What to do if your phone breaks during a trip to Florianópolis

The first minutes after the problem

When your phone breaks during a trip, the most useful thing is to stop, take a breath and decide three things: whether the phone got wet, whether it still turns on, and what you need to take off it before the repair. Almost everything that comes next depends on those answers.

On the beach, in the sea, on a trail or in the street, the scare is the same: the phone falls, the screen cracks, sand gets in or water comes in. But the risk changes a lot from one case to another, and acting fast in the first few minutes makes a difference.

First, check whether the phone got wet

If the phone touched water, turn it off right away and do not try to charge it. Switching on a wet phone can send current through the wet parts and damage the logic board, which is the most expensive part to repair.

Dry the outside with a cloth, remove the case and the SIM card, and leave the phone in a dry, airy place. Do not use a hair dryer or rice. If you want to understand what happens inside, read phone got wet: what to do in the first minutes.

Then, check whether it still turns on

If the phone turns on and responds to touch, you have time to back up your photos before you take it in. If it does not turn on, the next step is the repair bench, and the cause can be the screen, the battery or the logic board. The guide phone does not turn on after a fall: screen, battery or logic board helps you understand what may have happened.

What to do for each type of accident

Each accident needs different care, and the most common mistake of a tourist is to keep using the broken phone just to see if it gets better. The table below sums up the right first step for each situation.

When sea water makes things worse

Salt water is harsher than fresh water, because the salt leaves residue and speeds up corrosion of the contacts. The longer the phone stays with salt inside, the higher the risk that the logic board is damaged. For this specific case, see phone fell in the sea: what to do.

When the screen is cracked, but the phone works

You can keep using it for a short time, but the cracked glass can get worse with heat and pressure in your pocket, and moisture gets in more easily through the cracks. If you rely on the map and your travel tickets on the phone, a screen repair is usually the fastest way to keep your trip on track.

How to save photos and data before the repair

If the phone still turns on, copy your important photos and documents before you hand it over. A screen or battery repair usually does not delete anything, but when you are travelling you do not want to take any risk.

1. Connect the phone to the hotel or guesthouse Wi-Fi.
2. Turn on cloud backup in your phone settings (iPhone or Android).
3. Send yourself, by email or app, the tickets, bookings and documents that exist only on the phone.
4. Write down the phone model and your WhatsApp contact.
5. Keep your unlock passcode handy and, on an iPhone, your Apple ID password.

If the phone does not turn on, not everything is lost. Read how to recover photos from a broken phone to see what the repair bench can do.

Flight tickets and bookings

Before you take the phone in, check that your boarding pass, hotel voucher and booking code are saved somewhere else, such as in your email or on paper. This way you do not depend on the repaired phone to travel.

Where to get your phone fixed without ruining your trip

The best place to repair your phone is one that is on your way, does not make you wait for a long appointment, and explains what it will do before it starts. Help Cell is inside Floripa Shopping, at Rod. Virgílio Várzea, 587, in Saco Grande, and it works together with the store, which makes it easy for people who are visiting the city.

You can leave your phone with us and enjoy the mall while the screen or battery is replaced. See more about the shop at phone repair at Floripa Shopping.

If you cannot go to the store

Help Cell offers pick-up and delivery in Greater Florianópolis, for a fee. The cities we serve and the price are agreed on WhatsApp. To understand how it works, see the page phone repair with pick-up and delivery.

How to choose a repair shop when you are from outside

If you do not know the city, it is hard to go back and complain. So check three things before you leave your phone: whether the shop is fixed and has a known address, whether it explains the part it will use, and whether it offers a written warranty.

• Ask for the price before you approve the service.
• Ask which part will be used and what the warranty is.
• Confirm the delivery time with your return date in mind.

Help Cell is an independent repair shop, not an Apple authorized service, and we do not sell phones. Our focus is to fix your phone so you can keep travelling with it.

How long the repair takes during your trip

At Help Cell, screen and battery replacements are ready in up to 2 hours, which fits in one afternoon of sightseeing. Other faults take a different amount of time, and the store tells you before it starts.

When to tell Help Cell your return date

Tell us your return date in your first message. With that date, the store can say whether the repair fits your time or whether another option is better, such as pick-up and delivery at your hotel.

If you are from outside Brazil

If you are a tourist from another country, you can write to Help Cell in Portuguese, Spanish or English. Send your message in the language that is easiest for you, with the phone model and what happened.

Tourists from Uruguay, Argentina and the United States are among the customers who visit the store in the summer. You can pay with Pix (Brazil's instant bank transfer), debit or credit card in up to 6 installments with no interest, with Visa, Mastercard and Elo cards.

Words that help in the conversation

If the language is a barrier, these phrases in Portuguese are enough for the first contact:

• "A tela quebrou" (la pantalla se rompió / the screen broke).
• "O celular molhou" (el celular se mojó / the phone got wet).
• "Não carrega" (no carga / it doesn't charge).
• "Quanto tempo leva?" (¿cuánto demora? / how long does it take?).

Checklist for tourists with a broken phone

Follow this list in order. It covers what to do at the hotel, on the way and at the store, without skipping what matters.

Where the accident happened

• Turn the phone off if it got wet.
• Remove the case and the SIM card.
• Do not charge it to test it.

At the hotel or guesthouse

• Back up the phone, if it still turns on.
• Save tickets, bookings and documents somewhere else.
• Send the model and the problem on WhatsApp to get the price.

At the store

• Bring the phone, the charger and your ID document.
• Agree on the time with your return date.
• Confirm the warranty and test the phone before you leave.

Frequently asked questions about a broken phone on a trip