iFixit’s FixBot helps with repairs ‘like a master technician’

DIY repair site iFixit has launched its own app for iOS and Android, featuring its extensive library of repair guides and resources, a battery health monitor, and a new AI “FixBot” tool trained on the same guides to help with repairs.

The core of the new app is the company’s existing library of repair manuals, optimized for your mobile device. You can save devices you own, giving you quick access to relevant resources, and purchase tools and parts from within the app.

All new is FixBot, an AI-powered assistant designed to guide you through repairs and troubleshooting. “You tell it what’s going on: Your phone dies at 30 percent, your washing machine won’t drain, your lawn mower sputters and stalls,” CEO Kyle Wiens says in a message. Blog post. “He asks follow-up questions. He eliminates possibilities. He thinks out loud with you, the way a lead technician would, until the diagnosis is in place. Then he finds the parts and guides you step by step.”

iFixit says the bot pulls its answers from repair manuals, a cache of PDF manuals, and user forums. For devices that don’t already have a dedicated iFixit manual, the bot “will do its best with manufacturer documentation, targeted web searches, and information from similar models,” according to Wiens. For now, FixBot is completely free to use, but eventually voice controls and document uploading will be limited to a paid plan of $4.99 per month, with access limits applying to the free version as well.

There are other app-specific features that benefit from having it installed on your phone or tablet. If you have a problem with the device it’s installed on, it will automatically detect the model, saving you searching. It also taps your phone’s battery information to report battery health. Most modern phones now include built-in battery health scores anyway, but iFixit’s unique touch is to predict future battery degradation, helping you plan your replacement in advance.

“We want to demystify batteries for people,” Wiens told my colleague Sean Hollister. “It should be like an oil change: you know when you’ll need to replace it and plan for regular maintenance.”

The iFixit app is now available on iOS and Android. It’s actually not iFixit’s first app, but it’s been a long time coming — the company first launched an iPhone app in 2011, but it was a few years later that it was released. Banned from the App Store To tear apart the Apple TV developer unit. It’s obviously taken until now for it to hit the App Store again (and Wiens’ personal developer account is still on the naughty list) but hopefully that will stick this time around — he says iFixit has made sure Apple knows it still intends to teach people how to unlock their devices.