How to choose a phone repair shop in Tenerife

Five things matter more than a low headline price:

1. The price before any work starts, for your exact model and fault, ideally in writing.
2. Honesty about parts: whether the screen or battery is an original or a compatible part, and the price of each.
3. A plan for your data: the shop should ask you to back up and should never ask for your Apple Account or Google password.
4. Paperwork: a receipt when you leave the phone and an invoice that lists parts and labour when you collect it.
5. A real address you can walk back into if something isn't right.

Reviews help too: look for recent ones that mention the same kind of repair you need.

A good shop tells you which kind of part it is fitting before you agree, because the two differ in price. Original parts cost more; compatible parts keep the cost down and can make sense on an older phone.

On recent iPhones, Apple's Parts and Service History (Settings › General › About) shows after a repair whether a part is a new genuine Apple part, a used one or an unknown part, and Apple says some features may not work as expected with non-genuine parts. Ask what will show on your phone. At A1 Computers you can choose either for a screen repair, with the price of each given first.

Back up first, then use the privacy tool your phone already has:

• iPhone: Apple says to back up, and on iOS 27 or later to turn on Ready for Repair or Trade-In in Find My; on iOS 26 or earlier, turn off Find My. Apple says never to give your Apple Account password or device passcode to anyone else.
• Samsung Galaxy: Maintenance mode hides your personal data behind a separate account during the repair. Samsung still says to back up, because data could be lost.
• Google Pixel: Repair Mode starts a clean copy of Android so the technician never sees your data; Google says not to share your PIN with the technician.

The full steps are in how to prepare your phone for a repair.

• No price until the work is done, or a price that changes without a call to you first.
• Vague answers about parts: "it's the same as original" without saying whether it is.
• Insisting on your passwords or passcode (Apple Account, Google, Xiaomi, screen lock) instead of using a repair mode or letting you unlock the phone yourself.
• No receipt when you leave the phone.
• Brand logos that suggest an official service when the shop isn't one. Spain's rules for technical repair workshops (Real Decreto 58/1988) ban brand references that could mislead customers into thinking a workshop is an official brand service.

Go back to the shop first and explain the problem; most issues are fixed there. If that doesn't work, ask for a complaint form. Under the Canary Islands' Decreto 90/2023, businesses open to the public must have complaint forms (hojas de reclamaciones) available, with a printed form for customers who prefer paper and a QR code for the electronic one, and must answer a complaint within one month. The consumer authorities can refuse a complaint you didn't raise with the business first.

Keep the receipt, the invoice and any WhatsApp messages about the price; they are your record of what was agreed.

More and more often. EU ecodesign rules for smartphones and tablets placed on the market from 20 June 2025 require manufacturers to supply key spare parts within 5 to 10 working days for at least 7 years after a model stops being sold in the EU, batteries that last at least 800 charge cycles while keeping 80% of their capacity, and operating-system updates for at least 5 years after the last unit is sold. The new EU energy label shows a repairability class from A to E.

These rules apply to new models, not phones already sold, but they mean a recent phone will have parts and updates for years. If yours has a cracked screen or a tired battery, ask for the price first and compare it with a new phone.

A1 Computers is a family-run repair shop at Local 4, Centro Comercial San Eugenio, Av. de los Pueblos 20, 38660 Costa Adeje. The phone is checked first and you get the price before any work starts; for screens you choose an original or a compatible part. Diagnosis costs €15. iPhone, Samsung, Pixel, Xiaomi, Redmi, POCO, Huawei, Oppo and Realme phones and tablets are repaired on site.

Walk in Monday–Saturday 10:45–21:30 or Sunday 10:45–14:00, in English or Spanish, or ask first on WhatsApp 641 780 077 or by phone on 922 71 35 82. Directions are on the visit map.