how do i fix this fake iphone?

August 16, 2012 3:03 AM

My friend bought a fake iphone online. Now it isn't working properly - it resets randomly and plays music randomly. I can't find any docs online. How do I fix it? It is a Java phone, adual sim i5 tv. Many thanks.
posted by By The Grace of God to technology (8 answers total)

I guess open it up and see if anything's loose. Resetting randomly could be a loose connection with the battery... or it could be a software problem, which: good luck. I think the answer may just be "well at least it didn't cost much!"
posted by aubilenon at 3:19 AM on August 16, 2012

A fake iphone? So it's a phone that's not an iphone, but looks like one?

Got the link to where she bought it?
posted by devnull at 3:32 AM on August 16, 2012

It was bought on ebay.
posted by By The Grace of God at 3:39 AM on August 16, 2012

eBay? Unless it was specifically represented as fake, your friend should get an immediate and complete refund. eBay and Paypal are very buyer-centric these days, he should have no problem getting this.
posted by arnicae at 4:31 AM on August 16, 2012

He has had it for over a year. No great wash if it doesn't work but it would be neat if I could sort it. :)
posted by By The Grace of God at 4:50 AM on August 16, 2012

I think you're mostly out of luck. Most fake iPhones are manufactured in China and have little to zero documentation (eg. they make them to earn a quick profit, but aren't invested in the product itself for support). If you do find documentation, it'll likely not be in English. Primarily you'll want to find as much identifiable information on the phone as to what it is (make/model/etc, if that's even on it anywhere). From there it'll be Google searches for any additional information. I'm sorry this wasn't more helpful...the thing with rogue electronics like these is there's not really a community of consumers that help support them..and they'll likely vary greatly even from the same manufacturer. Good luck!
posted by samsara at 5:00 AM on August 16, 2012

I'm taking a wild stab in the dark here, but given the behavior you've described there may be something physically amiss. So I'm with aubilenon, see if you can open it up and locate any loose connections.
posted by aramaic at 5:55 AM on August 16, 2012

Looks like you can buy a new one for under 40 bucks shipped; that's going to be cheaper than any repair option (which likely doesn't exist for strange off-brand hardware like that).
posted by reptile at 6:08 AM on August 16, 2012