What to do with a broken iPhone 6/6 Plus screen

The iPhone 6 is made of metal and glass — mostly glass. So it’s probably only a matter of time before you drop it on the concrete and end up with a shattered screen (unless you happen to be rocking an ultra-protective Ballistic case, or something).

Assuming you don’t have month-to-month phone insurance, what do you do now? Here are your options.

Get it replaced by Apple

Getting your screen replaced by Apple is easy and surprisingly cheap — possibly even free, depending on the type of damage and whether you’re still under warranty.

Apple charges $109 (plus tax) to fix a broken iPhone 6 screen and $129 (plus tax) to fix a broken iPhone 6+ screen. If you can’t get to an Apple store, you can mail your device in to Apple for a shipping fee of $6.95. If you purchased AppleCare+ ($99 for two years) for your device, you’ll only have to pay $79 for a screen repair — though AppleCare+ only covers two incidents of accidental damage.

Finally, if your phone is still under warranty and the crack in your screen is just a hairline (single line) crack, Apple may replace your screen for free, because in certain cases it considers hairline cracks (without any obvious sign of drop impact) to be indicative of defective glass. You can check your warranty status on Apple’s website.

If you’re going to have someone else fix your device, Apple is probably your best choice: the repair is inexpensive and won’t void your warranty (in fact, Apple will extend your warranty from that day by 90 days). Plus, if you can get into an Apple store, you may be able to convince the Genius Bar to fix your phone for free (even if there’s more than one hairline crack). Assuming you can make a timely Genius Bar appointment, it takes Apple about an one hour to replace your screen.

The main drawback to Apple’s repair service is that if you’re not near an Apple store, the company will take 3 to 5 days to fix your phone and send it back to you. Who wants to go almost a week without their iPhone?

Get it replaced by a third party

You don’t have to go to Apple to get your screen repaired, but going anywhere else will void your warranty (and trust me, Apple can tell if a non-Apple employee has opened up your phone). But if you’re out of warranty anyway, there’s no shortage of third-party Apple repair places eager to get their hands on your shattered screen.

When you’re shopping around for a good repair company, there are a few questions you’ll want to ask before handing over your device:

• How much will it cost?
• How long will it take?
• What type of warranty do you offer?

Because this third-party company will be voiding your Apple warranty, you want to make sure they’ll stand behind their work and parts – the last thing you want is a crack-free but defective screen.

Now that Apple is replacing screens for under $150, it’s difficult for third-party vendors to compete, price-wise. I called a few local repair stores around Los Angeles and got quotes ranging from $100 to $250 for a broken iPhone 6 screen. The main benefit of going to a third party is time; many will be able to repair your phone in under an hour, and some will even come to your home or office to pick up the device.

Replace it yourself

If you’re short on cash but not on confidence, you can replace your broken screen yourself. Screen replacement kits cost between $10 and $25 online and include everything you need to replace your screen, including new glass, a suction cup tool for removing your screen, pentalobe and Phillips-head screwdrivers, and prying tools. Note: This is only for replacing the glass, not the entire LCD touchscreen. A touchscreen replacement will cost you between $100 and $150 (here’s one for $133), so it may not be worth it unless you’re keen on taking your phone apart.

There are plenty of videos that will show you how to remove the broken screen, move all the parts (ear piece, home button, digitizer) to the new screen, and then pop the new screen in, all in under 5 minutes.

Of course, the drawback with the DIY approach is that you will void your warranty and you’ll have nobody but yourself to blame if something goes wrong. On the other hand, it’s a $25, 15-minute screen repair! (Or a $100, 5-minute screen repair.)

Deal with it

If you’re really short on cash, and taking apart your iPhone 6 scares you, you can also just opt to…live with a broken screen. It won’t look pretty, but you don’t need to replace your screen when it cracks, especially if the cracks are around the edges of the screen and don’t interfere with actually using the phone. If you have one or two large cracks that run across the screen, I suggest looking into a glass screen protector such as Tech Armor’s Edge to Edge HD Clear Ballistic Glass screen protector ($19.95) or Zagg’s glass screen protector ($39.99) so you don’t cut your fingers as you swipe. (If your screen is absolutely shattered, a glass screen protector will keep you from getting cut, but your phone may still be unusable.)