around $100. It may take you just over an hour to do this repair if you have never do this type of thing before.

If you have a broken iPhone Screen in Vancouver and want to get it professionally repaired with a 1 year warranty, Contact Cell Clinic Vancouver.

Why you should unlock your cell phone

When you purchase your phone through a provider like Rogers or Telus, your cell phone is “locked” to that provider. This means unless you get your phone “unlocked”, you will be forced to use this device only with that cell phone network provider.

Unlocking your phone is perfectly legal in Canada, and many stores offer this cell phone unlocking service.  The main benefit you get with unlocking your cellphone is the ability to use it with any service provider you please.

Having an unlocked cell phone is really useful when traveling to another country. When you have an unlocked cell phone, you are able to use it with a sim card in whatever country you visiting. This will save you hundreds of dollars are prevent you from accumulating roaming service fees when traveling abroad.

 An unlocked cell phone can also benefit you finically in your own country. When you unlock your phone, you have the freedom to use any phone carrier you choose. That means if you are no longer happy with the service you are getting at Rogers, you can easily switch to Wind or another carrier and keep the same phone.

Prices for unlocking a cell phone vary based on your model of cell phone and the network it is locked to. If you need a quote on the price and how long it will take just contact Cell Clinic Vancouver.

Can my iPhone be Repaired?

It’s becoming more and more common knowledge that iPhone Screens can be quickly repaired, but what if your iPhone has more damaged than a simple cracked screen?

What most people are unaware of is that virtually anything on an iPhone can be repaired/replaced. Even if your iPhone has been run over by a car, it is possible to be repaired back to a brand new looking iPhone, for less than buying a new one.

If you have an older iPhone and it is not performing well, such things as the battery, charging dock, speakers etc. can be easily replaced at an iPhone Repair Shop. The repair costs should all be around or less than $100 and shouldn’t take more than an hour for the repair to be completed.

If your iPhone has suddenly stopped working, and you have not damaged it, you may have a software problem. If this is the case, you may be able to fix this software problem yourself. We would suggest wiping all the data off your iPhone and resetting it back to a “New iPhone”.  Once you have done this, test the iPhone to make sure the software problem has gone away. Sometimes an app can be responsible for causing a software problem. We advice adding your apps back one at a time and keeping an eye on the phone. This will help you identify which app may be causing you a problem.

If your iPhone has been exposed to water damage, we suggest you DO NOT putting your phone in rice. Putting your iPhone in rice may cause the water to dry and corrode the circuits of your phone. Cell Phone Repair Stores have a better chance of saving your iPhone if it is still wet, so the sooner you can bring it for the repair the better. Every repair store is different, but at Cell Clinic Vancouver, we do not charge anything to diagnosis your iPhone. We also do not charge anything if we do not fix your iPhone.

If you are unsure if your iPhone can be fixed just contact any iPhone repair store and ask. The answer is almost always yes in the case of the Apple iPhone. Make sure you take your iPhone to a repair store which provides a “no fix no fee” and offers a warranty on their work.