Recently, many major cell phone companies have begun making it easier for customers to repair their handsets themselves, rather than having them rely on expensive first-party repairs. Samsung USA embarked on self-repair over the summer, and a new trademark application (opens in new tab) suggests there may be some improvements along the way.

The filing suggests that Samsung may expand its self-repair program (opens in new tab), part of which involves launching a dedicated support app, called Self-Repair Assistant, which will allow mobile devices to "self-install , self-maintenance, self-repair...

The filing reveals that it provides "consulting and information services regarding ... self-installation, self-maintenance, self-repair ... of mobile devices.

From the sound of things, that means that Self Repair Assistant will be your go-to resource for figuring out how to repair your phone yourself. Currently, the self-repair resource comes from iFixit, a longtime advocate of at-home repair and also partners with Google (opens in new tab).

It is not clear what a Samsung-specific repair app would mean for the company's partnership with iFixit. Given the site's extensive library of repair guides, severing ties seems like a waste. However, assuming you have a different device, being able to load the repair app may help simplify the process and make the self-repair program more visible along the way.

Unfortunately, the application is surprisingly sparse on details beyond the app icon that may appear on the user's phone. We suspect, however, that at a minimum the app will include a repair guide and the ability for users to purchase necessary tools and parts.

Not that Samsung will offer anything new or unique, since iFixit offers these services for a variety of phones, including Samsung's. Still, an independent app could streamline the repair process for whatever Samsung products are included in the program.

The phones included at this time are the Samsung Galaxy S21 series, Samsung Galaxy S20 series, and Galaxy Tab S7+. However, according to the trademark application, more options may be coming, including smartwatches and earbuds.

iFixit previously noted (open in new tab) that Samsung has a pretty good track record with repairable earbuds, but that's not true for everyone, at least not for Apple. By providing resources to repair earbuds at home, hopefully other companies will consider repairability in future products.

The trademark filing is not a guarantee that the app will be generally available, but it is a very good sign. Apple is one of the most notorious opponents. The fact that Samsung may be putting a lot of resources into its self-repair program means that it is not offering only the bare minimum.

Given Samsung's position as one of the most popular Android phone brands, it is easy to foresee that rivals on our best Android phones list will follow suit. Perhaps one day, the ease of repairing phones will feature heavily in the marketing of flagship phones. I hope that happens. .......