Google publishes Pixel 7 series repair manuals because it has to
The globalright-to-repair battlereceived a major shot in the arm in France two years ago with the country mandating manufacturers of most electronics and appliances to provide a 1-10 repairability score, with 10 being the easiest to repair. This allows consumers to know what they’re getting into in terms of choosing whether to fix things themselves or hire out the job when the time comes. Additionally, smartphone manufacturers in the region are required to publish even more documentation for their products and that includes repair manuals. We came across thePixel 6a manuallast year — now, Google has published instructions for thePixel 7and thePixel 7 Pro.
Users outside France are generally blocked from accessing thesupport pagecontaining the repair manuals, but if you’re that curious about how to fix your phone, you can fire upany fine VPNto get around that hurdle. Interestingly, these geo-restrictions weren’t in place when thePixel 6a repair manualsurfaced last year, as9to5Googlenotes.
Although the site is region-restricted, people can still download the repair manuals for thePixel 7and thePixel 7 Profrom anywhere in the world. Inexperienced users or beginners are encouraged not to repair their Pixels themselves, considering the risks involved. If you’re in the US or Canada, Google already has along-standing partnershipwith uBreakiFix to assist with out-of-warranty and in-warranty Pixel repairs. Customers everywhere else in the world can learn about the authorized repair partners in their region from thisGoogle support page.
Google first announced itsself-repair programin April 2022 for users in the US, UK, Australia, and Europe, enabling Pixel owners to order original device parts from iFixit. The service was also extended to thePixel 7 serieslast month. Meanwhile, mobile industry juggernauts likeAppleandSamsungare also offering self-repair services for their customers, ceding some ground to consumer advocates.
Lobbyists for the tech companies have been able to introduce some concessions into a number of right-to-repair bills, so the fight for repair manuals to be published without forcing device owners to buy parts will still roll on in regions where new laws and amendments are on the table. All said, good for France.
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