For several years, Google has been trying to build a more “green” image by making it easier to repair its phones. But a recent controversy has highlighted the old reflexes that still persist in the mobile industry.
After Samsung, it’s Google’s turn to be singled out for the repairability of its devices. In the United States, the company’s after-sales service policy has recently made right-to-repair supporters cringe. Enough for the company to backtrack and try to correct the situation in order to continue to position its Pixels as durable and repairable phones.
On June 3, the site Android Authority is shocked to see in Google’s after-sales service policy a clause which more or less prohibits the use of third-party components to repair Pixel phones. More specifically, according to Google’s policy, if a phone arrives at the after-sales service for repair and an unofficial part is present in the device, the company indicates that it reserves the right to keep the phone and “ddon’t send it back» to the customer concerned.
A start of victory for the right to repair
If this policy reminds you of anything, it’s that it is directly inspired by that of Samsung, which was recently widely reported by iFixit for similar practices. The Korean manufacturer was accused of not playing the game by offering “expensive and complicated repairs“.
But Google did not give time for the controversy to swell since the company announced the next day that its policy would now evolve. A statement from a spokesperson for the firm specifies that Google “will not keep the phone, regardless of the origin of the parts installed”, but that the after-sales service still reserves the right to “failing to complete a repair» if there are risks on the «security» of the intervention exist. A beginning of victory for the American right to repairability.
What about in France?
In Europe, however, Google’s repairability policy is quite different. As the French Google Store repair program terms page indicates, the company has never considered taking a device equipped with unofficial parts hostage. Google just specifies that “if you send a device containing such parts» it will be returned to you «without repair“.
This policy is also likely to evolve since the European right to repair will soon shake up the rules, forcing manufacturers to repair products, even outside of warranty. The fate reserved for the use of parts from third-party manufacturers is not yet very clear, but there is no doubt that Brussels will slap Google on the knuckles if its repair policy is a little too restrictive on the old continent.